CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Ohio State saved another bad performance for another road game last night in Assembly Hall and lost for the third time in five Big Ten games away from Value City Arena.

An energized, physical Illinois team stunned the 10th-ranked Buckeyes 66-65 when Alexis Burke hit a layup with 3.2 seconds left.

To pull off the upset, the Illini (9-16, 3-9) had to storm back from a 56-44 hole over the final eight minutes. They forced turnovers. They dug out offensive rebounds. They erased the deficit.

They also frustrated the Ohio State backcourt of Samantha Prahalis and Tayler Hill for much of the game.

“We had to force them to do something they didn’t want to do,” Illinois coach Jolette Law said. “They like to shoot the three. Tayler Hill is a great three-point shooter. Sammy Prahalis is a great three-point shooter.

“We wanted to dictate and get over screens and force some other kid to beat us. We didn’t play safe. We got into the passing lanes and took chances. We controlled. We didn’t shut down; we contained (them).”

Hill led the Buckeyes (21-3, 8-3) with 20 points and scored a basket with 19.8 seconds to give Ohio State a 65-64 lead. But Burke cut inside the defense to win the game.

Prahalis missed a last-ditch heave from midcourt as time expired. She finished with 17 points and seven assists, but she also had five turnovers. Hill had seven. Overall, the Buckeyes turned it over 21 times.

Even so, Prahalis and Hill sparked the run that put Ohio State on top 56-44 with 8:50 to play. Hill hit three three-pointers in the run, and Prahalis scored five points and had two assists.

Afterward, Prahalis looked beyond the meltdown in the final eight minutes.

“I don’t think it was eight minutes,” she said. “I think it was the whole game. We just didn’t play that well. We didn’t come out with energy.”

In the first meeting between the teams in Columbus last month, the Buckeyes scored 96 points against the Illinois defense.

“I don’t think we played very smart,” coach Jim Foster said. “I think they got four or five very easy baskets in the second half because our guards didn’t get back. I don’t think we liked the physicality of the game. They were physical, and I think over periods of time we let it get in our heads. The players need to adjust to that.”

Foster called a timeout with 32 seconds left to set up the play for Hill. After Hill scored, Law called a timeout with 16.8 seconds left, and Burke delivered.

“We had to get a stop,” Foster said. “We talked about what they were going to do. They were going to try to isolate somebody (on defense). They isolated (Darryce Moore) and they got her. They got us. There was plenty of time to rotate over. Somebody has to be there in a help situation.

Ashley Adams was a bright spot for the Buckeyes. She scored 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting and added eight rebounds, five blocks, four assists and three steals.

Adrienne GodBold led Illinois with 16 points. Burke finished with 15.

The Buckeyes play first-place Purdue on Sunday afternoon in Value City Arena.

jmassie@dispatch.com