No. 13 Illini survive scare against Northwestern

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Kofi Cockburn scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to help No. 13 Illinois stave off a late comeback in a 73-66 win over Northwestern on Sunday.

Illinois led by 18 points after Alfonso Plummers’s 3-pointer with 13:05 left, but Northwestern responded with a 19-2 run to pull within one point with 6:16 to go.

The Illini (18-6, 11-3 Big Ten) turned to 7-foot center Kofi Cockburn for an answer, and he obliged, scoring six-straight points to make it a 61-56 lead with 4:19 to play. He scored the team’s final three buckets.

The home win keeps the Illini in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten title race, sitting a half game ahead of second-place Purdue and one game ahead of Wisconsin after all three teams lost once during the week.

Ty Berry came off the bench to lead the Wildcats (12-11, 5-9 Big Ten) with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including a 4 of 6 mark from 3-point range. Chase Audige added 12 points and Pete Nance tacked on 10.

Illinois took a 44-30 lead into the break thanks in part to its 9-of-16 mark from 3-point range in the first half, including four treys from Plummer and a pair from freshman RJ Melendez.

Plummer finished the game with 19 points, including a 5-of-11 mark from long distance. Melendez added a career-high 14 points and six rebounds.

A bucket from Cockburn, then dunks from Omar Payne and RJ Melendez helped Illinois build an 18-point lead before the under-12 timeout. Payne blocked a shot by Elyjah Williams, then Coleman Hawkins started the Illini on a fastbreak, providing a smooth dish for a Melendez dunk that made it 50-32 with 14:37 to play.

Northwestern then went on its run.

Cockburn recorded his 41st career double-double, tying Illinois’ double-double record set by Skip Thoren (1963-1965).

BIG PICTURE

Northwestern: The Wildcats are far from an easy beat. They may not have the firepower to get over on the league’s elite teams, but there’s an opportunity to finish the season above .500 with six games to go and Nebraska, Minnesota (twice) and Penn State still on the schedule.

Illinois: The Illini have now won 25 of their last 29 games in Big Ten play. The team is prone to offensive lulls, but Cockburn is the ultimate security blanket in the paint. Perimeter threats like Plummer continue to capitalize on the space created by the star center’s presence.

UP NEXT

Northwestern: Hosts Purdue on Wednesday.

Illinois: At Rutgers on Wednesday.

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