Northwestern Wildcats vs Illinois Fighting Illini Match Player Stats On Feb 16, 2021

Kofi Cockburn collected his 15th double-double of the season and Ayo Dosunmu nailed back-to-back 3-pointers in the last 90 seconds to help No. 5 Illinois hold off Northwestern 73-66 on Tuesday in Champaign, Ill.

Cockburn finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds despite playing just five first-half minutes after drawing two fouls. Dosunmu added 13 points, making up for a turnover-plagued performance when it mattered.

With the Wildcats (6-13, 3-12 Big Ten) within 65-63 after Chase Audige canned a short jumper with 1:46 left, Dosunmu drained a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:20 remaining to up the lead to five. On the Illini's next possession, Dosunmu drilled an NBA-range 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it 71-63 with 39 seconds on the clock, sealing the outcome.

The Fighting Illini (15-5, 11-3) got 10 points each from Adam Miller and reserve Giorgi Bezhanishvili in posting their sixth straight win. They overcame 15 turnovers and 11-of-22 foul shooting.

Audige pumped in a game-high 22 points, but it wasn't enough to keep the Wildcats from losing their 12th straight game after a 6-1 start to its season. Pete Nance added 14 points.

After outscoring Northwestern 53-13 in the second half of an 81-56 win last month in Evanston, Ill., Illinois started the rematch as though it intended to bury the Wildcats again. When Andre Curbelo drove for a layup at the 12:52 mark, the Illini led 23-7.

But Illinois couldn't sustain that level of play. Sloppy execution marked its performance for the half's remainder, and although its defense kept Northwestern bottled up for a while, the visitors eventually found traction offensively.

Audige drove and dunked in the last minute of the half, capping a 7-2 burst that enabled the Wildcats to head for the locker room down only 38-26. Illinois canned 60 percent of its field-goal attempts before the break but missed a chance to put away the heavy underdog.

--Field Level Media