National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Illinois 72, Northwestern 67
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Where: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Illinois
Officials: # Evan Burroughs, # Mike Eades, # Larry Scirotto
Attendance: 7652

Illinois 72, Northwestern 67: Kendrick Nunn set a career high with 25 points - including four in the final 7.5 seconds - and pulled down five rebounds as the visiting Fighting Illini held off the Wildcats.

Aaron Cosby added 19 points and five rebounds for Illinois (12-6, 2-3 Big Ten), which halted a five-game road skid. Ahmad Starks and Malcolm Hill tallied 10 points apiece for the Illini, who went 12-of-14 from the free-throw line.

Alex Olah collected 14 points, 12 rebounds and four assists for Northwestern (10-7, 1-3), which has lost three in a row. Bryant McIntosh scored 16 points for the Wildcats, who finished 12-of-13 from the foul line.

Nunn slammed home an alley-oop to put Illinois on top 43-35 and later hit a smooth floater to push the margin to 10 with 10 minutes remaining. Tre Demps scored at the rim to pull Northwestern within 66-65 with 12.2 seconds left before Nunn kept his nerve at the foul line to preserve the victory.

Cosby knocked down two 3-pointers and scored eight points during a 16-4 run as Illinois turned a one-point deficit into a 30-19 lead. Cosby and Nunn combined to score 27 of the Illini's 37 points in the first half as they took a four-point edge into intermission.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Illinois came into the game ranked 10th nationally in fewest turnovers (10.3) and finished with a season-low three. … Northwestern has lost seven straight home Big Ten games dating back to last season. … The Jackie Robinson West Little League baseball team was in attendance and received a standing ovation.
Top Game Performances
 
Illinois   Northwestern
Kendrick Nunn 25 Scoring Bryant McIntosh 16
Ahmad Starks 4 Assists Alex Olah 4
Malcolm Hill 6 Rebounds Alex Olah 12
Kendrick Nunn 5 Free Throws Made JerShon Cobb 2
Jaylon Tate 2 Steals N/A
Nnanna Egwu 1 Blocks Alex Olah 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Illinois 72 41.9 8-24 12-14 12 26 3 6 3
Northwestern 67 46.2 7-21 12-13 14 34 4 0 11