No. 12 Illinois dominates second half to defeat Northwestern
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 [January 08, 2021]
After heading into the half down
15 points, No. 12 Illinois dominated the second half to defeat host
Northwestern 81-56 in Evanston, Ill.
The Fighting Illini outscored the Wildcats 53-13 in the second half,
including a 17-0 run over six-and-a-half minutes in the middle of
the second half to go from down 48-41 to up 58-48.
Illinois (9-3, 5-1 Big Ten) shot 59.4 percent in the second half,
while Northwestern (6-4, 3-3) nailed only two of its 24 shots to go
8.3 percent from the field. The Wildcats had nine turnovers in the
half.
Kofi Cockburn led the second-half charge, compiling a double-double
in the half alone, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He
finished with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 12 rebounds.
Ayo Dosunmu had 15 points, six assists and five rebounds while Trent
Frazier and Adam Miller both had 14 points.
The first half was much more balanced, with both teams trading baskets
for the most of the first 15 minutes. Over the final five minutes, the
Wildcats pulled away.
Northwestern went on a 12-0 run to go up by 16 right before the end of
the half. A singular Giorgi Bezhanishvili free throw before the buzzer
put the halftime deficit for the Fighting Illini at 43-28.
The Wildcats hit 16 of their 31 shots in the half.
Illinois opened the second half with eight straight points, forcing a
Northwestern timeout. After both teams scored five points each, the
Fighting Illini went on their 17-0 run.
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Illinois Fighting Illini
center Kofi Cockburn (21) blocks a shot in the second half against
the Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit:
Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
Five different players scored during the streak, with Cockburn
leading the way with three layups.
Northwestern did not hit a single field goal in the final
seven-and-a-half minutes, with Robbie Beran hitting the only two
field goals of the second half.
Beran led Northwestern with 11 points, while Boo Buie failed to
score for the second consecutive game.
--Field Level Media
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