NCAAB Game Recap - Illinois at Northwestern
Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:00 PM EST

USD
59
Gonz
94
F
OrSt
54
Oreg
69
F
Wisc
81
Mich
74
F
Colora
62
Cal
76
F
OhSt
75
Nebras
54
F
Winth
90
USC-Up
82
F
Del
71
Charl
80
F
UTSA
71
FAU
80
F
N TX
78
FIU
59
F
CenMI
57
Mia-O
76
F
JU
67
FlGlf
73
F
Iona
86
Canis
65
F
NJIT
65
N AL
72
F
CenCT
58
(N/A)
69
F
Lib
76
KennSt
52
F
StFNY
63
SacHr
73
F
UNCA
80
HiPt
76
F
Oakl
68
IUPUI
71
F
Radf
81
Hamp
78
F
NFla
85
Stetsn
72
F
MtStM
62
StFPA
75
F
Ind
49
Purd
57
F
Longw
58
Presb
55
F
StPet
54
Niag
63
F
Drex
65
UNCW
76
F
Merrim
66
LIU
74
F
Tows
76
Hof
65
F
Bry
72
FaDi
74
F
ULM
63
ArkLR
79
F
GWebb
83
ChaSo
74
F
LaTec
91
W Ky
95
F(OT)
Marsh
80
UAB
88
F
Temp
69
WichSt
72
F
Mont
56
NoAZ
57
F
Clev
70
WIMil
68
F
YSU
92
WIGB
102
F
Ill
74
NW
66
F
Detr
67
IL-C
84
F
JMU
57
NE
77
F
TNTec
62
Belm
65
F
E KY
62
Murr
74
F
W IL
70
ORU
113
F
SIU-E
90
TN-M
75
F
JSU
55
TNSt
65
F
E IL
72
SEMO
70
F
MorSt
58
APSU
67
F
E WA
69
S UT
51
F
Ida
49
N CO
93
F
PorSt
89
IdaSt
76
F
NMSt
67
GrCan
53
F
SDSt
69
NDSU
71
F(OT)
UTRGV
59
CSBak
79
F
Ariz
48
USC
57
F
StMar
78
SCla
72
F
Portl
65
USF
81
F
Pacif
60
LoyMa
53
F
MTSt
52
Sac
81
F
UCSB
65
UCRiv
60
F
UCIrv
82
CAPoly
76
F
AzSt
72
UCLA
75
F
CS-Ful
59
HI
70
F

Feb 27, 2020, 8:00 PM EST

Final

1

2

T

Illinois

34

40

74

Northwestern

26

40

66

Griffin scores career-high 24 as Illini beat Northwestern
Thu Feb 27, 2020 11:33 PM

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) Alan Griffin relaxed with his headphones on and chilled out in bed. By the time he stepped on the court a few hours later, he sure was in tune.

Griffin set career highs with 24 points and six 3-pointers, Ayo Dosunmu scored 21 and Illinois beat struggling Northwestern 74-66 on Thursday night.

The Illini (19-9, 11-6 Big Ten) moved into a tie for second place in the Big Ten behind Maryland. They took the lead with a big run in the first half and held off last-place Northwestern (6-21, 1-16) down the stretch to win their third straight since a four-game slide that knocked them out of the Top 25.

The Wildcats lost their 12th straight, their worst skid since they dropped 12 in a row during the 1999-2000 season.

Griffin played 21 minutes and made 6 of 8 from beyond the arc, including three during a three-minute stretch in the second half to help Illinois build a 16-point lead. The sophomore is averaging 13 points while making 16 of 30 3-pointers in his last six games.

"Today, I had a different approach," he said.

Griffin was more relaxed. He listened to music, "zoned out" and had a "good meal" - mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and chicken fingers.

"I'm going to stick with that," Griffin said.

He had plenty of help from Dosunmu, who made 7 of 12 shots. Kofi Cockburn finished 12 points and 14 rebounds.

In their third season under coach Brad Underwood, the Illini matched their highest conference win total since the 2008-09 team went 11-7 in Big Ten play on the way to a 24-10 overall record. The turnaround comes after they finished 14-18 and 12-21 in his first two years.

"It's just growth, it's a process," Underwood said. "You don't just turn around and you've got your house built. You've got to start with the foundation, you've got to dig a hole. That's not fun. That's not fun. We had some hiccups. We had some speed bumps. That locker room is incredible."

Pat Spencer led Northwestern with 18 points, and Miller Kopp scored 14. The Wildcats made just 5 of 20 3-pointers in remaining winless since they beat Nebraska at home on Jan. 11.

"Tough loss," Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. "I think our guys have shown they're gonna keep fighting. I know they're definitely frustrated because there's a lot of guys putting a lot into this and we just haven't been able to get over the hump."

TAKING CONTROL

It was 51-44 midway through the second half when Griffin threw down an alley-oop dunk and Giorgi Bezhanishvili got credited with a put-back on a ball that Northwestern's Jared Jones might have tipped.

Griffin made three 3-pointers in a span of about three minutes as Illinois bumped its lead to 64-48, drawing loud cheers from their orange-clad fans.

Dosunmu scored 13 in the first half and the 7-foot Cockburn dominated down low with 10 points and seven rebounds as Illinois jumped out to a 34-26 lead.

The Illini took the lead with a 21-5 run that Griffin started with a layup and finished with a 3-pointer to make it 29-16. Trent Frazier hit a runner to make it an eight-point game with 14 seconds left before Spencer missed a turnaround jumper.

BIG PICTURE

Illinois: The schedule takes a tougher turn for the Illini, with games against Indiana, No. 23 Ohio State and No. 18 Iowa before the Big Ten Tournament. But this was a solid effort overall. They outrebounded Northwestern 42-29 and had 19 assists with just eight eight turnovers.

Northwestern: The Wildcats came in ranked last in the Big Ten in scoring and among the worst in field-goal and 3-point percentage. They certainly missed their share of open shots in this one.

QUOTABLE

"I think we're getting there. I think this is the Big Ten and everybody goes through a losing streak. Somebody mentioned this arguably is the best league in the country. You can forget that. There's no arguing about that. This is the best league in the country and you've got to play every single night." - Underwood on Illinois' turnaround after losing four straight.

UP NEXT

Illinois: The Illini host Indiana on Sunday.

Northwestern: The Wildcats will try to stop their streak against the team they most recently beat when they visit Nebraska on Sunday.

---

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top 25

Leaders

Illinois PTS +/- AST REB ST BLK
A. Griffin 24 0 2 7 0 0
A. Dosunmu 21 0 4 6 0 0
Northwestern PTS +/- AST REB ST BLK
P. Spencer 18 0 3 3 1 0
M. Kopp 14 0 2 5 0 0

Team Comparison

Ill NW
Points For 74 66
Field Goals 27/58-47% 25/61-41%
Three Pointers 8/23-35% 5/20-25%
Free Throws 12/15-80% 11/16-69%
Offensive Rebounds 13 10
Defensive Rebounds 29 19
Rebounds 43 32
Blocks 2 3
Steals 1 3
Turnovers 8 5
Personal Fouls 15 16
Technical Fouls 0 0
Ejections 0 0

2019-20 Reg Season - Ill Leads Series 2-0

Date Result Away Pts Ldr Home Pts Ldr
Sat Jan 18 NW 71 @ Ill 75 R. Beran 17 T. Frazier 16
Thu Feb 27 Ill 74 @ NW 66 A. Griffin 24 P. Spencer 18

Game Information

Stadium: Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Illinois
Attendance: 7,039
Game Time: