CHAMPAGNE – Stars matter in college basketball, and the basketball star’s return from Illinois made all the difference Thursday at State Farm Center.
After missing two games in concussion protocol, Illini is top scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 of his 26 points in the second half to help Illinois overcome an 18-point halftime deficit and beat No. 21 Northwestern 66-62.
Shannon went 7-of-8 from the field in the second half, including all four 3-pointers to help Illinois break up the season series against Northwestern, who haven’t won two games against Illinois twice in the same season since 1966. Matthew Mayer added 14 points for Illinois and made 8 of 10 from the free throw line.
With the win, Illinois (19-9, 10-7 Big Ten) is now in a four-way tie for third place in the Big Ten, while Northwestern is now 1.5 games behind Purdue in first place.
Illinois, who ended Northwestern’s five-game winning streak, are now up 5-3 against ranked opponents this season and have won 16 of their last 25 games against top-25 teams.
Boo Buie posted a career-high 35 points (6-11 from threes) and led Northwestern (20-8, 11-6 Big Ten), who shot 8-16 from threes in the first half. But the Wildcats shot just 9 for 26 in the second half, including just 1 for 5 from three. Brooks Barnhizer was the only other wildcat to score double digits (11 points), and Illinois held track audio on seven points in 3-on-14 shooting.
Buie scored 22 points in the first half — more than Illinois as a team — hitting 5-of-8 from three points to help Northwestern build a 37-19 halftime lead. The Wildcats hit 8 of 16 from three while the Illini shot 0 for 11 of three. Northwestern ended the half on a 23-5 run as Illinois had just two field goals in the last 11 minutes and had 10 turnovers in the first half.
Illinois came out of halftime going 3-of-6 from 3 and went on a 17-3 run — sparked by nine points from Shannon — to cut the Northwest lead to 40-36. But Northwestern responded with a 12-0 run of their own, with Buie scoring eight points during the stretch to take a 52-36 lead. The Illini used a 14-2 run to cut Northwestern’s lead to 54-50 with about seven minutes remaining. After Buie hit three free throws to build a 57-50 lead, Illinois rattled off another 9-0 run, led by five points from Shannon, to take its first lead, 61-59, with 2:36 remaining.
After a Barnhizer jump, Shannon made a layup and shared two free throws to give Illinois a 64-62 lead. Coleman Hawkins He then blocked a Buie shot in Northwestern’s last attempt to level the game and Shannon sunk two 2.7-second free throws to seal the win.
What it means: This is just a Quad 2 win in the NCAA tournament recap, but it feels like a pivotal win for Illinois. The Illini were led on their home court by their state rival, and Illinois looked set for a fourth loss in six games. Instead, Illinois showed guts, tenacity and talent in the second half to pull off a win that will keep Illinois in the hunt for a Big Ten tournament double-bye and could go a long way in helping them seed for the NCAA tournament. Now how about not letting a team lead by 18 points in the first half?
Star of the game: Shannon was the best player in the second half. Northwestern knew he wanted to go left but still couldn’t stop him from getting to the rim, and the UCLA shooter version of Shannon emerged in the second half with four 3-pointers made. Either Shannon or Mayer can start at any time, giving the Illini a chance in March.
Also kudos to Boo Buie. Buie’s shirt ripped and put him on the bench but that was the only way they could keep him calm for a few minutes. Buie, who was 0-6 against Illinois prior to this season and averaging just 7.4 points on 27% shooting in those games, tore up the Illini’s ball screen cover and made his first four 3-pointers to give Northwestern a huge halftime lead. Then it went into the paint with finishes from dribbling drives. Buie has been gradually building a case for the All-Big Ten First Team – and he made his strong case for it on Saturday.
Statistics of the game
- Illinois led for 1:40. Northwestern led 35-55.
- Northwestern went 8:16 from 3 in the first half and 1:5 in the second half, while Illinois went 0:11 from 3 in the first half and 7:13 from 3 in the second half.
- Illinois had 16 points from 10 Northwestern turnovers, while Northwestern had 13 points from 16 Illini turnovers.
- Led by Shannon, Ty Rodgers (6 points) and Sencire Harris (6 points), Illini’s bench outplayed Northwestern’s bench 38-13.
- Northwestern outplayed Illinois 26-24 in color.
- The teams combined for just 13 assists.
- Illinois outrebounded Northwestern 40-31.
Do not overlook: Jayden Epps was kept goalless in the 0:5 shooting and did not play until the final score of 13:54. Dain Dainja had just three points along with three turnovers in 15 minutes and didn’t play the final 10:09.
What’s next: Illinois travels to Ohio state for an 11 a.m. CT tip (CBS). Illinois defeated the Buckeyes 69-60 on Jan. 24 behind four starters who scored in double digits and put on a strong defensive performance, keeping Ohio State to .91 points per possession. The Buckeyes (11-17, 3-14 Big Ten), who started the season 10-3, are in freefall, losing 14 of 15 games, including four straight at home. The Buckeyes are currently No. 67 on the NET so it would still be a Quad 1 game for Illinois at this time – but if the Buckeyes continue to lose it seems likely it will drop to Quad 2.