CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Malcolm Hill scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds and Illinois cruised to an 82-66 victory over Rutgers on Tuesday night.
Illinois (12-14, 4-9 Big Ten) snaps a two-game skid while the Scarlet Knights (6-20, 0-13) have lost 13-straight games, all in conference play.
Maverick Morgan added 17 points and Kendrick Nunn chipped in 16 for the Fighting Illini, who used two big first-half runs to jump out to a 47-25 lead at halftime.
Illinois went on a 13-0 run early in the first half and never looked back, scoring 14 first-half points off 10 Rutgers turnovers.
Jonathan Laurent led Rutgers with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but the Scarlet Knights shot 29 percent from the 3-point range and struggled to get anything going offensively. Mike Williams and Bishop Daniels added 15 points apiece.
The Scarlet Knights were playing without leading-scorer Corey Sanders, who was dealt a two-week suspension Monday for violating team rules.
