Illini Rally for Win Over No. 21 Northwestern

Highlights | Photo Gallery | Press Conference | Box Score (PDF)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois overcame a 16-point deficit in the final 11 minutes to take down No. 21 Northwestern, 66-62, at State Farm Center on Thursday night.

The Illini trailed by as many as 18 in the contest, and outscored the Wildcats 47-25 in the second half in front of an electric, sold-out home crowd. Illinois held Northwestern to just one 3-pointer in the final 20 minutes, while the Illini got hot from deep, knocking down seven triples after halftime.

Terrence Shannon Jr. was electric in the second half, scoring 24 of his team-high 26 points after the break. Shannon went 7-for-8 from the field and knocked down all four of his 3-point attempts in the second half. 

Matthew Mayer registered all 14 of his points in the second half, making all eight of his free-throw attempts in the final frame. Mayer hit two 3-pointers, his fourth straight outing with at least two triples, and he grabbed eight rebounds and made a team-high two blocks.

Coleman Hawkins finished with six points, but his effort on the defensive end changed the game. Hawkins notched a team-high three steals and made the game-saving block in the final seconds to secure the victory.

The Illini freshmen played big minutes down the stretch. Sencire Harris tallied six points, including the game-tying layup with three minutes to play, while Ty Rodgers recorded six points and grabbed eight rebounds, including two on the offensive glass. 

RJ Melendez scored five points and grabbed six rebounds, and he made a 3-pointer for the third time in the last four games.

The Illini went into halftime trailing by double digits, but they started heating up to open the second half. Illinois came out of the break with an 17-3 run that included nine points from Shannon and six points from Mayer to cut the game to single digits with 15 minutes to play.

After falling behind by double digits, the Illini used an 14-2 run – including 3-pointers from Melendez, Shannon, and Mayer – to cut their deficit to four points with seven minutes left in the second half.

Three minutes later, with Northwestern ahead by seven, Shannon knocked down his fourth triple of the night, grabbed a steal on the next possession, and made a layup on the other end to cut the Illinois deficit to two points with under four minutes to play.

Those five points were the first in a 9-0 Illini run, as the hosts took their first lead of the game on a Harris layup and two Mayer free throws.

With Illinois ahead by two and Northwestern in possession with 18 seconds left on the clock, Hawkins recorded a block with two seconds to play to thwart a potential game-tying shot. Shannon's two free throws in the final seconds secured the Illini victory and complete the second-half comeback.

Illinois (19-9, 10-7) will travel to Columbus this weekend to take on Ohio State (11-17, 3-14) on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT in its next game.

HIGHLIGHTS

PRESS CONFERENCE

POSTGAME NOTES

TEAM NOTES

• Illinois erased an 18-point halftime deficit to beat #21 Northwestern, 66-62.
• Illinois is 5-3 against ranked opponents this season and has won 16 of its last 25 games vs. Top 25 teams. 
• Illinois is 14-2 at home this season and has won five straight games at State Farm Center. 
• Illinois has won 10 of its last 14 games.
• Illinois has 100 more wins than Northwestern in the teams' all-time series. The Illini lead the all-time series, 143-43.
• Illinois is 73-14 all-time against Northwestern in Champaign. The Illini have won seven straight over Northwestern at State Farm Center. 
• Brad Underwood is 9-3 in his career against Northwestern. 
• Illinois' first lead of the game came with 2:36 remaining in the game on a Matthew Mayer free throw to take a 60-59 lead. Northwestern led for 35:55 of the first 37:24 of the game. The Illini led for 1:40 of total game time.
• After going 0-11 from three-point range in the first half, Illinois went 7-13 for three in the second half. 
• Illinois has allowed an average of just 60.3 points (603) in its 10 Big Ten wins, holding all nine opponents below the 70-point mark.
• Illinois' four-point win was its first Big Ten win of fewer than nine points this season. Previously, all nine of Illinois' Big Ten wins had been by at least nine points.  

PLAYER NOTES

• Terrence Shannon Jr. led Illinois with 26 points, including 24 in the second half on 7-8 shooting (4-4 from three).
  • Shannon had missed the previous two games with an injury. 
• Coleman Hawkins' block of Boo Buie to seal the game with 2 seconds left was Illinois' 162nd block of the season, tying the school record for blocks previously set in 1978-79.
  • Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the NCAA in blocked shots, averaging 5.8 bpg.
• Matthew Mayer has scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games.
  • Mayer is averaging 17.8 points (142), 6.9 rebounds (55) and 2.9 three-pointers (23) during the eight-game stretch.