Illinois Fighting Illini vs Iowa Hawkeyes Match Player Stats On Dec 06, 2021

Junior center Kofi Cockburn scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds to guide Illinois to an 87-83 Big Ten victory Monday night at Iowa.

Alfonzo Plummer (21 points) drilled a crucial 3-pointer and four free throws in the final 1:20 for Illinois (7-2, 2-0 Big Ten), which earned its fifth straight win and opened its Big Ten schedule with two victories for the first time since 2013-14. Jacob Grandison added 21 points and Trent Frazier contributed 18 points and 8 rebounds as the Illini outrebounded the Hawkeyes 52-23.

Iowa (7-2, 0-2) was paced by Keegan Murray with 19 points. The nation's leading scorer (24.6 ppg), who missed Friday's loss at Purdue with an injured ankle, scored 11 in the final four minutes to pull the Hawkeyes as close as 3. Tony Perkins added 16 points off the bench.

The teams took turns making dizzying runs in the first half without much input from their leading scorers. Plummer drilled 3 3-pointers and a driving layup in the first 6:30 to stake Illinois to a 20-10 lead.

Perkins came off the bench for Iowa to spark a 21-2 spree over the next 6:30 that gave the Hawkeyes a 31-22 lead. He scored 12 points in a four-minute stretch as the Hawkeyes' defensive pressure forced multiple turnovers that led to fast-break layups.

Illinois recovered to regain a 39-36 edge by halftime as Grandison drilled 3 3-pointers in the final four minutes -- capped by a wide-open shot from the corner with six seconds to play. Murray had just 2 points at the break while Cockburn had 3.

Both teams opened the second half determined to establish their stars. Murray worked for layups and drew fouls on Iowa's first two possessions while Illinois stop,ped shooting 3-pointers and started pounding the ball inside to the 7-foot Cockburn. He scored on three straight possessions to give Illinois a 45-40 lead with 16:39 to go.

Illinois tried to pull away with a 10-0 run midway through the second half. Frazier started things with a pullup, a 3-pointer and two free throws, then Da'Monte Williams drove for a 3-point play to make it 62-47 with 8:57 to go.

Iowa responded by cranking up its press and forcing back-to-back 10-second violations. That triggered a run that cut the lead to 63-57 on Patrick McCaffery's layup with 6:09 to go.

Illinois rebuilt its lead to 72-61 on Plummer's 3-point play with 3:36 left, but Murray responded with a trademark flurry. In a 59-second span he nailed a 3-pointer, swiped a cross-court pass for a flying dunk and drove for a 3-point play to make it 72-69 with 2:27 to go.

--Field Level Media