(Bloomington, IL)- Tough fouls and a 4th quarter push from the No. 12 Fighting Illini help to top the Hawkeyes in Saturday’s Big 10 matchup. Iowa was able to have Illinois on the ropes for much of this contest but it’s the ranked team that pulls out the 95-85 victory. Illinois sits at 20-7 on the year and 11-5 in the Big 10, while Iowa is 16-12 overall and 8-9 in Big 10 action.
Illinois would be led by the strong scoring of Coleman Hawkins who was atop all players with 30 points and 5 assists on top of that. Terrance Shannon Jr. and Justin Harmon were the only ones with more than 10 points with 12 points each. Josh Dix was the scoring leader for the Hawkeyes with 20 but Tony Perkins would be the all-around star with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Hawkeyes likely will need to win out to end the regular season if they want a shot at the NCAA tournament. Iowa will host Penn State on Tuesday, February 27th with tip-off at 8 pm.
