Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points and Coleman Hawkins added 20 to lead the Illinois Fighting Illini to a 79-69 victory over No. 14 Wisconsin in Big Ten play on Saturday in Champaign, Ill.
Shannon hit 7 of 11 from the field, including 1 of 2 from distance, to go along with eight rebounds and three assists. Hawkins also shot 7 of 11 from the field, including making a career-high six 3-pointers on nine attempts, to go along with five rebounds.
Jayden Epps chipped in 15 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Matthew Mayer added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists for Illinois, which has won two of its past three games.
The Illini (10-5, 1-3 Big Ten), which led by as many as 15 points in the second half, shot 25 of 53 (47.2 percent) from the field, including 10 of 19 (52.6 percent) from 3-point range. Illinois outrebounded the Badgers 37-34.
Wisconsin (11-3, 3-1) fell apart down the stretch with their leading scorer and second-leading rebounder sidelined after Tyler Wahl (13.2 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game) sprained his right ankle in a win over Minnesota on Tuesday.
The Badgers, who ended their six-game winning streak, were led by Chucky Hepburn, who had 22 points, seven assists and three rebounds. Steven Crowl had 20 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and three assists, with Max Klesmit chipping in 11 points and four rebounds.
The Badgers shot 28 of 64 (43.8 percent) from the field, including 8 of 29 (27.6 percent) from beyond the arc.
Leading 30-27 at halftime, the Illini opened the second half on a 13-3 run to take a 43-30 lead following Hawkins’ 3-pointer with 15:10 left in the game.
Hawkins’ sixth 3-pointer of the game made it 64-49 with 5:34 left and the Badgers didn’t get within eight points the rest of the way.
After Jordan Davis’ 3-pointer gave the Badgers a 24-19 lead with 4:46 left in the first half, the Illini closed on an 11-3 run to take a 30-27 halftime advantage.
–Field Level Media