CHAMPAIGN, Ill. _ No. 24 Illinois kept its momentum rolling. Barely
The Illini won their fourth straight game _ the longest current winning streak in the Big Ten _ by holding off hungry rival Northwestern, 75-71, on Saturday at State Farm Center.
With former coach Lou Henson on the sideline wearing his famed orange blazer, senior guard Trent Frazier scored his 1,000th career point while leading the Illini with 16 points. He broke out of a two-game, 3-for-17 slump by making 4 of 7 3-pointers and 5 of 11 overall field goals.
He also completed his sixth straight game without a turnover.
Guard Ayo Dosunmu added 15 points with six assists while closing out another close game for Illinois, while forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili shot 6 for 9 for 13 points.
The Illini (13-5, 5-2) cracked the top 25 in the Associated Press this week for the first time since 2014.
Neither team could pull ahead _ at least not for long _ and Illinois never led by double digits. The Illini shot 45% from the floor, but struggled to get stops. Every time Illinois threatened to put away the game, the Wildcats made a shot or two to stay within striking distance.
Northwestern (6-11, 1-6) lost for the seventh time in its last eight games.
Bezhanishvili's 3-pointer with 5 minutes, 7 seconds to play gave Illinois its biggest lead at 67-58. The Wildcats chipped away, and a 3-pointer by A.J. Turner with 44.8 seconds left pulled the Wildcats within 71-68. A deep jumper by Dosunmu provided a five-point cushion, revving up a crowded arena as Dosunmu skipped down the court smiling after the clutch shot.
But Miller Kopp drained a 3-pointer in front of the Wildcats bench to inch Northwestern within 73-71 with 7.7 seconds left. Dosunmu made both ends on a one-and-one to provide the winning margin.
Robbie Beran led the Wildcats with a career-high 17 points, Kopp added 16, and Pat Spencer scored 14. Northwestern committed only five turnovers and were out-rebounded by Illinois only 32-30 while playing one of its best games of the season.
