Kofi Cockburn compiled 37 points and 12 rebounds as No. 18 Illinois took over sole possession of first in the Big Ten Conference with an 80-67 victory over No. 11 Wisconsin on Wednesday in Champaign, Ill.
Cockburn, the only NCAA player in both the top 10 in scoring and rebounding, made 16 of 19 shots and wound up one point shy of his career-high point total set Nov. 26 against Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
Jacob Grandison added 14 points for Illinois (16-5, 9-2 Big Ten), which pulled away from a four-point halftime lead.
Johnny Davis had 22 points and 15 rebounds for Wisconsin, offsetting 5-of-19 shooting by making 11 of 14 free throws. Tyler Wahl added 14 points for the Badgers (17-4, 8-3), who hit just 3 of 24 attempts from 3-point range.
The Badgers, who lost for the second time in four games, dropped into a third-place tie with Purdue (19-3, 8-3), a half-game behind second-place Michigan State (17-4, 8-2). The Illini earned their third straight win.
Grandison hit a 3-pointer to cap an 8-0 run that put Illinois in front 73-59 with 5:12 remaining.
The Badgers missed their first 13 shots from beyond the arc before Lorne Bowman II finally connected with 10:18 left to cut the lead to 61-53.
Illinois used a 9-0 run to go in front 51-40 early in the second half as Wisconsin missed five consecutive shots — including four 3-point attempts.
Cockburn had 20 first-half points on 10-of-12 shooting to pace the Illini to a 42-38 lead at the break.
Wisconsin was 0-for-9 from beyond the arc while Illinois was 4-for-8 from long range. The Badgers offset that by making 8 of 9 free throws, while the Illini missed their only attempt.
Illinois ended up 7 of 22 from 3-point range, 9 of 18 from the foul line. The Badgers made 12 of 15 free throws.
Wisconsin had won nine of its previous 10 games, with the lone loss in that span coming against visiting Michigan State on Jan. 21.
Illinois has won four straight against Wisconsin after the Badgers had won 15 in a row in the series.
–Field Level Media
