CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Kylan Boswell scored 17 points and had six rebounds to lead No. 17 Illinois over Northwestern 83-74 on Sunday.

Morez Johnson Jr. had 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots, Ben Humrichous had 14 points, Kasparas Jakucionis had 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists and Jake Davis added 11 points from the bench for Illinois (14-6, 6-4 Big Ten).

Nick Martinelli and Jalen Leach each scored 17 points Northwestern (12-8, 3-6), which trailed 43-21 at halftime. Ty Berry had 10 points.

Illinois, the No. 2 rebounding team in the country, dominated the boards 50-27 without leading rebounder Tomislav Ivisic, who missed his second straight games because of an illness. The Illini had 21 offensive rebounds.

Takeaways

Kylan Boswell scores 17 points as No. 17 Illinois defeats Northwestern 83-74 | iNFOnews.ca — Illinois’ Kylan Boswell (4) goes for a rebound against Northwestern’s Ty Berry, left, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Craig Pessman)

Illinois: The Illini had lost two straight at home and didn’t play well in either game. They avoided a third consecutive home loss, which hasn’t happened since 2017, with the win, but they were outscored 53-40 in the second half. Illinois committed 13 turnovers in the game that led to 24 Northwestern points.

Northwestern: The Wildcats’ dynamic duo of Nick Martinelli and Brooks Barnhizer average 37 points per game in Big Ten play. They were held to a combined 20 points, with Martinellli shooting 7 of 19 and Barnhizer 1 of 7. Barnhizer was hurting after taking a hard fall in Northwestern’s last game.

Key moment

Illinois went on a 15-point run early in the first half to break a 5-5 tie and take a 20-5 lead. Northwestern didn’t score for more than five minutes.

Key stat