Northwestern
Illinois
Wildcats Knock Off No. 25 Illinois, 70-60
1/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan 14, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. -- A momentous week in the annals of Northwestern men's basketball added another stirring chapter Wednesday night, when the Wildcats knocked off No. 25 Illinois in front of a packed house at Welsh-Ryan Arena, 70-60.
Davor Duvancic -- who started every game during the nonconference portion of the season before being moved to a reserve role for Big Ten play -- scored a career-high 22 points in the win, while senior Jitim Young had 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead Northwestern.
When time finally expired, jubilant NU fans flooded the court to celebrate a first for every player and coach on the Wildcats -- a victory over the Illini. It was Northwestern's first victory over Illinois since 1999, and its first in Evanston in nearly 10 years. Coupled with losses by Penn State and Wisconsin, the win allowed the Wildcats (7-7, 2-1) to move into a first-place tie in the Big Ten standings.
"Someone told me we had not won against these guys in a while. I know since I have been here, we have not beaten Illinois," said Northwestern coach Bill Carmody, who has now beaten nine of the other 10 Big Ten schools during his three-plus years in Evanston. "Illinois is one of the better teams in the conference. It's great."
The win marked the fifth time during Carmody's tenure that the Wildcats have knocked off a ranked opponent; they have done so at least once each of his four seasons at the NU helm.
Duvancic scored 17 of his points in the second half, filling in for starter Vedran Vukusic who injured his knee in the first half.
Illinois led 38-29 at halftime, but struggled to find good looks at the basket as Northwestern pulled away; the Wildcats outscored the Illini in the second stanza 41-22. Illinois shot 21 percent in the second half and was just 2-of-20 from 3-point range.
Northwestern went on a 15-5 run early in the half to take a 44-43 lead when Mohamed Hachad banked in a 3-pointer from the right side. Duvancic scored seven in a row during the run.
Duvancic, guarded most of the night by 7-foot-2 center Nick Smith, forced Illinois to check him on the perimeter after hitting two treys. He then used his quickness to drive around the slower Smith, going 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 on 3s.
"I said to myself, 'If I can't shoot it against him, I can't shoot the ball at all,"' Duvancic said. "It worked out well for me."
And terribly for Illinois.
The Fighting Illini (10-4, 1-2) dropped their second straight game and fell to 1-2 on the road. Illinois also shot 38 percent from the field for the second straight game.
"If you're a Top 25 team you take care of business and you make shots when they make a run at you. We just didn't do it," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said.
The game was tied at 52 when Young and Duvancic put Northwestern back on top -- this time for good.
Young put back a miss by T.J. Parker, scored on a breakaway, and made a twisting layup in traffic to give Northwestern a six-point lead.
Duvancic then hit a trifecta from the corner that bounced high off the front of the rim and dropped straight in for a 61-53 lead.
"When that ball went all the way up and then down, I was like, 'Wow. This is my night,"' Duvancic said.
Northwestern's backcourt was again on display in impressive fashion. Parker had 13 points and five assists without a turnover, while Hachad score 10 points and snared eight rebounds. As a team, Northwestern committed just three turnovers, which tied a school record (set Feb. 6, 2002 vs. Michigan State).
Dee Brown had 19 points and James Augustine had 10 points and 14 rebounds for Illinois, which missed seven of 10 free throws over the final six minutes of the game.
Northwestern trailed by 12 points early but went up 27-25 on a 3-pointer and layup by Vukusic. Later in the half, the Wildcats lost Vukusic when he came down awkwardly on his left leg going for a rebound. Vukusic, averaging 15 points a game, had to be helped off the court to the locker room and did not return.
Illinois led by as many as 12 points in the first half and took a 36-27 lead just before halftime when Brown made consecutive treys, Augustine hit a short jump hook, and Brown made another three from 2 feet beyond the arc as time expired.
Brown, the Big Ten's preseason player of the year, scored 14 points in the first half but was just 7-of-18 from the field for the game.
Northwestern will now hit the road for a game at Indiana this weekend. Tip time in Bloomington is slated for 2 p.m. EST.
(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)
