Winning in Iowa City is no easy task for the visiting team, but Illinois proved to be road warriors Monday evening. Despite some big runs by Iowa, including a key one in the first half, the Illini were able to build a second-half lead and sink the needed free throws late for the win.

Out of the gate, it was Illinois sinking some shots and starting hot on a 13-4 run to open the game. Trent Frazier and Alfonso Plummer combined for 11 of those points with some early 3-point buckets. Illinois would stretch that lead to 20-10 early.

Iowa was quick to get rolling after that in incredible fashion. The Hawkeyes rattled off a 21-2 run with Tony Perkins scoring 11 points in a hot burst off the bench.

Illinois did eventually respond to that run and was able to carry a 39-36 lead into halftime. After the break, it was more back-and-forth action with the Illini trying to hold onto a lead late.

With under 2 minutes to play, the Hawkeyes had once again trimmed the lead to 74-71. That is when Plummer nailed a clutch 3-pointer that gave Illinois a 6-point lead. From there, it was all about hitting free throws with the Illini holding on for an 87-83 win.

Plummer and Jacob Grandison paced Illinois and tied for the game-high in points with 21 apiece. The duo combined to shoot 8-for-17 from 3-point range. Kofi Cockburn was also huge with a 17-point, 18-rebound double-double.

For the Hawkeyes, Keegan Murray netted 19 points with 3 steals and 2 blocks in the losing effort. Tony Perkins finished with 16 points off the bench on 6-for-8 shooting.

As a team, Iowa recorded 9 steals, 5 blocks, and had just 4 turnovers, but 6 missed free throws (13-for-19 from the line) proved to be the difference. Illinois went 24-for-28 (85.7%) from the free-throw line.