B1G upset: Northwestern tops No. 10 Illinois in overtime
Illinois’ stay in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 may not be for long. Northwestern defeated the No. 10 Illini on Wednesday night in overtime.
Illinois led 76-74 with under a minute left in regulation. Northwestern’s Boo Buie tied it at 76-76 with about 23 seconds remaining. The score would hold, as Marcus Domask missed a last-second jumper, leading to overtime.
Who else but Boo Buie to tie it up. 👀 @NUMensBball pic.twitter.com/PDvBlLy5pB
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 25, 2024
WE’VE GOT OVERTIME ‼️ pic.twitter.com/deqbB4feXZ
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 25, 2024
In overtime, Northwestern scored the first 9 points, opening up an 85-76 lead with 2:35 to go. The Illini fought until the end, but could not cut significantly into the deficit, falling 96-91 even with a 3-pointer in the final second.
BROOKS BARNHIZER ‼️‼️@BrooksBarnhizer x @NUMensBball pic.twitter.com/N55NflYyUR
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 25, 2024
UPSET ALERT. 🚨@NUMensBball takes down No. 10 Illinois in Evanston. 🐱 pic.twitter.com/ziUTOmmIyf
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 25, 2024
Buie was the game’s leading scorer, with 29 points on 12-of-25 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point territory. Brooks Barnhizer was the other Wildcat to crack 20-plus, scoring 23 points on 9-of-15 field-goal shooting, including 4-of-6 3-pointers. Ty Berry (14 points) and Matthew Nicholson (12 points) were also in double figures for Northwestern.
The Wildcats were just 1-of-4 from beyond the arc in the first half. They got the 3-ball going after the break, going 10-of-14 from 3-point range in the second half and overtime periods. Buie and Barnhizer were a perfect 3-for-3 on triples in OT.
Northwestern out-shot Illinois 55% to 41% on field-goal attempts. The Wildcats were also better on turnovers (10-5) and points off TOs (17-5). The Illini had the advantage in rebounds (46-32), second-chance points (19-9) and bench scoring (14-9). The Wildcats won points in the paint 46-38.