National Basketball Association
Illinois 77, Nebraska 72
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, February 12, 2021
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Nebraska
Officials:
# Brooks Wells, # John Higgins, # Larry Scirotto
Attendance:
N/A
By Field Level Media
Ayo Dosunmu piled up 31 points and six assists and No. 6 Illinois survived Nebraska's upset bid with a 77-72 overtime win Friday in Lincoln, Neb.
Dosunmu scored the Fighting Illini's last 10 points in regulation, then scored five points in the first minute of overtime to give Illinois a 71-66 lead.
With the Illini holding a 73-70 edge, Dosunmu fired in a jumper with 15 seconds left to clinch Illinois' fifth straight victory.
Dosunmu achieved the school's third all-time triple-double in its last game against Wisconsin.
Kofi Cockburn had 21 points and 13 rebounds for Illinois (14-5, 10-3 Big Ten). Trent Frazier and Adam Miller added 10 points apiece.
Lat Mayen led the Cornhuskers (4-12, 0-9) with 16 points. Teddy Allen and Trey McGowens tossed in 15 points apiece but Nebraska lost its 25th consecutive conference game and ninth in a row overall.
The Cornhuskers were clinging to a 34-33 lead at halftime even though they never trailed during the first 20 minutes.
Mayen scored seven points in the early going and Thorir Thorbjarnarson knocked down two 3-pointers. Cockburn and Dosunmu combined for 20 of the Illini's first-half points.
Illinois finished the half on a 9-2 run with Cockburn scoring seven of those points.
Cockburn also dunked on a put-back 32 seconds into the second half to give the Illini their first lead of the contest.
Dosunmu's dunk with 15:39 remaining gave Illinois a 44-39 advantage. The Cornhuskers responded with 10 unanswered points that included 3-pointers from Mayen and McGowens.
Illinois soon went on a 10-0 run of its own to gain a 56-52 lead. Frazier made a layup and a 3-pointer during that span.
The runs kept coming as Nebraska reeled off 12 of the next 14 points for a 64-58 lead with 2:55 left. McGowens had two baskets in that stretch and Mayen knocked down two 3-pointers.
Dosunmu went on a 6-0 personal run to tie the game. The Cornhuskers' Dalano Banton and Dosunmu traded baskets to make it 66-all. Nebraska had the ball last in regulation but came up empty.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Illinois |
|
Nebraska |
Ayo Dosunmu 31 |
Scoring |
Lat Mayen 16 |
Ayo Dosunmu 6 |
Assists |
Derrick Walker 3 |
Kofi Cockburn 13 |
Rebounds |
Teddy Allen 8 |
Kofi Cockburn 7 |
Free Throws Made |
Teddy Allen 5 |
Ayo Dosunmu 4 |
Steals |
Thorir Thorbjarnarson 2 |
Kofi Cockburn 4 |
Blocks |
Dalano Banton 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Illinois
|
77 |
48.3 |
7-21 |
14-22 |
15 |
35 |
8 |
6 |
13 |
Nebraska
|
72 |
36.9 |
7-20 |
17-25 |
12 |
36 |
5 |
7 |
13 |