Northwestern Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout loss to No. 12 Illinois

Illinois’ second-half dominance got the better of Northwestern Basketball, as the Wildcats suffered their third-straight setback.

It was a tale of two halves for Northwestern Basketball on Thursday night against Illinois – and after dominating in the first half, the Wildcats were dismantled in the second stanza by the Fighting Illini en route to an 81-56 victory for Illinois in Big Ten action.

Northwestern got out to a substantial advantage in the opening half, leading by as much as 16 before taking a 43-28 edge into the locker room at halftime.  Their lead, which lasted nearly 19 minutes, was short-lived, as the Illini began the second half on a 21-5 run to take a 49-48 lead – and proceeded to outscore the Wildcats by 40, 53-13, in the stanza.

For Illinois, this win was crucial for a team coming off a string of significant wins over middle-of-the-pack Big Ten squads in Penn State, Indiana, and Purdue.  The Illini got stellar games out of their two-man tandem of Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn.

Cockburn, who was rendered ineffective in the first half, finished the night with a double-double of 18 points (8-9 2PT, 2-4 FT) and 12 rebounds (5 offensive) to go with two blocks, while Dosunmu poured in 15 points (4-9 2PT, 1-2 3PT, 4-4 FT) as well as five rebounds and six assists.  Trent Frazier and Adam Miller, meanwhile, contributed 14 points apiece.

For Northwestern, this loss is, obviously, extremely frustrating and disappointing for a team that has fallen back to earth after their 3-0 start in Big Ten play.  After toppling Michigan State, Indiana, and Ohio State, the Wildcats have now fallen by a combined 59 points in their last three outings against Iowa, Michigan, and Illinois.  Northwestern featured just one double-digit scorer in Robbie Beran, who finished with 11 points (1-2 2PT, 2-4 3PT, 3-4 FT) as well as team-bests in rebounding (five) and assists (four).

The road does not get any easier for Northwestern, who was previously ranked nationally and had cemented themselves as one of the best stories in college basketball.  With nearly a week off until their next game, the Wildcats will desperately need to fix the issues that have plagued them in their past three games – and presented themselves against Illinois.