Two teams played a tight contest where the deficit didn't grow larger than four points for much of the game.
The Fighting Illini had a strong offensive night in their second win over the Northwestern Wildcats this year winning 66-50 last night.
Northwestern suffered an eight-minute scoring drought in the last 10 minutes and Illinois built its lead to double digits for the first time.
Senior Malcolm Hill lead the way scoring 18 points, with 13 points in the second half.
With the regular season almost over, both teams find themselves on the road as they try to make a post-season push.
Northwestern travels to Bloomington to play Indiana Saturday night, while the Illini head to Nebraska for their game Sunday evening.