Demps, Lindsey score 18, Northwestern beats Illinois 58-56
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - Tre Demps and Scottie Lindsey each scored 18 points and hit four 3-pointers, and Northwestern beat Illinois 58-56 in a matchup between struggling teams on Saturday night.
Demps, who scored all but one of his points in the second half, nailed 3s on four straight possessions to turn a four-point deficit into a five-point lead late in the second half. And Northwestern (17-9, 5-8 Big Ten) hung on to win for just the second time in eight games.
The Wildcats were leading by two when the Fighting Illini's Malcolm Hill got tripped up as time expired after catching an inbounds pass. That gave Illinois (11-14, 3-9) its ninth loss in 12 games.
Alex Olah added 10 points and seven rebounds, and the Wildcats came away with the win despite hitting 9 of 26 3-pointers.
Kendrick Nunn led Illinois with 13 points. Jalen Coleman-Lands and Maverick Morgan added 12 apiece while Malcolm Hill - the Big Ten's second-leading scorer - finished with seven points and 13 rebounds.
Demps' 3-point binge in the second half turned a 46-42 deficit into a 54-49 advantage for Northwestern with 5:35 remaining.
He also had the purple-clad fans roaring when he broke for a layup to make it 58-53 with a minute left after Lindsey blocked Morgan down low.
Nunn immediately answered with a 3 for Illinois to make it a two-point game, and the Illini had a chance to tie or take the lead after Demps missed from long range with 12 seconds remaining.
Nunn hit a pull-up jumper, but the basket was waved off due to a foul by Northwestern's McIntosh before the shot with 2.7 seconds left.
Nunn then inbounded the ball along the baseline to Hill, who got tripped up as time expired after he caught the pass near the top of the key.
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TIP-INS
Illinois: The Illini outrebounded Northwestern 40-31 after getting beat on the boards in 10 of their first 11 conference games.
Northwestern: Northwestern had hit at least 11 3-pointers the previous three games.
UP NEXT
Illinois hosts Rutgers on Tuesday.
Northwestern visits Purdue on Tuesday.