Hawkins scores 30, No. 12 Illinois rallies for a 95-85 win over Iowa
CHAMPAIGN — Coleman Hawkins scored 30 points and No. 12 Illinois rallied from a 7-point deficit in the second half to beat Iowa 95-85 on Saturday.
Terrance Shannon Jr. and Justin Harmon each scored 12 points and Dain Dainja had 8 rebounds for the Illini (20-7, 11-5 Big Ten).
Nicco Moretti, who failed to score in Illinois' last three games, had 9 points in the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers, helping spark the late rally. Moretti last scored against Michigan on Jan. 18.
"You can tell Nicco is a coach's kid," said Illinois coach Brad Underwood. "He has never asked me what he needs to do to play more. He just shows up and works hard every day. I guarantee you he didn't know he was going to play 17 minutes today, but he was ready.
"He's the ultimate team guy, and that was an incredible team win for us. It wasn't easy."
It was a bounce-back game for Hawkins, who scored 9 points, missed two free throws and fouled Penn State's Zach Hicks on a 3-point shot in the final 13 seconds of Illinois' 90-89 loss Wednesday. Hicks' three free throws with three seconds left won the game.
"What did I do to flush the Penn State game? I got off social media, deleted some apps, and limited who I talked to," Hawkins said. "Basically, I just had to be a man and own up to my mistakes."
Josh Dix scored 20 points, Tony Perkins added 18, Payton Sandfort had 12 and Owen Freeman chipped in with 8 points and 8 rebounds for Iowa (16-12, 8-9), which led 64-57 with 12:15 left in the second half but failed to hold on.
"Hawkins shoots NBA-level 3s and can take the ball to the hoop. He's a tough guy to guard," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. "And their bench guys are good players. Give them credit. They played well."
Hawkins scored 13 points in the first nine minutes of the first half as Illinois led 44-43 at the break.
With the win Illinois remained in second place in the conference, two games behind No. 3 Purdue (13-3), with four Big Ten games remaining.
The Illini and Hawkeyes will meet again on March 10 at Iowa.