Illinois gets past Iowa, into Big Ten title game
Illinois center Kofi Cockburn learned some hard lessons dueling with Luka Garza as a freshman.
On Saturday, he stood up to Iowa’s career scoring leader — and won.
Cockburn scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half, fought through foul trouble in the second half and challenged Garza physically while leading No. 3 Illinois past No. 5 Iowa 82-71 on Saturday. The victory sends the Illini to the Big Ten Tournament championship game.
“I thought Kofi was just great,” coach Brad Underwood said. “I thought the job he did in the first half, he was just dominant and not just because he had 18 points but because of his defense.”
Illinois (22-6) has won six straight, with three coming against top-10 foes. If Illinois wins one more, against No. 9 Ohio State on Sunday, it would claim its first tourney title since 2005.
But it was the matchup between Cockburn and Garza that was one of the prime reasons why Illinois’ boisterous fans made the short trek across the state line to Indianapolis. They made themselves at home, cheering loudly each time Cockburn made a play, while booing the foul calls against Illinois.
And Cockburn made sure Garza worked for everything he got. Garza finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds for Iowa (21-7). The Big Ten Player of the Year went 8 for 21 from the field and dealt with his own foul trouble in the second half.
Cockburn, meanwhile, made 11 of 21 shots.
“It’s tough,” Garza said. “You know he’s a tremendous big man. We’re both being physical with each other. It’s just it’s what I’m going to have to deal with and I’ve been dealing with in the Big Ten for a while now.”
The difference was Cockburn’s supporting cast.
Ayo Dosunmu had 18 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. Freshman guard Andre
Curbelo added 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
A 9-0 run midway through the first half gave Illinois a 2214 lead that it never surrendered. The Illini led 45-37 at the break and then opened the second half on an 8-2 spurt that featured two big baskets from Jacob Grandison.
Iowa couldn’t get closer than five rest of the way.
“I wanted to make him score through me, always putting my body on him,” Cockburn said before turning his attention on some unfinished business. “It’s that Mamba mentality, that Kobe (Bryant) mentality that we’re not through. We’ve got a long way to go.”