Cockburn, Dosunmu lead No. 12 Illinois past No. 19 Wisconsin
(12) Illinois 75 (19) Wisconsin 60 ILL: 13-5 (9-3) WIS: 14-6 (8-5)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Kofi Cockburn scored 23 points, Ayo Dosunmu added 21 and No. 12 Illinois beat No. 19 Wisconsin 75-60 on Saturday in a key Big Ten Conference matchup.
Dosunmu also had 12 rebounds and 12 assists for only the third triple-double in school history. Cockburn grabbed 14 rebounds and recorded his eighth double-double in nine games for Illinois (13-5, 9-3).
“Kofi and Ayo both had a great night, as the stats show,” said Illinois coach Brad Underwood. “They were both so efficient, too.”
D’Mitrik Trice scored 19 points and Nate Reuvers added 11 for Wisconsin (146, 8-5).
Illinois outrebounded the Badgers 46-18. The Illini shot 54% (28 of 52) from the field to Wisconsin’s 41% (24 of 58).
“The way we had shot it offensively, we almost had to pitch a perfect game defensively,” Badgers coach Greg Gard said.
Illinois continued to struggle with turnovers, as it has all season, committing 18 to Wisconsin’s 11. But the Badgers had trouble converting the turnovers to points.
Illinois led by as many as 13 points in the first half and controlled both ends of the court. Cockburn had 12 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.
DYNAMIC DUO Cockburn and Dosunmu were as good as advertised against Wisconsin. Generally, one or the other has a good game in each Illini victory. When they both play well, it’s usually trouble for the opponent.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt (Cockburn) and Ayo by far and away are the two best players on the floor,” Gard said. “That’s not a shock. We thought that coming in that those guys were going to be a handful. And they were.”
Underwood couldn’t say enough about his two star players.
“When we got them, we knew we were getting two young men with great character,” Underwood said. “Both are very, very intelligent and both understand how to make the other one a better player on the court.”