The Illinois women’s basketball team moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Big Ten standings after defeating the Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa, on Thursday night 74-69.

Illinois (17-8, 7-6 Big Ten) sophomore guard Lori Bjork’s three-pointer with 1:19 left in the game vaulted the Illini to a 68-67 lead.

Head coach Theresa Grentz’s designed play worked, as Bjork curled around and ended up open in the corner.

“I was surprised to be that open, especially in that situation,” Bjork said. “I took my time and knocked it down.”

The three was Bjork’s fourth of the contest, which tied Krista Reinking’s school record of 74 during the ’95-’96 season.

The Hawkeyes’ (12-14, 4-9 Big Ten) Wendy Ausdemore put on a show for the 2,500 Iowa fans on hand, finishing the game with 29 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Ausdemore also converted all eight of her free-throw attempts.

Illinois was down by as much as 12 in the first half. The team was losing 34-22 when Iowa’s Jenee Graham made a two-point jumper. For the Illini, freshman center Jenna Smith and junior Danyel Crutcher had double-doubles. Smith finished with 15 points and 10 boards, while Crutcher added 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Redshirt freshman Lacey Simpson had a career night, and her play was arguably the thorn in Iowa’s side throughout the game. Simpson scored 18 points but also nabbed eight rebounds and added seven assists. She stole the ball three times as well.

With the Illini ahead 68-67 after Bjork’s clutch three-pointer, Simpson received a bullet pass from Crutcher down low and converted the lay-up with 45 seconds to go in the game. Crutcher’s free throw with three seconds left in the second half put the game out of reach for the Hawkeyes.

For the contest, Illinois shot 42.8 percent from the field and 82.4 percent from the free-throw stripe.

“Tonight we made some key plays and came up big when it mattered,” Grentz said. “Now we need to do it again on the road on Sunday.”

The Illini will travel to Bloomington, Ind., to face the Hoosiers at 1 p.m. Sunday.