Following a blowout victory over Rutgers, No. 10 Illinois men’s basketball headed to Northwestern in search of its third straight conference victory. There were chances down the stretch for the Illini, including a two-point lead with 30 seconds remaining, but they ultimately lost 96-91 in overtime.

Fifth-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr. was inserted back into the starting lineup against Northwestern. Junior guard Luke Goode, who started six games in his absence and once with Shannon on the bench, went back to his more typical spot in the reserves. Graduate student forwards Marcus Domask and Quincy Guerrier rounded out the first five with senior forward Coleman Hawkins and sophomore guard Ty Rodgers.

Northwestern came down with the tip on its home court but came up empty on the first possession of the game. Both teams initially struggled on the offensive end, to the point where Hawkins putting Illinois on the board after three scoreless minutes was not an issue. 

Rodgers put serious effort on the offensive glass and generated three extra possessions for the Illini before anyone could blink. Substitutions came out early for Illinois, and it couldn’t have been a better decision because Goode caught fire. Back-to-back threes from the Indiana native thrust the Illini in front of the Wildcats with 11:05 remaining (17-14).

Despite hovering around 35% from the field for much of the first half, Illinois was keeping up with a 50% mark from Northwestern. Free throws and three-pointers were an area where the Illini made up ground, but their defense had forced just one turnover by the 2:38 mark (29-27).

In the final seconds of the first half, Domask methodically created an excellent shot at the rim but left it short, which led to Northwestern getting one more shot and a 34-32 lead at halftime. A rebounding trio of Guerrier (6), Rodgers (6) and Hawkins (5) stood out through the first 20 minutes — on top of Domask leading Illinois’ offense with seven points and three assists.

Illinois came out firing from distance in the second half. Three quick ones from Guerrier, Domask and Hawkins gave Illinois temporary leads, but Northwestern answered on all occasions. The Wildcats’ initial 1-4 mark from distance was followed by a 5-8 stretch of pure flames. 

Both teams were trapped in a loop of answering the other’s haymakers. Neither team was able to pull away by more than four points as the clock ticked into the final 10 minutes. Shannon, who had struggled all night long, was on the receiving end of a flagrant foul that kicked off seven straight Illini points (64-60).

But the Wildcats answered in a flurry once again. It took just 30 seconds for Northwestern to retake the lead, which was unsurprisingly short-lived thanks to a huge three by Hawkins (67-65). A thunderous dunk from Domask and a deep three by Shannon only added to the madness, and the scoreboard was knotted at 72 heading into the final media break.

Graduate student guard Justin Harmon was the lone Illini who scored down the stretch, hitting a floater to take a 76-74 lead in the final minute. Unfortunately for the Illini, there was a response from the Wildcats. Domask had a chance at the last shot, but it was too strong, meaning it would take five more minutes to decide a victor.

The wheels fell off in overtime for Illinois. A three coupled with a four-point-play by the Wildcats put the Illini in an insurmountable hole. Despite a pair of 22-point performances from Domask and Hawkins, Illinois fell 96-91. 

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