It was a victory that was about as pretty as the scenery along Interstate Highway 80, but it was a victory Illinois had to have and one it gladly will take back to Champaign.
The Illini defeated Iowa 57-49 Wednesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. But the game that looked like the final “gimme” on Illinois’ schedule coming into the night was anything but.
And if the Illini (15-3, 7-3 Big Ten) expect to survive their final eight conference games — most of which will come against the top teams in the league — they will need a better effort than the one they offered against Iowa (8-15, 2-8). Demetri McCamey had a game-high 15 points for Illinois, while Mike Tisdale had 14.
“It was a win,” coach Bruce Weber said. “You wish it was a little prettier, but it is what it is.”
Illinois seemed ready to put away Iowa early in the second half as it extended the eight-point halftime lead to 11 and had momentum.
One of the frustrating aspects of Illinois’ season, however, has been its inability to put teams away when it has the chance. Earlier this season, that habit cost the Illini some games they should have won, and it nearly did Wednesday night as well.
But the Illini prevailed and bring a three-game winning streak into a showdown Saturday against Michigan State at Assembly Hall.
“We set the goal of being 8-2, but we were a little bit short and now we have (ESPN) and Michigan State coming in Saturday night,” Weber said.
Once the Illini went up 11, they hit a prolonged scoring drought that lasted 6 minutes, 18 seconds. Their saving grace, however, was that they played good enough defense to keep Iowa from going on an extended run. Iowa shot just 16-for-54 (30 percent) for the night and was 8-for-28 (29 percent) from 3-point range.
Still, the Hawkeyes chopped the Illinois lead to three multiple times late in the second half, and when they did, the Illini got help from two players who have battling each other for playing time — freshman Tyler Griffey and junior Mike Davis.
First it was Griffey, who with 3:42 remaining nailed an open jumper to push the lead back to five. For the past three games, Griffey has usurped Davis’ spot in the starting lineup, thanks to a combination of his improved play and Davis’ extended struggles.
But when Iowa crawled back to within three, it was Davis who answered at the 2:54 mark to quiet the crowd.
“It was good Mike Davis made a shot, maybe this will be a nice confidence boost as we continue into the last half of the Big Ten,” Weber said.
The Illini had the benefit of a jolt of energy they received from members of the Orange Krush. About 160 members made the approximately four-hour trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, entering the building wearing Iowa colors.
But just before tipoff, they ripped off those clothes, revealing their true Illini colors. The Krush took three buses to get to the arena and remained the loudest presence for much of the night.
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chine@tribune.com
