For the first time in the month of February, the Illinois Fighting Illini put together a performance worthy of an NCAA Tournament bid. After losing six straight games, Illinois used an excellent defensive effort to pick up a 65-54 victory over the streaking Iowa Hawkeyes.

Meyers Leonard dominated the paint in the victory for the Fighting Illini. The talented big man scored 22 points and pulled down a team-high 14 rebounds in 36 minutes of action. Brandon Paul scored 17 points on 5/9 shooting, including 3/5 from behind the arc. The Illinois defense limited Iowa to just 36.7 percent shooting from the field.

The Hawkeyes were led by Matt Gatens in the loss, as the talented scorer netted a team-high 22 points and played all 40 minutes. The only other Iowa player to score in double figures was Roy Devyn Marble, who scored 10 points. The Hawkeyes struggled to take care of the ball, committing 17 turnovers.

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