EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 5 (UPI) -- John Shurna and Luka Mirkovic made key free throws down the stretch Saturday, enabling Northwestern to hang on for a 71-70 win over co-No.24 Illinois.
Shurna (eight points, five assists) canned a pair of foul shots with 9 seconds left to give the Wildcats (14-8, 4-7 Big Ten) a 70-67 lead and Mirkovic hit 1-of-2 shots 4 seconds later to seal the win.
Brandon Paul connected on a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left, pulling Illinois to within one, but the Illini could get no closer and Northwestern went on to break a three-game losing streak.
Michael Thompson pumped in 22 points and JerShon Cobb added 13 for the victors.
Paul finished with 21 points, including four 3-pointers, for Illinois (15-8, 5-5), which lost for the fifth time in seven games.
