IOWA CITY, Iowa (Interstat) — Illinois built a large early lead and withstood a furious second-half rally to defeat Iowa 75-69 in a Big Ten men’s basketball game Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Fighting Illini led by 11 at halftime and expanded their advantage before the Hawkeyes surged after the break. Iowa outscored Illinois 45-40 in the second half but could not complete the comeback. Both teams scored 36 points in the paint, but Illinois secured the conference road victory in front of 13,559 fans.

With the win, Illinois improved to 13-3 overall. Iowa fell to 12-4.