Sunday's college basketball: Hillmon’s double-double lifts No. 15 Michigan women past Illinois

Ann Arbor — Naz Hillmon scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and No. 15 Michigan continued its school-best star with a 70-50 win over Illinois on Sunday.

Akienreh Johnson added 17 points and Amy Dilk 11, plus both grabbed nine rebounds, for the Wolverines (9-0, 4-0 Big Ten), whose previous best start was 7-0 three different times, the last in 2015-16.

Jeanae Terry scored 17 points for the Illini (2-6, 0-5) and Kennedi Myles had 12. Illinois has lost five straight.

Hillmon scored the first five and Johnson the last four in a 9-2 run to close the first quarter for a 17-14 Michigan lead. Hillmon had four points, Dilk a 3-pointer and Johnson a layup in a 9-0 run in the second quarter that pushed the lead to 28-17 at the break.

The Illini got with seven late in the third quarter after five quick points from Terry but Hailey Brown had a three-point play and 3-pointer in the final 2½ minutes to help get the lead back into double figures and the Wolverines were never threatened in the fourth quarter.

Leigha Brown, the Wolverines’ second-leading scorer (19.7 points), missed her second-straight game for what the program would only call COVID protocols.

Michigan plays at Wisconsin on Thursday when Illinois is at home against No. 23 Michigan State.

More state women

►(At) No. 23 Michigan State 68, Nebraska 64: Kate Cain blocked a 3-point shot with five seconds remaining and Whitney Brown followed with the clinching free throw and Nebraska upset No. 23 Michigan State.

The Spartans, who went cold in the fourth quarter, pulled within 67-64 on a putback by Kendall Bostic. A quick foul sent Bella Cravens to the line where she missed two free throws.

Alyza Winston’s attempt to tie was blocked by Cain, allowing Nebraska to escape with a win after falling 64-62 at No. 15 Michigan on Thursday.

Isabelle Bourne scored 18 points to lead the Cornhuskers (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) and Sam Haiby added 11 with 10 rebounds.

Nia Clouden led the Spartans (8-2, 3-2), who dropped their second straight after falling to No. 12 Maryland 93-87 on Thursday, with 14 points. Tory Ozment added 11 points and Winston 10.

Michigan State had a 48-47 lead going into the fourth quarter and was up four with less than six minutes to play. That’s when the Huskers went on a 9-0 run, capped by Haiby’s three-point play that made it 63-58 with 3:32 to play.

Nebraska missed four free throws in the final minute but Michigan made only 1 of 6 shots in the final two minutes. The Wolverines were up 58-54 on a Janai Crooms layup at the 7:34 mark but missed their next eight shots before Clouden’s basket at 3:18. UM was 7 of 21 in the fourth quarter.

The Cornhuskers made 5-of-7 3-pointers and went 16-of-32 overall to take a 39-30 lead at halftime. Michigan came back to outscore Nebraska 18-8 in the third quarter, hitting 7-of-14 shots while Nebraska was 4-of-15 shooting with five turnovers. 

Michigan State is scheduled to play at Illinois on Thursday while Nebraska is home against No. 16 Ohio State on Saturday.

►Eastern Michigan 67, (at) Western Michigan 62: Eastern rallied from an eight-point deficit in the second half to bounce Western. Areanna Combs led Eastern (5-5, 2-3 Mid-American Conference) with 26 points and 10 rebounds and Ce’Nara Skanes added 14 points and 16 boards. Sydney Shafer and Taylor Williams had 23 and 20 points, respectively, for the Broncos (1-6, 0-5).

Big Ten men

►(At) No. 5 Iowa 86, No. 16 Minnesota 71: Luka Garza scored 33 points and Joe Wieskamp added 20 as No. 5 Iowa defeated No. 16 Minnesota.

Jordan Bohannon had 19 points and a career-high 14 assists for the Hawkeyes (11-2, 5-1 Big Ten), who avenged their overtime loss to the Golden Gophers on Christmas. Bohannon did not have a turnover in 36 minutes.

Iowa, which led 39-37 at halftime, opened the second half with a 22-6 run. Garza had 10 of his points in that stretch.

Minnesota (10-4, 3-4) rallied from a 63-45 deficit to get to within five points twice late in the second half. The Gophers defeated Iowa 102-95 in overtime on Dec. 25 by coming back from seven points down with 44 seconds left.

Garza, who came into the game leading the nation in scoring at 27.2 points per game, was 13 of 20 from the field.

Bohannon, who missed most of last season after undergoing a second hip surgery, has scored 74 points in his last four games combined after scoring just 27 in the previous five.

Jack Nunge added 10 rebounds for the Hawkeyes.

Both Gach and Marcus Carr scored 13 points apiece for the Gophers. Brandon Johnson had 12. Liam Robbins added 10.

Carr had 30 points and Johnson 26 against the Hawkeyes earlier this season.

►Maryland 66, (at) No. 12 Illinois 63: Darryl Morsell scored 19 points, Donta Scott added 16 and Maryland upset No. 12 Illinois.

The game was fast-paced and close throughout. Hakim Hart hit a 3-pointer with 4:08 left to give the Terrapins a 62-61 lead, which Maryland didn’t relinquish.

Ayo Dosunmu scored 23 points for Illinois (9-4, 5-2 Big Ten) and Kofi Cockburn added 21 points and 10 rebounds. Dosunmu missed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it.

Aaron Wiggins added 12 points for Maryland (7-6, 2-5). The Terrapins limped in on a three-game Big Ten losing streak, including two double-digit home losses.

Maryland played without point guard Eric Ayala (14 points per game) due to a groin injury.

Illinois jumped to a 14-7 lead, fueled by five quick points for Dosunmu, six by Cockburn and a long 3-pointer by Adam Miller. Maryland stuck around and tied it at 16 midway through the first half.

Illinois guard Trent Frazier took a blow to his left shoulder late in the first half and left in obvious pain. He returned in the second half but was held scoreless.

Cockburn had 16 points at the break.

Scott buried a 3 at the buzzer to pull the Terrapins within 34-32 at the half.

►Indiana 84, (at) Nebraska 76: Rob Phinisee scored 18 points and Aljami Durham scored 17 and Indiana beat Nebraska.

Trayce Jackson-Davis scored nine of his 15 points from the foul line and grabbed 11 rebounds and Race Thompson scored 11 for Indiana (8-5, 3-3 Big Ten Conference) which now has won three of its last four games.

Jackson-Davis’ foul shot with 15:53 left put the Hoosiers up 56-41. Nebraska responded with a 22-6 run in a little more than the next six minutes and led 63-62 on Kobe Webster’s 3-pointer with 9:39 remaining.

Jackson-Davis’ jump shot with 3:52 to go broke a 71-all tie after the lead went back-and-forth, and Indiana led the remainder.

Teddy Allen scored 21 points for Nebraska (4-8, 0-5), Lat Mayen scored 15 and Dalano Banton, Trey McGowens and Derrick Walker 10.

Top 25

►(At) No. 19 Virginia Tech 77, Notre Dame 63: Jalen Cone scored 18 points off the bench to lift Virginia Tech over Notre Dame.

Cone connected on 5 of 11 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, as the Hokies (9-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) bounced back from Wednesday’s loss at Louisville. Virginia Tech has won five of six games and five consecutive home games.

Keve Aluma added 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Hunter Cattoor had 15 points for the Hokies, who held Notre Dame to just two field goals in the second half.

Nate Laszewski led the Fighting Irish (3-7, 0-4) with 17 points, with most of that coming from an 11-for-12 performance at the free-throw line.