Recap: Illinois vs. Northwestern

Champaign, IL (Sports Network) - Reggie Hearn scored 20 points as Northwestern knocked off No. 23 Illinois, 68-54, at Assembly Hall.

Jared Swopshire and Alex Marcotullio totaled 12 points each for the Wildcats (11-7, 2-3 Big Ten), who had dropped three of their last four coming in.

"We came in here and got a good win on the road," said Hearn. "The coaches put in a good game plan defensively and we just executed it."

Brandon Paul had 21 points for the Illini (14-5, 1-4), who have lost three in a row all by double-digit margins. Tracy Abrams contributed 10 points in the setback.

Paul's triple reduced Illinois' deficit to 38-28 within the three-minute mark of the second half, but the visitors rallied to restore a 15-point margin, at 45-30, on a Marcotullio trey with 12:53 to play.

D.J. Richardson's free throws made it 48-38 with 6:20 on the clock and Paul made 1-of-2 from the line for a nine-point deficit, but Tre Demps pushed Northwestern's lead back into double digits (50-39) on his two free shots less than two minutes later.

Abrams hit a jumper and it was a nine-point game once more, but Illinois was forced to foul. Swopshire and Dave Sobolewski went a combined 5-of-6 from the charity stripe for a 56-42 game with 1:38 showing and the hosts couldn't spark any comeback.

The Wildcats led 10-3 in the early stages thanks to long-distance buckets from Hearn and Swopshire, then took an 18-11 edge on a Marcotullio trey with just over 7 1/2 minutes gone.

It was 23-12 just over two minutes later thanks to a Swopshire bucket, then the visitors' lead swelled to 36-21 after a pair from the line by Sobolewski inside of two minutes left in the half.