(AP) -- Demetri McCamey led five players in double figures with 20 points and No. 23 Illinois beat host Iowa 87-77 on Wednesday night in its Big Ten opener.
D.J. Richardson added 17 for the Illini (11-3, 1-0 Big Ten), who hit 11 of their first 13 tries from 3-point range and shot 66.7
percent from the floor to hold off the rebuilding Hawkeyes.
The Illini hit their first seven 3s, then pushed a 12-point lead to 58-39 less than two minutes into the second half. Iowa rallied
to get within 65-59, but McCamey sandwiched a key jumper around a pair of 3s to put the Illini ahead 70-59 with 7:01 left.
Matt Gatens had a game-high 21 points to lead Iowa (7-6, 0-1), which dropped its league opener for the sixth time in seven years.
Mike Davis had 15 points to crack 1,000 for his career for Illinois, which has won five straight over the Hawkeyes for the first time since 1965.
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