IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Luke Recker and Dean Oliver are quickly
proving to be one of the more dangerous backcourts in the Big Ten.
|  | | Iowa's Luke Recker, right, drives around Illinois' Sergio McClain on his way to a 27-point effort in the upset of the Illini. |
Recker scored a season-high 27 points and Oliver added 16 to
lead Iowa (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today) to a 78-62 victory over Illinois (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today; No. 7 Associated Press) on Thursday
night.
"After he and Dean settled down ... I thought they had big
nights," Iowa coach Steve Alford said.
Recker and Oliver combined for 38 points, 10 assists, one steal
and only one turnover in the Hawkeyes' conference-opening victory at
Penn State five days ago.
Both scored seven points against the Illini in the first half
before carrying Iowa in the final 20 minutes.
"In the second half, I let the game come to me a little more. I
think I was forcing it a little early," Recker said. "I needed to
calm down and let the offense come to me."
Illinois' Marcus Griffin said Recker makes the Hawkeyes a much
more dangerous team than a year ago when the Illini swept Iowa.
"He's a great shooter. They do a good job with their offense to
make him look good," said Griffin, who finished with eight points.
"Last year, they didn't have a go-to guy. Recker can shoot. He can
go to the basket."
Illinois hit just 24 of 63 shots, or 38 percent, from the field,
including 7-for-22 from 3-point range. The Illini also sank just
seven of 17 free throws while Iowa was 26-for-35.
"Missing free throws ... coming away with nothing is just like
making turnovers," Illinois coach Bill Self said. "It's
frustrating when you don't get to the line very often."
Ryan Hogan finished with 10 points and Reggie Evans had 15
rebounds for the Hawkeyes (13-2, 2-0 Big Ten), who overcame the
Illini's superior size, depth and experience to win their third
in a row.
Frank Williams finished with 22 points for Illinois (12-4, 2-1)
but got little help. Sergio McClain had nine points for the Illini,
as did Cory Bradford, who continued his NCAA record shooting streak
by hitting at least one 3-pointer in his 80th consecutive game.
Iowa's reserves, who outscored Penn State 30-4 in an 86-85
victory last Saturday, combined for 25 points to seven for
Illinois.
Except for the first few minutes, the Illini trailed until a
3-point shot by McClain with 15:19 to play gave them a 37-36 edge.
The Hawkeyes regained the lead and opened a 51-46 edge on Recker's
two free throws before Williams answered with two free throws to
cut the lead to 51-48 with 7:48 to play.
Rod Thompson swished a 3-pointer from the left corner that
ignited a 15-4 run for the Hawkeyes to give them a 66-52 lead with
3:31 remaining.
Recker scored six points during the run, including four free
throws and a driving layup in traffic as he led the Hawkeyes in
scoring for the ninth time this season.
Iowa hit 11 of 16 foul shots in the final 3:31 to preserve the
victory. Recker sank all 10 free throw attempts and was 7-for-14 from
the floor, including 3-for-4 3-pointers, as he surpassed his
previous best of 26 points against Drake.
The Hawkeyes were sharp early, twice opening leads of 10 points
in the first 20 minutes.
The Illini had chipped away at a 17-7 deficit before Recker's
putback of an Evans miss again opened a 23-13 lead with 4:43 before
halftime. Williams' two free throws capped a 6-0 run to pull the
Illini to 23-19.
Consecutive baskets by Williams and Robert Archibald sliced a
28-21 Iowa lead to 28-25 with 25.2 seconds before halftime. The
Hawkeyes worked for the last shot, with Oliver nailing a 3-pointer
from the left wing to give Iowa a 31-25 lead at the break.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Illinois Clubhouse
Iowa Clubhouse
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Iowa's Luke Recker strokes the jumper from behind the arc.
avi: 720 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Luke Recker puts it on the floor and drives the lane for the scoop shot.
avi: 632 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Iowa's Dean Oliver connects for a 3-pointer as the first half expires.
avi: 974 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Illinois' Frank Williams goes high off the glass for the bucket.
avi: 644 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Brian Cook beats the Iowa defense down the court for the easy hoop.
avi: 645 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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