Box Score Feb 18, 2004
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By JIM PAUL
Associated Press Writer
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - Those first shots are so important and Deron Williams hit them Wednesday night.
"After I hit the first couple, I was feeling good, so I just let them fly," he said after scoring 31 points to lead Illinois to a 65-57 win over No. 12 Wisconsin.
Williams' scoring from the perimeter - he hit five 3-pointers - opened up the inside game for the Illini and they fought off a six-point deficit to avenge a 76-56 loss to the Badgers on Jan. 24. He also had four steals.
"We owed them one," Williams said. "They just kicked our butt. We just wanted to get back at them right now, and we hope to play them again. We hope to in the Big Ten tournament."
Illinois won its fifth straight game. Both teams are 17-5 overall and 8-3 in the Big Ten, tied for second place, a half-game behind Michigan State, which is 9-3.
Williams, who had only eight points in Madison, scored seven during a 12-4 run that turned a 24-18 deficit into a 30-28 halftime lead.
"He shot it a lot better than he did at our place," said Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan. "You've got to give him credit. What was the difference in the game? It was him."
Illinois held Wisconsin's leading scorer, Devin Harris, to 16 points after he scored 30 in Madison. Mike Wilkinson, who had a career-high 24 points in the first game, scored only seven.
"Up there, we didn't trap. We were afraid of that," said Illinois coach Bruce Weber. "We just decided we're going at people and be aggressive. Our guys like to play that way."
The Badgers took a 31-30 lead when Wilkinson hit a 3-pointer to start the second half. But Illinois quickly regained the lead for good as a 13-3 run put Illinois up 44-36 with 12:38 to go.
"They were pressuring us the whole game," said Wisconsin's Zach Morley. "But we made mistakes that we don't usually make."
The Badgers were able to put together a 7-0 run that cut their deficit to 50-49 with 5:32 remaining, but Illinois responded with eight straight points.
"We kept the lead and we kept our poise," Weber said. "I'm not sure we would have done that in December."
Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said he thought his team had a chance to overtake the Illini, but three turnovers and two missed shots later Illinois was up by eight.
"Execution wasn't up to the standards you have to get on the road (to) win in the Big Ten," he said.
Morley was the only other Badger in double figures with 12 points.
Illinois has rebounded after losing three of its first five conference games. But the Illini haven't lost since that 20-point thrashing in Madison.
"I think we've made big strides since the last time we played them," Weber said. "Now, we have to see if we can deal with success."
