LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Britt Prince scored 20 points, Logan Nissley and Jessica Petrie each scored 15 points and 24th-ranked Nebraska held off Illinois 81-75 on Saturday.
Reserve Petra Bozan scored 11 points for the Cornhuskers (15-5, 4-5 Big Ten) who shot 49% (27 of 55).
Cearah Parchment scored 25 points, Berry Wallace scored 22 points, Destiny Jackson 13 and reserve Maddie Webber 11 for Illinois (15-5, 5-4).
Prince’s short jumper not a minute into the second half gave Nebraska its largest lead of the game at 43-24. The Illini got within 56-44 at the end of three quarters, but not until late in the fourth did they become a threat.
Jackson made two foul shots with 2:30 left to get Illinois within double figures for the first time since early in the first. Parchment made 1 of 2 foul shots and Jackson made two more to make it 71-65 with 1:45 left but the Illini couldn’t get any closer.
Amiah Hargrove’s 3-pointer with 5:18 left in the first quarter gave Nebraska a 9-7 lead and started a 10-0 Cornhuskers run. They led for the remainder.
Nebraska led 19-11 at the end of the first and 41-23 at halftime.
Nebraska leads the series between the two teams 22-8. The Huskers lead 10-2 in Lincoln.
Up Next
Illinois: Hosts third-ranked UCLA on Wednesday.
Nebraska: Hosts Northwestern on Wednesday.
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