GAME RECAP: Cats lose another heartbreaker

Here are our takeaways from Northwestern's fourth-consecutive loss, which dropped the Wildcats' record to 9-10 overall, and 2-8 in Big Ten play:

Slow start costs Northwestern: When the game went to halftime, Northwestern had 19 points on 6-of-26 (23.1%) shooting from the field. NU's defense had held up well and the Cats only found themselves down five at the break.

Pete Nance was the Wildcats' leading scorer in the first half with nine. It wasn't even necessarily a lot of bad looks that caused the struggles from the field. Northwestern's offense created open looks, but the ball just wouldn't go down.

In a game that ended up being decided by three points, though, it certainly would've been helpful to the Cats' cause to have added a few more points in the first half while the Illini offense was struggling.

Unsung heroes step up in second half: Boo Buie and Nance have been the engines that have powered Northwestern this season, but in the second half against Illinois, Elyjah Williams, Ryan Greer and Matt Nicholson made big plays to help Northwestern fight back from a five-point deficit to take a six-point lead.

Williams was tasked with the unenviable job of guarding Illinois center Kofi Cockburn. Despite giving up six inches of height to Cockburn, Williams was able to use his weight, hold his own and not get overpowered, forcing Cockburn into tough shots and a few misses.

Head coach Chris Collins said that Williams' success guarding Michigan center Hunter Dickinson on Wednesday night gave him confidence in his ability to slow down Cockburn. Williams said his goal when facing such a large height disadvantage is to use his leverage to force his opponent as far away from the basket as possible, while using his quickness to disrupt his rhythm.

Williams also added seven points including an outstanding move on Cockburn to create a wide-open floater. Greer added four points and big steal which led to a Williams and-one. Nicholson gave Northwestern a spark in the second half in his two minutes. He drew a foul on Cockburn and hit both free throws and was able to play solid defense on Cockburn. He did pick up three fouls in his two minutes, which is an area where he's struggled so far in his young career.

Cats can't make plays down the stretch. Again: A lot of times, close games come down to making or missing a few shots. On Saturday, Northwestern got good looks late in a close game, but the ball wouldn't go in.

Nance had a turnaround 15-footer to tie the game that wouldn't drop. The next trip down the floor, Greer got a wide open look at a three-pointer that rimmed out.

Illinois, on the other hand, made the plays they needed to down the stretch. Da'Monte Williams had a putback dunk that gave Illinois the lead for good. Alfonso Plummer and Cockburn made their free throws in the final minute.

Not being able to make the plays they need to get over the hump has become a recurring theme for Northwestern, and one they hope to reverse over the back half of the Big Ten schedule.

Cats down, but not out: Northwestern sits at 2-8 in Big Ten play at the halfway point of the conference schedule. It would be easy to mail in the back half of the Big Ten season, but Collins and his players are determined to prevent that from happening.

Collins said that his team has two options in their situation: giving up or continuing to fight.

"We're not going to tap out," he said. "We're going to keep fighting."

He continued, "You've got dig down; you've got to find something more," Collins said. "That's what we're going to do."

Nance said that he thinks Northwestern will keep working until they get over the hump.

"We're not putting our head down. We're coming every day," said Nance, who led NU wiht 21 points. "We know we're a good team... I think we deserve to win."

Nance said that there's no reason the Cats can't flip the script and go 8-2 in the second half of Big Ten play, while Williams is aiming even higher, hoping Northwestern can run the table to close out the regular season.

Atmosphere fit for in-state rivalry: It was a sold out crowd at Welsh-Ryan Arena, and it sounded like it throughout the night.

Northwestern's student section was at full capacity and sounded like it, serenading Trent Frazier with "airball" chants for what seemed like forever, and reaching decibel levels not heard all season when the Cats took the lead in the second half.

There were also plenty of Illinois fans made their way to Evanston, creating an electric atmosphere where one side was roaring on every big play.

While Northwestern would certainly like to avoid having home games be essentially a 50/50 split in terms of fans, it made for a fun atmosphere for an in-state rivalry game. Not only were the teams going back and forth on the court, but the fans in the stands were as well.

Collins thanked the students for creating "a fun college atmosphere" that his team missed at home games earlier this season, when students weren't allowed to attend because of COVID concerns.