By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kofi Cockburn scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half, and No. 3 Illinois beat No. 5 Iowa 82-71 on Saturday to advance to the Big Ten Tournament title game.

The Fighting Illini (22-6) have won six straight, with three coming against top-10 foes. If Illinois wins one more, against No. 9 Ohio State, it would claim its first tourney title since 2005.

Ayo Dosunmu scored 18 points for Illinois, and reserve guard Andre Curbelo finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Luka Garza had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Iowa (21-7). Jordan Bohannon scored 20 points.

It didn’t the Illini long to impress an enthusiastic fan base that made the short trip to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

A 9-0 run midway through the first half gave Illinois a 22-14 lead that it never surrendered. The Illini still led 45-37 at the half then opened the second half on an 8-2 spurt that featured two big baskets from Jacob Grandison.

Iowa couldn’t get closer than five rest of the way.

BIG PICTURE

Iowa: The Hawkeyes won’t go away quietly in the NCAA Tournament, as Illinois found out Saturday. The Hawkeyes will pose matchup problems for opponents who are unfamiliar with Garza’s size, versatility and supporting cast.

Illinois: The Fighting Illini might be playing their best basketball this season at the perfect time. They’ve already tied a single-season school record with five top-10 wins, and the last three all came on the road or neutral courts. They could celebrate the school record by cutting down the nets Sunday.

UP NEXT

Iowa: Will find out its next opponent when the NCAA Tournament brackets are released Sunday.

Illinois: Plays No. 9 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game.

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