EVANSTON, Ill. — The way Michael Thompson was burying shots down the stretch, Drew Crawford figured Northwestern was in good shape.
Doesn't mean this one was easy, though.
Thompson scored 22 points, hitting five 3-pointers, and Northwestern escaped with a wild 71-70 victory over Illinois on Saturday and avenged an earlier blowout.
"As a team we did a good job of keeping our composure, staying with the offense and staying aggressive on the defensive end," Thompson said. "I was on the receiving end of some good passes."
Coming off a one-point loss to No. 1 Ohio State a week earlier, Northwestern (14-8, 4-7 Big Ten) blew a 12-point lead in the second half and had to hang on for dear life after getting it back up to seven.
Things got particularly interesting in the final minute.
Demetri McCamey nailed a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left, pulling the Fighting Illini (15-8, 5-5) within 68-65, and the drama was just beginning.
Northwestern's Alex Marcotullio then missed the front end of a one-and-one but took a charge as McCamey got called for an offensive foul with 20.3 seconds left.
After a timeout, Thompson turned the ball over near midcourt. McCamey then hit two free throws to make it 68-67 with 10.4 seconds left.
John Shurna immediately answered with two of his own to bump Northwestern's lead back to three. McCamey then missed the front end of a one-and-one with 7 seconds left, and the Wildcats' Luka Mirkovic got the rebound and was fouled before converting 1 of 2 to make it 71-67.
Illinois' Brandon Paul hit a 3-pointer as time expired, and Northwestern had beaten Illinois for just the third time in 23 games, avenging a 25-point blowout last month.
"This wasn't revenge or anything like that," coach Bill Carmody said. "I don't think that way. I don't think our guys think that way.
"We've lost some tough games in conference. It was real nice to get a signature victory. Just real happy for the guys."
Thompson was spot on as the Wildcats snapped a three-game losing streak, burying 7 of 12 shots and 5 of 8 from long range. His 3-pointer with 6:11 left stopped a 12-0 run after Illinois had tied it at 53, and he hit two more as the lead grew to 64-57.
"He was huge down the stretch," Crawford said. "It really gets us going as a team. It really energizes us. He's our leader. When he's knocking down shots, we're playing well."
JerShon Cobb added 13 points for Northwestern. Crawford scored 12 — all in the first half.
Shurna, the Wildcats' leading scorer, came off the bench and finished with eight points after missing the Ohio State game because of a concussion.
Paul led Illinois with 21 points. McCamey added 14, but with their fifth loss in seven games, the Illini realize their NCAA window is starting to close.
"We try to treat each game now as a tournament game," Paul said. "We've definitely got to start winning, and it's got to start in practice."
For coach Bruce Weber, this one felt like "Groundhog Day."
"It's the same story whether you go Wisconsin, Indiana, Penn State or here," he said. "Can't get behind. Can't start halves bad. We've got to get some consistency."
It wasn't there Saturday.
Illinois, which shot a school-record 70.5 percent against Northwestern last month, watched as the Wildcats hit seven of their first eight this time to grab an 18-7 lead. The Illini tied it late in the half but then faltered as Northwestern scored six straight to take a 35-29 lead at the break.
The Wildcats appeared to be in good shape when Marcotullio nailed a 3-pointer with 11:06 to go. That made it 53-41, but the Illini weren't finished.
They had a chance to take their first lead when Paul stepped to the line with 6:39 left but settled for a tie at 53 when he hit 1 of 2.
"It's just little things," Weber said. "Brandon has a free throw to go ahead. Maybe you go ahead and it makes a difference, but we didn't make it. Now you've got to get some stops, and to their credit, they executed and made shots. I thought 'Juice' Michael Thompson was very special."