CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Kofi Cockburn scored 28 points, Alfonso Plummer added 21 and Illinois defeated Notre Dame 82-72 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Cockburn scored eight points early in the second half and his dunk with 14:50 remaining gave the Illini a 56-43 lead. Jacob Grandison’s 3-pointer extended the lead to 59-43. At that point, the pace slowed down for Illinois and Notre Dame drew within 67-62 when Cormac Ryan hit a 3-pointer with just under six minutes to go. Illinois pushed the lead to 71-63 at the final official timeout then made 11 of 12 free throws in the final three minutes.
