Kasparas Jakucionis scored 24 points and Illinois held off UCLA for an 83-78 win over UCLA to end the Bruins’ seven-game win streak.

The Illini won back-to-back games for the first time since early January, firming up their NCAA Tournament resume

UCLA’s defense was too pliable in enabling the Illini to shoot 50.9% on the way to ending the Bruins’ seven-game winning streak. A big issue was the UCLA guards’ inability to stay in front of their man, leading to them repeatedly getting beat off the dribble.