Junior guard Malcolm Hill injured his hamstring during practice Monday, but that didn't stop him from delivering 22 points and 10 rebounds Tuesday to lead Illinois to an 82-66 Big Ten victory over Rutgers at the State Farm Center.

Illinois led by 22 points at halftime, but Rutgers got as close as 11 in the second half before suffering its 27th consecutive Big Ten loss. Junior center Maverick Morgan contributed 17 points and four blocks while junior guard Kendrick Nunn added 16 points for Illinois (12-14, 4-9 Big Ten).

Freshman forward Jonathan Laurent paced the Scarlet Knights (6-20, 0-13) with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman point guard Corey Sanders, who stacked up 39 points and 12 assists when Illinois outlasted Rutgers in triple overtime on Feb. 3, missed the game after being suspended Monday by coach Eddie Jordan for violation of team rules. The two-week edict keeps him out of the lineup until the March 2 home game against Michigan State.

Illinois utilized runs of 13-0 and 15-2 to sprint out to a 47-25 lead at halftime. The Illini pushed the margin to 55-30 with 16:02 to go when senior point guard Khalid Lewis fed redshirt freshman Michael Finke for a fast-break layup, but that's when Illinois turned sloppy and cold.

Laurent, sophomore guard Michael Williams (15 points) and senior point guard Bishop Daniels (15 points, seven assists) took turns scoring and Rutgers got as close as 69-58 on a pair of Laurent free throws with 5:22 to play. Morgan answered with a pair of free throws to ignite a 6-0 Illinois run that ensured its first home win since Jan. 10.