Bloomington, Ill. ? Mike Davis wasn’t even sure Marco Killingsworth could play Tuesday night. Fortunately for Indiana, Killingsworth’s back proved strong enough to carry the Hoosiers.

Killingsworth overcame pregame back spasms to dominate the middle in the second half, and Roderick Wilmont added 17 points as the 13th-ranked Hoosiers defeated No. 7 Illinois, 62-60.

“I didn’t even think he could go,” Davis said. “But he fought through it and played a great second half.”

The Fighting Illini (16-2, 2-2) had no answer for the Hoosiers’ tandem.

Wilmont provided the spark in the first half after Indiana fell into an early 11-point hole. Killingsworth scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half and added 12 rebounds, one assist and four blocks.

But Wilmont was every bit as impressive. He tied a season high with 17 points, matched his career-high with nine rebounds and sparked an 18-0 first-half run that gave Indiana the momentum it needed.

Indiana's Marco Killingsworth, right, puts up a shot over Illinois' James Augustine. Killingsworth scored a team-high 23 points as Indiana defeated Illinois, 62-60, Tuesday in Bloomington, Ind.

After the game, Hoosiers fans poured onto the court, setting off a celebration that even Killingsworth joined.

“I jumped right in there because I ain’t used to seeing that,” said Killingsworth, a fifth-year senior who transferred to Indiana from Auburn. “So I jumped in there with them.”

For Illinois, it was a rare bad night.

The Illini entered Tuesday with 55 wins in their last 57 regular-season games. They’d beaten Indiana five straight times and have now lost to only four Big Ten teams since Jan. 24, 2004 – Iowa, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Shaun Pruitt led the Illini with a career-high 17 points. Brian Randle added 15 and James Augustine had 11. Dee Brown, Illinois’ top player, was limited to five points but had 11 assists before fouling out.

And Illinois has now lost two of its last three, while Indiana has won 11 straight conference games at home.

“Marco’s a good player and sooner or later he’s going to get some things,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “In the first half we did a good job fighting him, but it’s tough. He’s just good.”

Killingsworth needed more than solid play to produce against Illinois, though.

He asked to be taken out just 59 seconds into the game, then struggled to get going when he returned. When he did post up, shots weren’t falling. And without their big man, the Hoosiers looked out of sync. Just eight minutes into the game, Indiana had committed seven turnovers and already trailed 14-3.

That’s when Wilmont provided the spark.

He hit two straight three-pointers to get the Hoosiers righted, then used his energy to start an improbable 18-0 spurt that Indiana used to turn a 19-9 deficit into a 27-19 lead. Illinois went nearly 61â2 minutes without a point, and Brown’s three-pointer at the end of the half managed to get the Illini within 28-24.

Killingsworth was 1-of-5 from the field, 1-of-3 from the free-throw line and had an ailing back that needed more than a rubdown.

“At halftime, I just prayed,” he said.

The Hoosiers relied on him more in the second half.

Davis directed his players to start exploiting the middle, especially after the Illini’s interior players started to get into foul trouble. This time, Killingsworth took advantage by hitting short shots, drawing repeated fouls and creating havoc in the middle for Illinois.

He looked like a completely different player.

“It seemed like the rim was that big,” Killingsworth said, extending his hands. “Stuff just started going in. I couldn’t believe some of the stuff that was going in.”

Illinois was surprised, too.

They tried switching matching up, switching defenders, forcing the ball out of Killingsworth’s hands. But nothing worked.

During a 15-6 run that gave Indiana a 55-40 lead with 8:23 left, Killingsworth scored 12 points.

“We focused on him a lot, but we’re going to have to do a better job than that from here on out,” Augustine said.

Illinois answered with 12 straight points and when Randle completed a three-point play with 4:52 left, the Illini were back within 55-52.

Three times, the Illini got as close as two. When Jamar Smith tipped in Dee Brown’s errant 3 with 4.5 seconds left, Indiana’s lead was cut to one.

But Robert Vaden hit 1-of-2 free throws with 3.6 seconds left, Rich McBride’s halfcourt heave was off the mark and the Indiana fans streamed onto the court.

“Marco is a guy who is going to get his shot off against anyone,” Davis said. “He played great.”

No. 12 West Virginia 64, Providence 48

Morgantown, W.Va. – Kevin Pittsnogle scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help No. 12 West Virginia win its 11th straight game.

“We didn’t shoot as well as we did (against Marquette) and still won by 15 or something,” Pittsnogle said. “It’s a great confidence builder for our defense.”

It is the school’s longest streak since the Mountaineers won 22 in a row during the 1988-89 season.

No. 8 Villanova 73, Seton Hall 64

Villanova, Pa. – Randy Foye scored 19 points, Kyle Lowry had 14, and No. 8 Villanova survived another tight one.

Nearly unstoppable while building a 13-point first-half lead, the Pirates (9-6, 1-3) came crashing back and shot only 31 percent in the second half.

“We’ve got to get it together,” Foye said he told his teammates. “We can’t wait for them to roll over and die.”

After committing only three turnovers in the first half, Seton Hall made seven in the opening 10 minutes of the second and it missed four of 11 shots to let Villanova grab a quick 55-51 lead.

No. 21 Boston College 63, Holy Cross 53

Worcester, Mass. – Craig Smith scored 19 points to surpass the 2,000-point milestone, and had a career-high 17 rebounds.

Smith, the school’s first preseason All-America selection, came into the game with 1,998 career points. But he scored just two in the first half, making 2-of-4 free throws and missing his only shot from the field, and BC (13-4) struggled to put Holy Cross (9-9) away.

“I knew I was going to get double-teamed, so I was just trying to be patient,” said Smith, the school’s first preseason All-America selection. “In the second half, I was like, ‘Hey, I’m not scoring. I might as well get some rebounds. It was kind of frustrating, but in the back of my mind I knew it was going to open up.”

Kevin Hamilton scored 17 with seven rebounds and six steals for the Crusaders.

St. John’s 68, No. 17 Louisville 56

New York – Eugene Lawrence matched his career high with 18 points, and St. John’s shook off a bad first half.

Lawrence scored the Red Storm’s first 12 points of the game and he had 14 at halftime as the Cardinals took a 32-28Lawrence scored the Red Storm’s first 12 points of the game and he had 14 at halftime as the Cardinals took a 32-28 lead.