EVANSTON, Ill. – Demetri McCamey scored 21 points and banked in the go-ahead jumper with 2.9 seconds left and No. 22 Illinois rallied from 14 points down to beat Northwestern 60-59 on Thursday night.

Illinois' Demetri McCamey, top, puts up the game-winning shot over Northwestern's Michael Thompson in the closing seconds during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, in Evanston, Ill. Illinois defeated Northwestern 60-59. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Trent Meacham scored 12 of his 15 points in the final 5 minutes as the Illini (20-5, 8-4 Big Ten) rallied from a 57-43 deficit.

He hit a 3-pointer from the corner with a minute left and added a layup to make it a one-point game with 42.6 seconds left after a turnover by Northwestern (13-9, 4-7). Meacham then stripped Michael Thompson underneath the Wildcats basket with 14.7 seconds left, and he found McCamey on the right wing for the winning jumper.

It was a stunning turn considering Northwestern had dominated most of the game and seemed poised to break its nine-game losing streak against Illinois.

Eyeing their first postseason berth in a decade, the Wildcats led by six points at halftime and were clinging to a 39-37 lead early in the second before going on a 12-0 run keyed by Kevin Coble that made it 51-37 with 11:17 left.

Coble scored five of his 14 points during that stretch, converting a nifty scoop layup and finishing it with a 3-pointer, but the Wildcats simply couldn't put this one away.

The late burst by Meacham and the shot by McCamey allowed the Illini to escape with their win 18th win in 19 games against Northwestern even though they struggled at the free throw line (2-for-12) and had trouble defending the backdoor cuts and the outside shooters at times. Yet, the defense tightened up down the stretch.

Eyeing a high seed in the Big Ten tournament and an NCAA run, the Illini knew this could be a difficult game even though they have dominated Northwestern. Even during bad seasons, the Wildcats gave opponents fits with their Princeton offense and 1-3-1 zone, and they did just that for most of the game.

McCamey tried to carry Illinois early in the second half, scoring 10 points and hitting two 3s in the first 4 minutes, but the Illini still trailed 39-37.

Northwestern's Luka Mirkovic buried a jumper to start the 12-0 run. Coble drove across the lane for a scoop that drew a roar from the Wildcats fans, and he and Craig Moore made 3-pointers that made it 51-37.