Jon Leuer finished with 26 points and nine rebounds and Jordan Taylor added 22 points as No. 21 Wisconsin held off No. 16 Illinois, 76-66, in Madison on Saturday.

Keaton Nankivil chipped in 14 points for the Badgers (13-4, 3-2 Big Ten), who shot 34 of 41 from the free throw line.

Both schools struggled from the floor in the first half, with Wisconsin taking a 27-25 lead into the break thanks in part to a 17-12 rebounding advantage. Leuer scored 11 points in the opening period while the Fighting Illini shot just 30 percent (7 of 23).

The defensive slugfest continued after the half, with Illinois missing their first six field goal attempts in allowing the Badgers to open the second with a 10-0 burst. The Illini would draw as close as 44-39 on Mike Tisdale’s 3-pointer with 11:56 left but Wisconsin’s defense would never let them get into a rhythm, holding Illinois (13-5, 3-2) to one field goal over the next eight minutes.

The difficult stretch continues for the Illini this week, with No. 24 Michigan State and No. 2 Ohio State schedule to visit Champaign.