CHICAGO (AP) — Nicholas Baer got hot from outside. Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook hooked up for a memorable slam, and Joe Wieskamp contributed a couple of nice plays. Iowa stopped its four-game slide with one solid all-around performance.
Baer made a career-high five of Iowa’s 12 3-pointers and scored 17 points, helping the Hawkeyes pull away from Illinois for an 83-62 victory on Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Iowa (22-10) turned up its play in the second half to hand coach Fran McCaffery his first win since he returned Sunday after a two-game suspension for berating an official. The Hawkeyes went 12 for 23 from beyond the arc and turned 15 Illini turnovers into 24 points.

It was a similar performance to their meeting in the regular season, when Iowa shot a Carver-Hawkeye Arena-record 68 percent from the field in a 95-71 victory over Illinois on Jan. 20.

Next up for Iowa is No. 10 Michigan on Friday night. The Hawkeyes held the Wolverines to 32 percent shooting in a 74-59 win on Feb. 1 in their only meeting of the season. Baer and company are going to be tough to beat if they continue to shoot well. They were 18 for 32 from the field in the second half.

Iowa looks to strengthen its resume for the NCAA Tournament with another victory over the Wolverines.