Mike Tisdale scored a season-high 25 points to help host Illinois to an 81-68 victory over Iowa on Saturday.

The Fighting Illini (18-11, 8-8 Big Ten), who were in desperate need of a win to bolster flagging hopes of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, scored the first 10 points, and gradually stretched a five-point halftime edge to 70-53 with 7:20 remaining.

Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey added 20 and 18 points, respectively, for the Illini, which shot 55.4 percent from the floor, including 62.5 percent in the second half. McCamey added seven assists for Illinois, which is 14-0 when the senior guard hits that mark.

Melsahn Basabe had 17 points for Iowa (10-18, 3-13).