(REUTERS) — Two games isn’t much of a losing streak, but it was enough to have No. 18 Illinois sweating a bit.

The pressure is off for now.

Illinois (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten) held Purdue without a field goal over the final 6:46 and outscored the Boilermakers 18-6 over that span on the way to a 75-62 victory Wednesday night.

The Illini, who had lost two games on the road and dropped 10 places in the AP Top 25, snapped Purdue’s six-game winning streak.

“I’m not going to say the collar was tight, but there was pressure on us to win,” Illinois coach Bill Self said.

Brian Cook, the Big Ten’s leading scorer at 21 points a game, got off to a slow start but came on strong in the second half to finish with 22 points.

Cook had just two field goals and six points in the first half. He was guarded most of the game by Chris Booker and had difficulty getting open, fumbling the ball when he did. Cook had four turnovers in the first half, but none in the second half.

“They beat us on the boards and we had too many turnovers. We still have a lot to learn,” Cook said.

He was more assertive in the second half, and so was Illinois.

The Illini worked the ball down low to Cook, who scored his first two baskets of the half on nifty post moves before getting into foul trouble. Cook was called for his fourth foul with 8:24 to go and was forced to the bench.

With Cook out of the game, Purdue (11-4, 3-1) cut a seven-point deficit to one on Melvin Buckley’s second 3-pointer of the game.

But things fell apart from there for the Boilermakers.

After a timeout, Dee Brown hit a long jumper and converted a three-point play on a fast break to extend the Illini’s lead to 64-56. The Boilermakers never threatened again.

“The played hard and they were (angry) because they got beat two games,'” Purdue coach Gene Keady said of Illinois. “And that’s what the thing is all about, competitiveness.”

Willie Deane had 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting for Purdue.

Luther Head had a season-high 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting for Illinois. Head missed two games earlier in the season with a groin injury, which has limited the sophomore’s minutes.

Illinois freshman Deron Williams had 11 points in one his best games since the opening of Big Ten play. Williams was 0-for-8 in a 74-66 loss at Indiana, and was 1-of-13 from the field over the last four games.

Self never pulled the freshman from the starting lineup, however, and his patience paid off. Purdue cut the Illini lead to one twice early in the second half, and both times Williams responded with a 3-pointer.

“He felt like a pretty heavy weight lifted off him,” Self said. “In his mind, he had the weight of the world on him. I thought he played really well.”

Booker was called for a technical foul with 27 seconds left in the game. Cook wrestled away a rebound from Booker and was walking toward the Illinois basket when Booker shoved him in the back.

Sophomore Nick Smith gave the crowd a moment of comic relief late in the game when the 7-foot-2 center wrapped a behind-the-back pass to center James Augustine. Augustine missed both free throws, but the crowd cheered the play, anyway.

Self wasn’t as amused.

“You know what’s funny is he acted like he knew what he was doing,” Self said. “That’s what got me.”