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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The wind whipped at a consistent 25 mph Saturday, making the 37-degree temperature at Illinois Memorial Stadium feel a good 10 degrees colder and making any ball in the air -- punt, pass or kick -- an adventure.But Iowa knows how to handle this kind of game.The Hawkeyes struggled to a 7-0 halftime lead before turning the game over to LeShun Daniels Jr. and the defense on the way to a 28-0 win over the Illini.The shutout was the first for Iowa (7-4, 5-3 Big Ten) since a win over Ball State in 2010. Illinois had just 198 yards of offense, had as many first downs -- 10 -- as punts and never pushed inside the Iowa 30.Watching the defense work motivated the offense to put points on the board on a day when they were tough to come by, Hawkeyes quarterback C.J. Beathard said.Theyve been flying around and hitting guys and getting to the ball the last couple of weeks, said Beathard, who was 9 of 17 for just 80 yards and an interception. Theyve stacked a couple of really good games together defensively.Daniels had 159 yards on 26 carries, including second-half touchdowns of 1 and 50 yards that put the game away.Even with quarterback Wes Lunt back from an injured back and starting his first game since early October, Illinois (3-8, 2-6) struggled to deal with the conditions and the Hawkeyes defense.We dropped the balls when we got it to the receivers. It just wasnt a good day for our offense as a whole -- we couldnt get the running game going, Illinois coach Lovie Smith said.The wind was the only reason McCarron dropped deep on punt returns Saturday, joining Desmond King as a second return man to deal with the unpredictable flight of the ball, Ferentz said. And having McCarron back there paid off late in the first half.Standing at his own 45, he waited for the low, wind-driven punt from David Reisner to find him. When it did, he broke right and found little but open space on the way to a 55-yard touchdown and the 7-0 halftime lead.THE TAKEAWAYIowa: Coming off a big win over Michigan, the Hawkeyes struggled through the first half. McCarrons touchdown looked for a while like it might be the games only points. But Iowas defense kept its foot on the Illini for four quarters, denying them points even off a pair of first-half turnovers and keeping Lunt to 137 yards and an interception on 19-of-41 passing.Illinois: The Illini had first-half chances. But they failed to turn two turnovers and some good field position into points in their last home game of the season. Lost in the final score is a solid effort from a defense that Iowa wore down as the game went on. Iowa had 136 yards at halftime, had turned the ball over twice and, minus McCarrons punt return, hadnt scored.WIND TUNNELThink the stiff wind wasnt a factor? Iowa was so concerned about it that Ferentz chose to play with the wind at his teams back rather than receive the ball to open the third quarter. And the decision paid off. The Hawkeyes forced Illinois into a three-and-out possession to open the half, then comfortably drove 77 yards for Daniels first touchdown and a 14-0 lead.Ferentz remembered making a similar move once, in 2003 against Michigan State.It didnt work out too well up in East Lansing, he said. They promptly drove 80 yards.WHO NEEDS TO THROW?Four times in his career at Iowa, Beathard has thrown for fewer than 100 yards. All four times the Hawkeyes have won, at Wisconsin and Nebraska in 2015 and the past two weeks over Michigan and Illinois.LUNT TO GRANTLunt and Illinois receiver Zach Grant were high school teammates in Rochester, Illinois, just outside Springfield, and won a pair of state titles playing at Memorial Stadium. Grant came into the game with just 17 catches this season, but the connection between the two seniors was one of the few things that worked Saturday. Grant had eight catches for 65 yards and said the connection between the two felt a little like high school again.Now thinking about it, it did a little bit. It was nice to get rolling for sure, he said.UP NEXTIowa: The Hawkeyes close at home against No. 19 Nebraska next Saturday.Illinois: Illinois finishes up at Northwestern next Saturday.---More AP college football coverage: collegefootball.ap.orgFollow David Mercer on Twitter: (at)davidmercerAPAir Max Plus Tn White . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. Vapormax Plus Store . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. http://www.airmaxplusstoresale.com/ .J. -- Seven games into a disappointing season, New York Giants defensive catalyst Jason Pierre-Paul is getting the feeling hes back. Vapormax Plus Discount . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Air Max Plus 97 Cheap . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations.Nneka Ogwumike, who led the Los Angeles Sparks to the No. 2 seed in the WNBA playoffs, was named MVP for the 2016 season, the league announced Tuesday.Its the first MVP honor for the 6-foot-2 forward, who averaged a career-high 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 blocks this season, her fifth in the WNBA. She ranked third in the regular season in scoring and rebounding.As far as goals go, this honor has always been on a list I wrote down in the back of some journal years ago, Ogwumike said. Dreams dont sprout overnight, and triumph doesnt grow from trees. My 2016 season is a reflection of years of being a student of the game, hours of grueling practice, memories favorable and unfavorable, of great teammates and heartbreaking losses on the court.Ogwumike received 31 of 39 first-place votes and 362 points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. New Yorks Tina Charles received the other eight first-place votes and finished second with 267 points, followed by Minnesotas Maya Moore (197 points), Chicagos Elena Delle Donne (119 points) and Ogwumikes Sparks teammate Candace Parker (30 points). Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote.Ogwumike, 26, shot a league-leading 66.5 percent from the field (244-of-367), the second-highest mark in league history. She also shot 16-for-25 from beyond the arc this year after being 7-for-34 in her first four WNBA seasons combined.ddddddddddddOgwumikes true shooting percentage, which takes into account 2-pointers, 3-pointers and free throws, is 73.7. That ranks as the best in WNBA history, according to ESPN.coms Kevin Pelton, a metrics expert of both the NBA and WNBA. He points out that the only player who has finished at 70.0 or better in a season in which she played at least 500 minutes is Phoenixs Candice Dupree (70.0) in 2010.[Ogwumike] has had a season of extreme efficiency for the ages, and Nneka has worked extremely hard to expand her game, Sparks coach Brian Agler said. Not only has she been dominant at the offensive end, but also she has developed that defensive stopper mentality and is one of our key team leaders -- and will be for the WNBA in the future.The No. 1 overall draft pick and Rookie of the Year in 2012, Ogwumike set league records this season for consecutive field goals made (23) and most field goals in a game without a miss (12). She had 18 double-doubles in 33 appearances.Ogwumike is the third Sparks player to win MVP, joining teammate Candace Parker (2008, 13) and Lisa Leslie (2001, 04, 06).The Sparks (26-8) host Chicago on Wednesday in Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series (ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET). ' ' '