CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois shut down Evansville down the stretch Sunday in a 59-44 win at State Farm Center. The Illini (8-2) outscored the Purple Aces (2-7) 11-0 over the game's final five minutes to seal the victory.
Redshirt junior Petra Holešínská led Illinois with 25 points and set a career high with seven three-pointers made, including two on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter as the Illini put the Purple Aces away. Her seven made threes are tied for the second-most in program history. Evansville scored just five points in the game's final quarter, and none in the last 5:06.
"What happens a lot in games, you'll find, is if you hit those first two or three threes, everybody kind of gets in a groove," head coach Nancy Fahey said. "That did not happen for us. I could feel the shooters tighten up… and I thought [Holešínská's] two threes were what we needed a long time ago."
Freshman forward Kennedi Myles set an Illinois freshman record with 20 rebounds, breaking a mark set by both Becky Beach and Mary Pat Travnik during the 1975-76 season. Myles' 20 rebounds were the fifth-highest overall single-game total since the program's inception in 1974-75.
"As we keep talking about her, her intensity and the way she fights underneath the boards, I always figure boards is something someone is borns with," Fahey said. "She's just got that intensity. I'm really excited for her. That's incredible, breaking a record that's stood for that long."
Next up for the Illini is a trip to Columbia, Missouri to face the Tigers of Missouri at noon on Friday.
Highlights
Team Notes
- Illinois moves to 8-2 on the year and 2-0 all-time against Evansville.
- Evansville's 44 points is the fewest the Illini have held an opponent to this season, and the fewest for an opponent since December 2, 2016, when Illinois defeated Fort Wayne, 56-33.
- Illinois hauled in a season-best 53 rebounds.
- The Illini tied a season-high with 14 steals against the Purple Aces
- Illinois has outrebounded opponents 105-66 over its last two games
Individual Notes
- Freshman Kennedi Myles hauled in 20 rebounds, setting a program record for most rebounds in a game by an Illini freshman. She surpassed the previous record of 18, set by Becky Beach and Mary Pat Travnik in the 1975-76 season.
- Myles' 20 rebounds ties the most by a Big Ten Player this season. Iowa senior Amanda Ollinger recorded 20 rebounds on Wednesday, December 11 at Iowa State.
- Redshirt junior Petra Holešínská led the way for the Illini in scoring with 25 points, knocking down a career-high seven three-point field goals, which ties for the second-most in a game by an Illini in program history.
- Sophomore Mackenzie Blazek tallied 10 points off the bench for Illinois, knocking down five of her seven field goal attempts. Blazek also grabbed nine rebounds.
