Illini Surge Not Enough at No. 21 Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. - The Fighting Illini women's basketball team fell to No. 21 Northwestern, 73-54, on Thursday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, despite strong showings from sophomores Kennedi Myles and Jeanae Terry.

The duo posted a pair of double-digit scoring games – 16 point for Myles and 11 for Terry – and each pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds. But first-half scoring struggles plagued the Illini (2-7, 0-6 B1G), who ultimately stormed back into the game with mid-third-quarter scoring run before the Wildcats (8-2, 6-2 B1G) pulled away for the win.

The Illini came out slow in the first half, only scoring five points in the first quarter and 10 in the second, but trailed by only 15 teading into the half thanks to a strong defensive effort that held the Wildcats to 30 points on 11-for-27 from the field.

After some key halftime adjustments, the Illini surged back into the game, using a 9-0 run that began with Myles' offensive rebound and putback at 7:01, and finished on Terry's layup through contact at the 4:50 mark of the quarter, to cut the NU advantage to 39-30.

Northwestern answered the Illini run, however, with a quick 10-0 stretch of their own, and closed the third quarter on a 17-5 scoring run overall, to hold off the Illini comeback effort.

Redshirt junior center Eva Rubin added nine points on the night for the Illini, while junior guard J-Naya Ephraim and freshman guard Aaliyah McQueen led the Illini in assists with four each. 

Northwestern was led in scoring by Lindsey Pulliam (28 points), Veronica Burton (15), and Sydney Wood (10), while Courtney Shaw pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.

STAT OF THE GAME
During Illinois' 9-0 run in the third quarter, the Orange and Blue held the No. 21-ranked Wildcats scoreless for more than three minutes of game time, forcing NU to five consecutive missed field-goal attempts.

TEAM NOTES

• Illinois opened the game shooting just 5-for-23 (.217) in the first half, but bounced back to finish at 41.5 percent (22-53) for the game after hitting 17-for-30 (.667) in the second half.
• The Illini finished the game with a 32-30 edge in points in the paint. It is the third game this season that the Illini have finished with an inside scoring edge, and the first against a Big Ten opponent this season.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Freshman G Aaliyah McQueen returned to the lineup for the Illini on Thursday night, her first action since Dec.10 at Nebraska. She led all bench players with 22 minutes, tallying 6 rebounds, a team-high-tying 4 assists, and recorded her first collegiate points when she knocked down a three-pointer for the Illini's final score of the contest.  
• Sophomore F Kennedi Myles finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. She knocked down her first three-pointer of the season, and just the fourth trey of her career. It marked Myles' 20^th-career double-digit scoring game, her sixth of the year, and her third consecutive after 15 points vs. Ohio State (Jan. 7) and 12 at Michigan (Jan. 10).
• Sophomore G Jeanae Terry finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, recording her fourth game of the season (12^th career) with double-digits scoring, and the sixth time this year that she has pulled down at least eight rebounds. 

NEXT UP
The Fighting Illini return home to State Farm Center to host Nebraska on Monday. Tipoff between the Cornhuskers (7-5, 5-4 B1G) and the Illini is set for 7 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network with Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Meghan McKeown (analyst). Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on WDWS 1400 AM. Streaming audio and live stats will also available at FightingIllini.com.