CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A trio of Fighting Illini guards tallied double-figures scoring, led by career-high point totals from freshman Adalia McKenzie and junior De'Myla Brown, as Illinois (5-5, 0-1 B1G) downed visiting Butler (0-10, 0-2 Big East), 78-66, on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Center.

McKenzie (23 points) and Brown (16) provided a key spark in an otherwise balanced attack that also saw junior guard Jada Peebles pitch in with 11 points, while sophomores Aaliyah Nye and Kendall each tallied eight. Bostic added a game-high 13 rebounds to narrowly miss a double-double.

Butler never led by more than one point in the contest, as the Illini answered each and every run by the Bulldogs with one of their own. Illinois pushed the lead to double-digits in a high-scoring third quarter that saw McKenzie (11) and Brown (10) combine to score 21 of the Orange and Blue's 27 points, the team's highest-scoring single quarter this season.

After Butler tied the game, 39-39, the Illini allowed just one field goal and nine total points over the final 5:54 of the third period. During that run, Brown scored 10 straight for the Illini, followed by a stretch in which McKenzie scored seven of the next nine Illini points, pushing the lead to 58-48 entering the fourth.

The Illini put the game out of reach early in the fourth, building a 67-50 lead. Butler cut the Illinois advantage to nine, 75-66, with 48 seconds to play, but Peebles hit 1-of-2 free-throw attempts with 28 ticks remaining, and McKenzie knocked down a pair of free-throws just seven seconds later to seal the victory.

The Illini are idle for the next seven days for finals week, and are set to return to the court with a road matchup at Southern Illinois on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. CT from SIU's Banterra Center.

TEAM NOTES

• The Fighting Illini move to 5-5 overall, and 5-2 at State Farm Center.
• The Illini are now 3-1 in the all-time series vs. Butler, with all three wins coming at State Farm Center.  
• Illinois' 27-point third quarter marked the team's highest single-quarter scoring total this season.
• Overall, Illinois 78 points mark the team's second-highest scoring output of the season behind the 86-point game registered vs. UC Riverside (11/21)
• Illinois committed a season-low 12 turnovers and outscored the Bulldogs 15-12 in points off of turnovers. It marked the first time that the Illini had an edge in points off turnovers since doing so in the first two games of the season vs. NC Central (11/9) and Miami (OH) (11/14).
• The Illini outrebounded the Bulldogs, 42-36, the team's third straight game with a rebounding edge.
• The Illini posted a 32-24 advantage in points in the paint, the team's largest margin (+8) of the season in the category.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Freshman G Adalia McKenzie scored a career-high 23 points to reach double-figures for the second straight game, and the fourth time in just her first 10 collegiate games. McKenzie's previous career high was a 15-point performance vs. UC Riverside (11/21).
• McKenzie's career scoring day make her the first freshman guard to score 20+ points in a game for the Illini since Arieal Scott posted a 23-point effort vs. Nebraska (1/17/19).
• Junior G De'Myla Brown scored a career-high 16 points. Brown scored 10 straight points for the Illini in a 10-2 run that broke open a 39-39 tie and gave Illinois a 49-41 lead with 4:23 to play in the third quarter.
• Brown's previous career-high vs. DI opponent was 12, which she did twice this season vs. Miami (OH) (11/14) and Dayton (11/26).
• Junior G Jada Peebles, the Illini's leading scorer from last season, tallied 10 points to reach double-figures scoring for the fourth-consecutive game, and the fifth time overall this season.
• Sophomore F Kendall Bostic pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. It marks her sixth game of the season with 10 or more boards. Bostic entered the game ranking first in the Big Ten and 17^th nationally at 11.1 rebounds per game. 
• Bostic has led the Illini in rebounding in six consecutive games, and nine of 10 games overall this season.
• Senior C Eva Rubin recorded a season-high 5 rebounds.

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