CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women's basketball team tested No. 15/14-ranked ranked Indiana on Sunday afternoon, but the Fighting Illini's second-half surge fell just short in the annual Play for Kay Pink Game at State Farm Center, 58-50.
Illinois (3-13, 1-12 B1G) was paced by the guard duo of Jada Peebles (13 points) and Aaliyah Nye (12 points) who led a second-half comeback that saw the Illini nearly erase an 18-point deficit and pull to within one point of the Hoosiers in the games' final three minutes.
Sophomore forward Kennedi Myles also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds, helping the Illini to a 45-36 edge on the glass.
The Illini battled throughout the first half and stayed within striking distance at the break, 34-21, despite 16 first-half turnovers and a 20-4 advantage at the free-throw line for the for the visiting Hoosiers (13-4, 11-2 B1G).
After some halftime adjustments, Illinois found its offensive stride in the third and outscored the Hoosiers 16-10 in the quarter. Nye sparked the Illini offense at the end of the period, splashing a contested three-pointer that closed out the stanza with the Illini on a 12-2 scoring run that cut the deficit to 44-37.
In the final period, the Illini continued to chip away at the Hoosiers' lead. Another Nye triple at the 9:00 mark pulled the Illini within two possessions, 45-40. UI's Aleksa Gulbe answered with four straight, but Illinois responded with an 8-0 scoring run that include four points from Peebles, whose layup at the 2:39 mark brought the Illini to within one, 51-50. The experienced Hoosiers, however, closed out the game on a 7-0 run to escape with the road win.
Indiana was led by senior guard Ali Patberg, who scored 16 points. She was joined in double-figures scoring by Nicole Cardano-Hillary and Grace Berger, who finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
STAT OF THE GAME
Illinois outrebounded the Hoosiers 45-36. The +9 rebounding advantage is the most in a conference game since Jan. 31, 2019 at Ohio State (+9).
TEAM NOTES
- Illinois shot 90 percent (9-for-10) from the free throw line today. They have shot at least 90 percent in back-to-back home games for the first time since Feb. 4-13, 2018.
- The Illini defense did not allow a three-point field goal in the first half (0-for-4). It's the third half this season that they have not allowed a three-pointer (Dec. 10, 2020 at Nebraska - 2nd Half & Nov. 25, 2020 vs. Indiana State - 2nd half). Illinois held Indiana to only two three-point field goals for the game, an opponent season low in conference play and lowest since Feb. 13, 2020 vs. Indiana (2).
- The six blocks by the Illini are a season-best in league play and the most in a conference game since they had six blocks on March 6, 2019 vs. Purdue (Big Ten Tournament).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Jada Peebles finished with a team-high 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. She has reached double-figures scoring 11 times this season and 16 times in her career.
- Eva Rubin had eight points, five rebounds and a team-high three blocks in the contest. It marks the third time this season she has at least three blocks in a game and is the first Illini player to do that since Alex Wittinger in the 2018-19 season.
- Kennedi Myles collected a season-high-tying 14 rebounds (Dec. 6, 2020 vs. Omaha). She has grabbed double-digit rebounds in three games this season and 13 times in her career.
- Aaliyah Nye contributed 12 points, 10 in the second half, and a pulled down a career-high seven rebounds. It marks Nye's third double-digit scoring game of the season, and her first since a career-high 15 vs. Nebraska on Jan. 25.
NEXT UP
The Fighting Illini travel to College Park, Md., for a Wednesday afternoon matchup against No. 9/10-ranked Maryland at UM's Xfinity Center. Tipoff between the Illini and the Terrapins (13-2, 9-1 B1G) is set for 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on WDWS 1400 AM. Streaming audio and live stats are also available at FightingIllini.com.
