Illini Rally For Win Over Purdue

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini women's basketball team defeated the Purdue Boilermakers, 54-49, Sunday afternoon at State Farm Center to capture their first Big Ten win of the season.

The Illini (3-11, 1-10 B1G) were led by sophomores Jeanae Terry (15 points, seven rebounds) and Kennedi Myles (14 points, nine rebounds). Freshman Aaliyah Nye, who made her first-career start, recorded eight points - all in the final 6:02 - including a clutch three-pointer in the that gave the Illini their last lead with 41 seconds to play.

The Illini came out hot in the first quarter, starting the game on a 10-2 run with three straight baskets from Myles, and led 15-8 after the first 10 minutes. Purdue (6-10, 3-9 B1G) stormed back in the second quarter, outscoring the Illini 24-9 in the stanza to take a 32-24 halftime lead.

With Purdue leading 44-40 at the 6:02 mark of the fourth quarter, Nye knocked down a three-pointer that sparked a comeback effort in which the Orange and Blue scored 14 of the final 19 points, with a pair of 7-0 runs surrounding a five-point burst from Purdue's Brooke Moore.

Moore's triple knotted the game at 47 and Purdue briefly regained the lead, 49-47, on her jumper with 57 seconds to play. But Nye answered on the ensuing Illini possession, taking the Jada Peebles pass and firing without hesitation from the left corner over the outstretched arm of Purdue senior Tamara Farquhar to give the Illini a 50-49 lead. Two pairs of free-throws from Eva Rubin and Kennedi Myles sealed the win.

The Boilermakers were led by Kayana Traylor (14 points, five rebounds, five assists) and Madison Layden (10 points, four rebounds). Fatou Diagne added a game-high 14 rebounds for Purdue.

The win snapped Illinois' 16-game conference losing streak dating back to last, and marked the team's first win, overall, in their last 10 games dating back to a Dec. 6 non-conference victory over Omaha.

IN THEIR WORDS
Head coach Nancy Fahey on her team getting the win over Purdue Sunday: 
"You tell your kids to fight every day. You tell them to come back to work and you tell them all these things. And I told them after the game, If they had chosen to (just say) 'it's February, we don't have to give quite as much, why do this?' then we wouldn't be in the position we are. Sitting there after these games and going back to work the next day takes a certain amount of grit, a certain amount of pride. And they've done that."

Head coach Nancy Fahey on Aaliyah Nye's go-ahead three-pointer:
"How big was that for a freshman to pull the three in the corner. We were running something and she had an open look; I love the confidence. Her upside - every time that she comes on the court - I'm excited for her future. I told her, 'you had ice in your veins when you took that shot.' but that's because she shoots the ball and puts the practice in."

Freshman G Aaliyah Nye on her go-ahead three-pointer: 
"Hitting that shot in practice, and just practicing it over and over when I'm shooting in the gym, I had the confidence that I could knock it down. And I just didn't think about it; I just shot it."  

STAT OF THE GAME
The Illini locked down defensively for three-quarters of Sunday's game vs. Purdue, giving up a combined 25 points in the first (8), third (8), and fourth (9) quarters, to overcome a 24-point quarter by the visiting Boilermakers in the second period alone. The 49 points allowed by the Illini mark the fewest in a conference victory since a 78-41 win over Rutgers on Jan. 7, 2017.  

TEAM NOTES

• Illinois won their first conference game of the season, snapping a 16-game losing streak against Big Ten foes. Their last conference win came Feb. 9, 2020 at Penn State (70-66) and their last at home was Jan. 12, 2020 vs. Minnesota (74-71).
• Illinois finished the game on a 7-0 run over the final 41 seconds.
• The Illini shot a season-high 91.7 percent (11-for-12) from the free throw line. It is their highest free throw percentage since Feb. 16, 2020 vs. Purdue when they shot 100 percent (4-for-4).
• Illinois forced a season-high 22 turnovers and swiped a season-high 15 steals. The 22 turnovers are the most in a game since Nov. 16, 2019 vs. Illinois State (22) and the most in a conference game since Dec. 28, 2016 vs. Iowa (23). It is their most steals in a game since Dec. 20, 2019 at Missouri (16) and most in a conference game since Dec. 28, 2016 vs. Iowa (15).
• The Illini defense held Purdue to only one free-throw on the day.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Jeanae Terry finished with a game-high 15 points on 6-for-11 (.545) shooting, seven rebounds and four assists. Terry also had five steals, matching her career high (Jan. 31, 2021 at Wisconsin & Feb. 13, 2020 vs. Indiana).
• Aaliyah Nye hit the eventual game-winning three-pointer with 0:41 seconds remaining to give the Illini a 50-49 lead. She had eight points on 3-for-5 (.600) shooting and 2-for-3 (.667) from beyond the arc, all coming in the final 6:02 of the game.
• Nye and fellow freshman Erika Porter each made their first-career start on Sunday.
• Kennedi Myles had 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

NEXT UP
Illinois travels to Minneapolis, Minn., for a rare Wednesday night game vs. the Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-9, 4-8 B1G). Tipoff between the Illini and the Gophers is set for 6 p.m. CT from Williams Arena. The game will be streamed 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