Illini Surge Past Wisconsin, 68-47

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– The Fighting Illini women's basketball team used a stellar second half to capitalize on a record shooting performance by sophomore guard Aaliyah Nye in a 68-47 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Center.

Nye scored 21 points - all from three-point range - to match the Illini record for triples in a Big Ten game with seven. She was one of three players to tally double-figures scoring for the Illini along with senior guard Jada Peebles (16 points) and freshman guard Adalia McKenzie (10).

Sophomore forward Kendall Bostic, the Big Ten's top rebounder, led the Illini to 45-30 rebounding edge, pulling down a game-high 14 boards. Nye matched her career-high with seven rebounds, while sophomore post Erika Porter added seven of her own to establish a new career-best mark. Porter's four blocks also marked a career high. 

Playing in front of a season-best home crowd of 2,066 fans, the Illini (6-8, 1-2 B1G) jumped out to a 23-13 lead after the first quarter after Nye connected on four of her first six three-point attempts to in the opening period. Wisconsin (3-11, 0-4 B1G) countered in the second quarter, outscoring the Illini 19-11. But McKenzie's drive and finish just before the buzzer sent Illinois into the locker room with a 34-32 lead.

Coming out of halftime Peebles poured in 12 of her 16 points in the third period to help the Illini push their lead back to double-digits, 55-41 However, it was the Illini defense that made the difference as the Orange and Blue held UW to just nine points in the third quarter and four points in the fourth, extending the lead that resulted in the team's largest Big Ten regular-season victory since the 2016-17 season.

Wisconsin was led by the guard duo of Julie Pospisilova and Katie Nelson, who scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. Nelson also dished out a game-high six assists.

The Fighting Illini return to State Farm Center to play host to Northwestern on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised live on Big Ten Network.

TEAM NOTES

• The Fighting Illini improved to 6-8 overall (1-2 B1G) and 6-3 at State Farm Center this season.
• The Illini are now 39-40 in the all-time series vs. Wisconsin but have won two straight after also downing the Badgers, 67-42, in the first round of the 2021 Big Ten Tournament.
• Illinois' 21-point victory marks the largest Big Ten victory of head coach Nancy Fahey's tenure. The previous high was a 10-point win, 78-68, vs. Wisconsin on Feb. 10, 2019.
• Overall, the win is Illinois' largest Big Ten regular-season victory since a 78-41 win at Rutgers on Jan. 7, 2017.
• The Illini welcomed a season-most 2,066 fans to State Farm Center on Sunday for the team's annual "Pack the House" game. It was the team's highest attended game since 2,119 fans saw Illinois host Purdue on Feb. 16, 2020.
• Illinois out-rebounded the Badgers 45-30, the team's second straight game with a +15 rebounding margin.
• The Illini have tallied 93 rebounds in the last two games, their most in a two-game stretch since combining for 105 boards in back-to-back games vs. Merrimack (52) and Evansville (53) on Dec. 10 and Dec. 15, 2019.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Sophomore G Aaliyah Nye scored a game-high 21 points, all coming on seven made three-pointers which tied the Illinois record for most three-pointers in a Big Ten game (Amber Moore, at Indiana, Jan. 13, 2011). It marks Nye's second-career game with 20+ points.
• Nye also tied her career-best mark with seven rebounds
• Sophomore F Kendall Bostic recorded game-high 14 rebounds, her 10^th game of the season with 10 or more boards. She entered the game ranking first in the Big Ten and 8th nationally at 11.8 rebounds per game. Bostic has led the Illini in rebounding in 10 consecutive games, and 13 of 14 games overall this season.
• Junior G Jada Peebles' 16 points are one off of her season-high total of 17 scored vs. UC Riverside (11/27/21). Peebles is Illinois' active career leader with 27 double-digit scoring games.
• Freshman G Adalia McKenzie reached double-figures scoring for the sixth time in her first 14 collegiate games.  
• McKenzie also tied her career-high with six rebounds, including three offensive boards.  
• Sophomore F/C Erika Porter recorded career-best totals with seven rebounds and four blocks. Porter's four blocks also match teammate Kendall Bostic's team season-high total set vs. SIUE (11/18/21).

POSTGAME INTERVIEW

HIGHLIGHTS