CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois dominated in its regular-season opener, defeating Long Island, 75-40, in the team's first game under head coach Shauna Green.
Kendall Bostic recorded the seventh double-double of her career, recording a game-high and career-best 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Makira Cook notched 14 points on 66.7 percent shooting in her Illini debut.
Twelve different players registered minutes in the 35-point win, while five Illini recorded at least 10 points. Genesis Bryant and Aicha Ndour each notched double-digit points with 13 and 10, respectively, in their Illinois debuts, and Adalia McKenzie scored 12 points.
The Fighting Illini controlled the boards, outrebounding the Sharks, 53-35, in the win. Illinois took advantage of its second-chance opportunities, scoring 22 points on its 21 offensive rebounds.
Illinois held LIU to 23.7 percent shooting and allowed just three 3-pointers, while the hosts shot 47.3% from the field in the win.
The first Illini starting lineup of Green's tenure featured three returners – Bostic, McKenzie, and Jayla Oden – and two newcomers, Cook and Brynn Shoup-Hill, who both played under Green at Dayton last season.
Bostic and Cook led the offensive charge in the first quarter, with Cook scoring 10 of the Illini's 18 points in the opening frame. Cook hit four of her first six shots in the first quarter to lead all scorers with 10 points through 10 minutes, while Illinois dominated the boards, outrebounding the Sharks, 14-6.Â
Illinois started to pull away at the end of the first quarter, going on a 16-0 run between the end of the first and start of the second to push its lead to 19.
The Illini held Long Island without a field goal for over 11 minutes, while Illinois outscored LIU, 24-4, during that run.
After outscoring the Sharks, 22-8, in the second quarter, the Illini headed into halftime with a 40-17 advantage. Cook notched 12 points in the first half on 71.4% shooting, while Bostic also recorded double-digit points with 10.
Illinois extended its advantage in the third quarter, outscoring LIU, 15-7, to push the hosts' lead to 31 points.
The Illini used a 13-0 run spanning over seven minutes to take a 37-point lead three minutes into the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 41 points in the final frame.
Illinois moves to 1-0 on the season and will return to State Farm Center on Sunday at 2 p.m. to take on Alcorn State.
Quotes
Head coach Shauna Green
Opening statement:
"I thought it was a really good defensive effort. We held them to nine, eight, and seven in the first three quarters. Obviously, I don't like the 16 in the fourth quarter, but we'll continue to work on that. We also played with some different lineups. Jada (Peebles) had not played the point all year, and I threw her out there.
I'm just really proud of our overall attention to detail and a lot of things that we've been talking about in practice and from the first game. We still gotta continue to focus on our rebounding, which they know, we've talked about, and we'll continue to get better. I thought we hadn't seen any zone up until now, and we handled it fine. We need to continue to work on that and practice our zone offense a little bit more.
Just a really good overall team effort with really good balance in scoring with five people in double figures, which I love to see. I'm happy with us, and we'll get back to work and get ready for Sunday."
On the feelings of picking up her first win at Illinois:
"It's just another game, and it's trying to go 1-0. All I care about is winning, so we did what we needed to do. Now we'll move on and focus on going 1-0 on Sunday, and that's our mindset every single time we touch the floor. It's find a way to go 1-0, and I'm happy that we got to do that tonight and get that first one. There's going to be many more."
On the team's defense:
"Holding them to 17 in the first half, that's what I think we're capable of doing. You guys will probably think I'm crazy, but I thought we could have even been better."
On the big scoring runs:Â
"I think we had some consistent possessions; we were able to string some together. Throughout the scrimmage and exhibition, we've got to be able to string possessions together. If we got to stop, we got to come down and get something good. I thought we were able to do that. When you do that, you can extend a lead."
Kendall Bostic
On her play in the post:
"This offseason, I've been able to work in the post quite a bit, which is the difference from last year, so it's been kind of nice. Our guards made great passes. We do a lot of drills that work on our guards passing into us, so I was really pleased with how they passed in to me today and how I was able to finish."
On the keys behind her career-high scoring night:
"It was just kind of fine-tuning the little things and working on my outside game quite a bit. I know Coach Ryan (Gensler) has really worked with me on my inside game and really going to what I'm comfortable with, like my hook shot and working on that quite a bit and just being able to finish in traffic and that kind of thing. It's been kind of nice to see my offensive game grow a little bit."
Makira Cook
On her dominant first quarter:
"I think it's important to just go out there and run our stuff how we do. When we get a shot, just be confident and take the shot. That just gets the rhythm of the team going and the rhythm of the game going."
Game Notes
-
Kendall Bostic registered a double-double, her first of the season and seventh of her career.
-
Makira Cook recorded 14 points in her first game at Illinois.
-
Genesis Bryant scored 13 points in her first Illini game.
-
Aicha Ndour notched 10 points in her Illinois debut.
-
The first score of the game came on a Kendall Bostic layup just 10 seconds in (9:50).
-
The Illinois defense did not allow an LIU player into double-digit scoring - the first time no opposing player scored in double figures since Nov.25, 2011, vs.Arizona State (Arizona State 51, Illinois 50).
-
Illinois allowed 40 points or less for the first time since Dec. 2, 2016 vs. Fort Wayne (W, 56-33).
-
 LIU was held without a field goal for nearly 11 minutes between the first and second quarters.
-
Illinois went on a 16-0 scoring run, stretching from the final two minutes of the first quarter to the first 2:30 minutes of the second quarter.
-
Illinois went on a 13-0 scoring run in the second half, spanning from the final four minutes of the third quarter to the first three minutes of the fourth quarter.
-
The Illini allowed three 3-pointers, while LIU shot 13.0% from behind the arc.
-
Illinois led by as many as 41 points in the fourth quarter.
-
Illinois outrebounded LIU, 53-35, and commanded the offensive glass, 21-15.
-
The Illini scored 22 second-chance points while allowing 14.
-
 Five players finished in double figures.
