INDIANAPOLIS -- Illinois narrowly took down Butler on the road, 65-63, on Sunday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Fighting Illini now sit at 9-2 overall, and the two-point victory marks the team's second true road win of the season, their most since the 2019-20 season.
Makira Cook scored 18 of her 22 points in the second half, while her performance marks her fourth-consecutive game with at least 20 points. Adalia McKenzie tallied 13 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for her second-straight double-double.
The Illini dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Bulldogs, 42-28, and they snagged 14 offensive rebounds. Kendall Bostic registered 11 rebounds, her seventh game this season with at least 10 boards, while Brynn Shoup-Hill grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
Bostic also made five of Illinois' seven blocks, while Jada Peebles notched her fifth block of the season with under 10 seconds to play to preserve the Illini win.
Illinois trailed by two after the opening 10 minutes of play, but a 14-0 run over a six-minute stretch in the second quarter broke things up and gave the Illini a 10-point lead with under four minutes to play in the first half.
The Illini headed into halftime with a five-point advantage, 29-24. Illinois used very balanced scoring to lead at the break, with Genesis Bryant leading the way with six points, Shoup-Hill scoring five points, and four different Illini registering four points.
Illinois took its largest lead of the afternoon midway through the third quarter. A 10-1 run that featured seven points from Cook and three points from McKenzie put the Illini ahead by 15. Cook scored 14 of Illinois' 19 third-quarter points to put the Illini up by six with 10 minutes to play.
After Butler briefly took the lead, an 11-0 scoring run put Illinois ahead by 10 with under four minutes to play. The Illini fought off a late Bulldog push and secured the two-point win.
Illinois will hit the road once again next weekend, traveling to Columbia, Missouri, for the annual McBride Homes Braggin' Rights game, with tip-off set for 4 p.m. CT. Following that, the Illini's next home game will take place against Florida Atlantic on Dec. 21 at 12 p.m.
POST-GAME NOTES
Player Notes:
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Kendall Bostic tallied 11 rebounds, 8 points and 5 blocks.
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Adalia McKenzie finished with a double double for the second-straight game, tallying 13 points and 12 rebounds.
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Brynn Shoup-Hill recorded 8 first-half rebounds to tie her career high in the opening half. She'd finish with 9 rebounds along with 5 points.
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Aicha Ndour saw her first action since Illinois' Nov. 21 game vs. Oakland.
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Makira Cook turned in 18 second-half points to finish with a 22-point outing along with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.
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Genesis Bryant finished with a pair of 3-pointers for 6 points.
Team Notes:
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Illinois scored first with a Kendall Bostic layup 1:05 into the contest.Â
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Two Illini would finish in double-digit scoring.
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Illinois out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 42-28, including a 14-7 edge on the offensive glass.
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The Illini turned those offensive rebounds into 14 second chance points while not allowing any second chance points to the hosts.
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Illinois saw its bench contribute 15 points in the win to zero Butler bench points.
Misc Notes:
