CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Sophomore guard Aaliyah Nye tied a career-high with 23 points and redshirt senior center Eva Rubin scored a season-most 13 as the duo triggered a fourth-quarter comeback that saw the Illini (6-14, 1-8 B1G) rally to pull within striking distance of visiting Nebraska (18-6, 7-6 B1G), before ultimately falling, 82-63, on Saturday afternoon at State Farm Center.
Nye scored 17 after halftime, and Rubin added 10 over the final 20 minutes, helping the Illini chip away at a deficit that had reached 23 (41-18) at the 3:27 mark of the second quarter after the Huskers opened up a 25-11 first-quarter lead.
Nebraska held a comfortable 64-44 edge after the third, before the Illini opened the final frame on an 11-0 run. The stretch – which included six points from Rubin, two from freshman guard Adalia McKenzie, and Nye's second three-pointer of the game - pulled the Illini within nine points, 64-55, the closest the Orange and Blue had been since the Nye scored the team's first bucket of the game to make it 9-2 at the 5:51 mark of the first. The Huskers answered with six straight to push the lead back to 15, and held the Illini to just one bucket over the final two and a half minutes to claim the win.
Junior guard De'Myla Brown, the team's second-leading scorer, once again provided an offensive spark off the bench for the Illini, tallying 12 points. Kendall Bostic, the Big Ten's leading rebounder, led the Illini with eight boards.
The Cornhuskers were led by 21 points from Jaz Shelley. Isabelle Bourne (19), Bella Cravens (12), and Sam Haiby (10) also recorded double-digit scoring days for Nebraska. Cravens also notched a game-high 11 rebounds.
Next up, the Fighting Illini host No. 21 Ohio State at State Farm Center on Monday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. The matchup between the Illini and the Buckeyes marks the 40th anniversary of the very first Big Ten Women's Basketball Championship game played between the Illini and the Buckeyes.
TEAM NOTES
- The Fighting Illini move to 6-14 overall (1-8 B1G), and fall to 6-6 at State Farm Center.
- After playing just six games in a 46-day stretch between Dec. 22 and Feb. 6, Saturday's game is the second of three games in just six days for the Illini, who turn around Monday to host No. 21 Ohio State.
- Illinois falls to 5-17 all-time vs. Nebraska. The Huskers have now win seven straight in the series.
- After falling behind by 23 points in the second quarter, the Illini battled back to pull the game to within nine points, 64-55, after an 11-0 scoring run to open the fourth quarter.
- The Illini used their eight different starting lineup of the season on Saturday as Adalia McKenzie and Erika Porter each returned to the starting lineup, along with Jayla Oden, Aaliyah Nye, and Kendall Bostic.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Sophomore G Aaliyah Nye tied a career high with 23 points, matching her scoring output from the Illini's season-opening win over North Carolina Central (11/9/21).
- Nye's 23-point effort marks her third 20-point game of the season and her 10th game of the year in double-figures scoring.
- Redshirt senior C Eva Rubin posted a season-high 13 points, eclipsing her previous season-best of 11 vs. UC Riverside (11/21/21) to give her two double-digit scoring games on the year.
- Junior G De'Myla Brown's 12 points marked her 10th game of the season in double-figures scoring.
- Freshman G Adalia McKenzie returned to the Illini starting lineup and dished out team-leading four assists, her most vs. a Big Ten opponent, to go along with six points, two rebounds and a pair of steals. It marked the third time this season that McKenzie has led the team in assists.
- Sophomore F Kendall Bostic recorded a team-leading eight rebounds, including a pair of offensive boards vs. the Huskers. She entered the game ranking first in the Big Ten and ninth nationally at 11.68 rebounds per game, and has led the Illini in rebounding in 16 consecutive games, and 19 of 20 games overall this season.
PRESS CONFERENCE
HIGHLIGHTS
