CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Aaliyah Nye tallied 15 points on five three-pointers and Erika Porter scored a career-high 13 off the bench, but it was not enough for the Illini to overcome 23 turnovers in an 82-59 loss to Northwestern on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Center.
The Illini (6-17, 1-11 B1G) went toe-to-toe with the Wildcats (15-10, 7-7 B1G) from start to finish and forced 19 turnovers of their own. But Northwestern outshot the Illini 54.1 percent to 38.2 percent and their calling card defensive pressure helped the visitors slowly pull away throughout the game.
NU led by just four points, 16-12 after first period, and pushed the lead to 38-27 at halftime. The Illini remained within striking distance through the third, 56-41, but the Wildcats opened the final period on a 9-3 run to push their lead to 21, 65-44, and the Illini would never get to closer than 18 for the remainder of the contest.
Four starters reached double-figures scoring for Northwestern, led by a 20-point performance on 10-for-11 shooting from forward Courtney Shaw. Lauryn Satterwhite added 14 points and Laya Hartman chipped in with 10, but it was Veronica Burton who impressed with a near triple-double line of 13 points, 14 assists and nine steals. Burton's 14 assists and nine steals both tied opponent records for games played at State Farm Center.
Next up, the Fighting Illini return face their final road test of the regular season on Thursday, traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., for a matchup with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT from Williams Arena.
TEAM NOTES
- The Fighting Illini move to 6-17 overall (1-11 B1G), and 6-8 at State Farm Center.
- Illinois falls to 34-49 all-time in the series vs. Northwestern.
- Illinois shot a season-best 10-for-11 (.909) from the free-throw line.
- Illinois allowed a season-most 23 assists by Northwestern.
- Illinois forced Northwestern to commit 19 turnovers, the most the Illini have forced vs. a Big Ten opponent since Purdue committed 22 on Feb. 7, 2021.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Sophomore G Aaliyah Nye (15 points) scored in double figures for a team-leading 12th time this season. Nye has led the team in scoring in nine games, including five times in Big Ten play.
- Nye knocked down five of Illinois' seven total three-pointers, her sixth game of the year with at least five.
- Sophomore F Erika Porter recorded a career-high in scoring for the second consecutive game. She posted nine points in just six minutes at Purdue on Thursday, and tallied 13 points – including 10 in the first half – on Sunday vs. Northwestern.
- Junior G De'Myla Brown was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line vs. Northwestern, her sixth game with a perfect free-throw percentage and at least four attempts.
- Freshman G Jayla Oden recorded a career-best with four steals to lead the Illini defensive effort.
- Sophomore F Kendall Bostic recorded a team-high eight rebounds vs. the Wildcats. Bostic entered the game ranking first in the Big Ten and ninth nationally at 11.9 rebounds per game, and has led the Illini in rebounding in 19 consecutive games, and 22 of 23 games overall this season.
- Bostic has now recorded 269 rebounds on the year, passing all-time leader Jenna Smith's junior season (268 in 2008-09) for sole possession of 13th on the Illini's single-season rebounding list.
- Bostic also dished out a career-high four assists, leading the team in helpers for the first time this season.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW
HIGHLIGHTS
