COLUMBUS, Ohio. - Illinois battled from start to finish but ultimately fell to No. 3 Ohio State on the road, 87-81, at Value City Arena on Sunday afternoon. Four Illini would finish with double-figure scoring, including a pair of 20-point efforts.
The Illini dominated in the first half and led by as many as 17 in the third quarter, but it was not enough to take down the undefeated Buckeyes away from home.
Kendall Bostic put together one of the best performances of her career, scoring a career-high 27 points along with 15 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double. Bostic missed only two of her 15 field-goal attempts, and her seven offensive rebounds helped the Illini tally 17 second-chance points.
Genesis Bryant recorded 20 points, her fourth game with at least 20 points and her sixth straight game with at least 10 points. Bryant's four 3-pointers led the team, her third contest this season with at least four triples.
Makira Cook registered 12 points in the defeat, her 14th double-figure scoring performance in her 15 games played this season. Cook also recorded eight assists, her most since Nov. 30.
Brynn Shoup-Hill scored 10 points, the fourth time she achieved that feat this season, and she converted three of her four shots from behind the arc.
Jayla Oden notched seven points, two rebounds, and two assists off the bench.
The Illini outrebounded the Buckeyes, 43-36, and the team's 19 assists marked their second-most this season. Illinois also outscored Ohio State, 42-30, in the paint.
The loss snaps the Illini's seven-game winning streak, their second stretch of that length this season. Illinois (14-3, 4-2) returns to action next weekend, traveling to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota on Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. CT.
POST-GAME NOTES
Player Notes:
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Kendall Bostic delivered a new career high with 27 points to go along with 15 rebounds for her third-straight double double.
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The performance marks the first 20-point game of Bostic's career.
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Bostic is up to 6 double-double performances on the season and 12 across her career.
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Seven of Bostic's rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor.
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Bostic registered two blocks and now has a block in 9-straight games and is up to 30 on the season.
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Bostic had 16 points and 7 rebounds at the half.
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Genesis Bryant turned in her fourth 20-point game of the season, finishing with 20 points 5 assists and 3 rebounds.
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Makira Cook scored double figures for the ninth-straight game and finished with 12 points, 8 assists and 3 rebounds.
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Brynn Shoup-Hill tallied her fourth double-figure scoring effort of the season with 10 points and 4 rebounds.
Team Notes:
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The Illini scored first as Genesis Bryant connected for a 3-pointer just 14 seconds into the game.
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Illinois led 47-37 at the half, the most points Ohio State allowed in the first half all season.
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After OSU hit a trey to open the second half, Illinois responded with an 10-0 run to push its lead out to 57-40.
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Ohio State responded right back with an 18-1 run to make the score 58-58.
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Illinois saw four players finish in double-digit scoring.
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Illinois outscored the Buckeyes 42-30 in the paint.
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The Illini outrebounded OSU 43-36.
Misc. Notes:
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Starters: Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie, Brynn Shoup-Hill, Kendall Bostic for the fourth-straight game. Illinois is now 3-1 with this unit.
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The Illini moved to 14-3 on the season with the loss snapping a 7-game win streak.
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Illinois moves to 4-2 in Big Ten play.
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Shauna Green is now:
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Against Ohio State record: 20-57 (77th meeting)
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5-30 when playing in Columbus.
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Illinois has lost 11-straight meetings to OSU.
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Shauna Green vs. Ohio State: 0-1
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Uniforms: Illinois is now 4-2 when wearing orange uniforms.
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Day games record: Illinois is now 8-3 in games played before 5 p.m.
