CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 23 Illinois began the second year of the Shauna Green era in Champaign with a resounding 121-60 victory over Truman State in the team's lone exhibition game of the 2023-24 campaign.
Green used the preseason game to give playing time to all 14 players, while 12 different scorers registered at least one point in the blowout victory, including eight Illini in double figures.
Kendall Bostic, Genesis Bryant, Makira Cook, Adalia McKenzie, and Brynn Shoup-Hill all earned a spot in the team's first starting five of the season.
Bryant led the way with 18 points, which included three 3-pointers, while she also dished out four assists, made one steal, and played a team-high 24 points.
Bostic tallied a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, including eight boards on the offensive glass. Bostic also picked up three assists and one steal.
Jada Peebles knocked down three triples en route to scoring 15 points off the bench.
Making their Illinois debuts, Camille Hobby and Gretchen Dolan both finished in double figures, recording 12 and 11 points, respectively.Â
Shoup-Hill nearly finished with a double-double, concluding her outing with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Kam'Ren Rhodes tallied 11 points off the bench while grabbing five rebounds and three steals.
McKenzie totaled nine points, three assists, and three steals in her 19 minutes of action.
Cook scored the first six points of the game before ending her night with 10 points despite playing just 11 minutes.
The Illini converted 14 of their 26 3-point attempts, and they knocked down eight 3-pointers within the first 10 minutes of play. The Orange and Blue outrebounded the Bulldogs, 53-16, while scoring 26 second-chance points on 25 offensive rebounds.
Illinois notched 11 steals and scored 31 points off turnovers, and the hosts registered 20 assists while shooting 55.8% from the field and 53.8% on 3-point attempts.
Cook opened the scoring with two 3-pointers on the Illini's first two possessions. Illinois' lead never reached more than eight points by the first media timeout despite all five starters registering points within the first five minutes of action. A 13-2 stretch from the Orange and Blue out of the break pushed the hosts' advantage to 16, and the Illini led by this same margin, 37-21, after 10 minutes of action. Illinois knocked down eight 3-pointers in the first quarter, shooting 72.7% from beyond the arc in the opening period of play.
The Illini began the second quarter on an 13-2 run, opening up a 27-point edge via baskets from four different scorers. A 7-0 Illinois run extended the home side's lead to 31 points. Ten different Illini tallied a basket in the second quarter, and leading by as many as 34, Illinois went into halftime with a 67-35 advantage.
Peebles led the way with 13 points in the first half while knocking down three 3-pointers, while Bryant and Cook scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Illini splashed in 10 3-pointers in the first half while outrebounding the Bulldogs, 28-6.
Illinois opened the second half on a 10-1 run, holding Truman State without a field goal for over four minutes to begin the frame. Maintaining a large lead for the remainder of the quarter, the Illini led, 96-50, heading into the final period of play.
The Illini used a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 63 points, holding the Bulldogs scoreless for over five minutes before eventually securing the 61-point win.
Illinois opens the regular season on Nov. 7 at State Farm Center against Morehead State. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT on B1G+.
QUOTES
Opening statement:
"It was good to be back and back out in front of fans against a different opponent. I know these guys are really happy to finally play someone besides themselves and our practice guys.Â
"Overall, it was a good outing. Obviously, we shot the ball really well, but on defense, we need to be sharper. We need to be able to string more possessions together. That's a work in progress. We will continue to get better, but there were too many times where we got beat off the bounce way too easily. Our core value is to keep the ball in front. We didn't execute at a high level consistently enough, but it's still October.Â
"We will continue to address it in practice and get better, but it was great to get so many people minutes and see different lineups together with a lot of our new guys. Overall, it was a great night."
On the team's reaction to the freshmen and the culture within the program:
"They are good kids. They are freshmen who do things the right way. They go about their business. They work really hard in practice. They have really learned quickly. Usually, you put freshmen out there and they do not know the plays and they are messing everything up, but these guys have picked everything up. You can see that with the excitement of how their teammates reacted for them. I think that is awesome.Â
"That is what it's about. That is the culture that we want. I think this team is really, really tight. Last year, there was a lot of growing, but this summer and all of the time they spent together, they are very close off the floor. They communicate at a high level. If anything is going on or if there may be a conflict or adversity, they are addressing it. They are mature enough. That's what you want in your locker room. I am really happy with where we're at in terms of our chemistry and the culture that we have created."
On the Illini's strong shooting night after going 53.8% from 3-point range:
"It makes us really hard to guard when everyone is shooting threes and knocking them down. 14-for-26, that's a really good percentage. If we could shoot like that all the time, we would be very hard to beat. It's just fun, especially when teammates are knocking them down. You can run down the paint knowing they are going to make the shot."
On adjusting to Illinois after spending four seasons at N.C. State:
"I think the biggest thing is staying true to yourself and just being around people who want you to be there. It's been really welcoming with Coach Green's staff and my teammates pushing me. There are definitely some learning curves, but with their support, it has made things a lot easier for me."
Game Notes
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All 14 Illini registered minutes during the 61-point victory.
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Eight players finished in double figures.
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Seven different players recorded at least one 3-pointer in the win.
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Illinois knocked down eight 3-pointers in the first quarter, going on to accumulate 14 triples in the home triumph.
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Shauna Green moved to 2-0 in exhibition games during her time at Illinois.
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Attendance was called at 2,598 on Monday night.
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Starters: Kendall Bostic, Genesis Bryant, Makira Cook, Adalia McKenzie, and Brynn Shoup-Hill
