CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With five players scoring in double figures, Illinois soared to victory with a 90-58 win over Canisius at State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon.
The Fighting Illini began their five-game homestand with a 32-point triumph over head coach Shauna Green's alma mater, a school she played at for four years.
"Today, I felt like we were ourselves. It all starts with our energy defensively, and we came out and we were really getting after it. I thought that set the tone for the whole game," Green said. "I loved our energy. I'm always talking about our energy, and when we were flying around and working really hard, good things happened for us. I felt today, the most I've felt all year, that we're getting back to who we are."
Genesis Bryant missed only two field-goal attempts and was perfect at the free-throw line en route to a game-high 21 points, her fourth game in double figures this season. Bryant also recorded five rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
Adalia McKenzie hit double digits for the second consecutive game, registering 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds. She also tallied a team-high three assists and three steals.
Kendall Bostic accumulated 12 points, her fourth time in double digits this campaign. She made three steals and one block and grabbed four boards.
Camille Hobby notched 12 points, and three of her six rebounds came on the offensive glass. She also accounted for one block.
Gretchen Dolan recorded a career-high 11 points while playing a career-most 18 minutes. She also collected two assists and a block.
Makira Cook, making her first home start of the season, finished with six points, while Brynn Shoup-Hill ended her outing with a season-high eight points.
The Fighting Illini knocked down a season-high 23 free throws and shot 85% from the line, and they shot 50% from the field. The Orange and Blue recorded a season-high 11 steals, which is the second time this season Illinois has surpassed the double-digit steal mark.
Bostic established the Illini's presence in the paint early, scoring within the first 10 seconds of play. With the two sides tied at 11 at the media timeout, Illinois closed out the opening quarter with 12 straight points. The Orange and Blue held the Golden Griffins without a basket for over five minutes, and the hosts forced three steals in the frame en route to a 23-11 advantage after 10 minutes of play.Â
Illinois built on its lead, eventually extending the team's scoring stretch to a 21-0 run over the span of eight minutes between the opening two quarters. With the Illini ahead, 32-16, with just under seven minutes to play in the first half, the home side used a 7-0 run, which featured two more steals, to extend their lead to 23 points.
Leading by double digits for the final 11 minutes of the opening half, the Illini took a 50-31 advantage into the break. Bryant, who did not miss a shot prior to halftime, led the offensive push with a game-high 13 points. Dolan and McKenzie each tallied nine points before the break, while the Orange and Blue amassed six steals through the first 20 minutes.
The Illini used a 17-3 run to begin the third frame to extend their lead to 33 points, as four of the team's starters recorded points during that stretch. Hobby accounted for the team's final three field goals of the quarter, bringing her into double figures for the second time this season. Outscoring the Golden Griffins by 11 points in the third period of play, the Illini took a 73-43 edge into the final frame.
An 8-2 run to begin the fourth quarter added onto the Illini advantage, extending the hosts' lead to a game-high 36 points. Six different players registered points in the final frame, and the Illini ultimately pulled out the 32-point win to move above .500 on the season.
Illinois (3-2) returns to State Farm Center on Wednesday night to continue its five-game homestand. The Fighting Illini will take on Central Connecticut State on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be available to stream on B1G+.Â
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes
- Genesis Bryant scored a game-high 21 points, had five rebounds and two assists.
- Made each of her first five shot attempts.
- Led all scorers with 13 first-half points.
- Third game this season scoring at least 20 points.
- Makira Cook scored six points in her first game at State Farm Center this season.
- Added five rebounds and an assist.
- Made her first home start of the season.
- Adalia McKenzie scored 15 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds.
- Second straight game scoring in double figures.
- Has at least seven rebounds in three straight games.
- Kendall Bostic scored 12 points and secured four rebounds.
- Has double-digit scoring efforts in four of five games this season.
- Gretchen Dolan scored a career-high 11 points and had two rebounds and two assists.
- Surpassed her career-high scoring mark in the second quarter.
- Made three of her first four FG attempts.
- Camille Hobby scored 12 points off the bench and added six rebounds.
- Second double-figure scoring effort of the season.
- Second game in the last three with at least six rebounds.
Team Notes
- Illinois won the tip, and opened the scoring eight seconds in via a Kendall Bostic bucket.
- Five players scored in double figures, their most in a game this season.
- Nine different Illini have had double-digit scoring efforts this season.
- Illinois had a 21-0 run spanning a six-minute stretch between the first and second quarters.
- Illinois held Canisius without a basket for the final 5:37 of the first quarter and also kept the Golden Griffins scoreless for the first 2:28 of the second quarter.
- 50 points tied the season-high for most points in the first half this season.
- 10 different players registered minutes;Â 7 registered points in the first half.
- The Illini opened the second half with a 10-0 run.
- Illinois shot 50% from the floor (32-64).
- Fourth time this season they have shot 50%Â or better from the field.
- The Illinois bench outscored Canisius', 28-23.
- This is the third time this season the Illini bench has outscored their opponent's bench.Â
- Illinois had a 50-24 advantage in points in the paint.
- This is a season-best mark.
- Have outscored their opponents in the paint in four of five games this season.Â
- Team knocked down a season-high 23 free throws.
- Went 23-for-27 from the free-throw line.
- Have made at least 15 free throws in four of five games this season.
- Illinois out-rebounded Canisius, 39-29.
- The Illini have won the rebounding battle for the second time in the last three games.
- The +10 rebounding margin is the second-highest mark this season.
- The Illini scored 19 second-chance points on 12 offensive rebounds.
- Illinois scored 30 points off of 20 Canisius turnovers.
- The 30 points scored off of turnovers is a season-high mark.
- This is the second time this season that the Illini have forced at least 20 turnovers.
Misc. Notes
QUOTES
Opening statement:
"I thought we had a really good week of practice that really prepared us, and we got better at some things that we've been working on. From the Marquette and Notre Dame games, obviously, there were some glaring things that we needed to address.Â
"Give these guys a lot of credit because we got better. We got better this week in a lot of areas. Happy that we out-rebounded them by 10. I still think it could be a little higher, but we won all of our three battles that we talk about all the time: battle the ball, battle the boards, and battle the paint.Â
"Across the board, I thought everyone was ready to go and had a ton of production, rebounding and points: starters and then off the bench. I've been really talking about our bench being ready to go and giving us a ton of energy. They're all still capable of doing it, and today, I thought they were great.Â
"Overall, a great team win and great to be back out on the court. I don't think there's anyone happier to be back on the court than these guys after a week of practice. Now, it'll be good. We have two-day prep right into it, and we have some games coming up, so we can continue to get some game experience and get everyone healthy.Â
"I've said it before. We played without Kam today. Great to have (Makira Cook and Gretchen Dolan) back, but we need practice time with everyone together and healthy in order for us to continue to make progress. That's why I think this week was good, and we got better from it."
On playing against her alma mater for the first time in her coaching career:
"I've never played them as a coach. It was cool to coach against them, and I think (head coach Sahar Nusseibeh) is doing a really good job. You saw some of their pieces. They came out, and they were on fire. They have some really nice shooters. I love their post player down low: She's tough, she's gritty. I really think that they're gonna be a good team when they get into conference play. I'm always rooting for them and want them to do well, besides today. I wanted to kick their butt. I think she's doing a great job, and it was cool to have them here."
On the team's identity:
"Today, I felt like we were ourselves. It all starts with our energy defensively, and we came out and we were really getting after it. I thought that set the tone for the whole game. We got into Phoenix, and we had 34 points off Phoenix transition. That's at a higher clip than what we have been. I loved our energy. I'm always talking about our energy, and when we were flying around and working really hard, good things happened for us. I felt today, the most I've felt all year, that we're getting back to who we are."
On the team's chemistry through five games this season:
"We had a really good, hard week of practice. Once you string days together, it just happens organically, but we worked really hard this week on a lot of things. We really got to work on ourselves, do what we do, and get in a groove."
On her return from injury and reflecting on the last month:
"I've had a lot of adversity. It's not what we all envisioned, but when adversity hits, what can you do about it. This is the beginning of the season. I'm just trying to get my legs back under me now and work really hard to get back to where I feel like I should be. It's just been a regular month, even though I was out. I'm still working hard and living life."
On playing against Canisius, which is where her mother and sister played college basketball:
"It was cool. I'm from about 10 minutes from Canisius and kind of grew up around that gym. It was definitely cool to play them. I know a couple of their girls. I would say there was a little bit of a rivalry, but it was fun."
On her adjustment to the college level:
"I'm just staying within myself and knowing what I can do. I'm up to doing whatever to help this team win, whatever that may be. Coming off the bench, it's just giving that energy and playing my role."
