CHAMPAIGN, IL - After 40 minutes, 14 leads changes, and eight ties, the Illinois women's basketball team fell 69-66 to Missouri at home Sunday in the 2023 edition of the McBride Homes Braggin' Rights game.
The Fighting Illini (5-4) had two players score in double figures, led by Genesis Bryant, who had 20 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Kendall Bostic tacked on 18 points and nine rebounds, while Adalia McKenzie added seven points, seven rebounds, and three steals.
Illinois grabbed 35 rebounds in Sunday's game compared to Missouri's 34, led by Bostic's nine boards. The Fighting Illini also cleaned up the offensive glass, grabbing 10 rebounds including five by McKenzie.
Illinois forced 14 Missouri turnovers while committing 12 themselves in the outing. The Fighting Illini turned those takeaways into 14 points on the offensive end of the floor.Â
How It Happened
After falling behind 2-0, Illinois went on a 5-0 run with 8:06 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Bostic, to take a 5-2 lead. Missouri then responded to tie things up at 16-16 heading into the second quarter. Illinois did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring half of its 16 points close to the basket.
Illinois turned the first quarter tie into a 22-20 lead before going on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from McKenzie, to increase its lead to 30-20 - the largest by either side in the game. The Tigers cut into that lead, but the Fighting Illini still owned a 30-25 advantage heading into halftime.Â
Missouri then took a 42-37 lead following a hot start out of intermission before Illinois went on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a basket from McKenzie, to grab a 44-42 lead with 23 seconds to go in the third. The Tigers then rallied to tie it at 44-44 heading into the fourth quarter.Â
The Tigers then snagged a 47-44 advantage before Illinois responded by going on a 6-0 run, finished off by one of Bryant's four fourth-quarter 3-pointers, to seize a 50-47 lead with 8:40 to go in the contest. Missouri re-asserted control, outscoring the Fighting Illini 22-16 the rest of the way to hand Illinois the 69-66 loss. Illinois fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down five triples to account for 15 of its 22 points.
Game Notes
Player Notes:
- Brynn Shoup-Hill finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.
- Scored the Illini's first basket with a 3-pointer at the 8:06 mark in the first quarter.
- Makira Cook finished with 9 points, and 4 assists while playing a season-high 38:18 minutes.
- First Braggin' Rights game – missed last year's to illness.
- Kendall Bostic grabbed a team high 9 rebounds to go along with 18 points on 8-9 shooting.
- Bostic shot 8-of-8 on 2-point shots.
- Genesis Bryant hit a 3-pointer with 2:07 left in the second quarter for her first basket since Dec. 6 vs. Northern Kentucky.
- Knocked down a career high 6 3-pointers, the most by any Illini player this season and 8th-most in a single-game in program history.
- Led the Illini in points with 20.
- Adalia McKenzie finished with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Team Notes:
- Missouri won the tip and scored first.
- Two players (Bryant and Bostic) finished in double figures for the Illini.
- 10 different Illini have had double-digit scoring efforts this season.
- Illinois led 30-25 at half following a 14-2 run that spanned from the 6:54 mark to the 0:59 mark in the 2nd quarter.
- Held Missouri to single digits in the second quarter (9), sixth quarter this season holding an opponent to single digits.
- Illinois has lost back-to-back games for just the second time under Shauna Green.
Misc Notes:
- Starters: Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie, Brynn Shoup-Hill and Kendall Bostic.
- This lineup is now 3-3 on the season.
- The Illini played in front of their largest home crowd in a ticketed game this season (4,790).
- Shauna Green is now:
- 27-14 at Illinois
- 154-64 as a Division I coach
- 183-89 overall
- Illinois vs. Missouri: 10-6 (17th Meeting)
- First game on Big Ten Network this season (0-1), second game on TV (0-2; vs. Notre Dame, NBC).
- Illinois is now 4-2 when wearing white uniforms
- The Illini are now 2-4 in games played before 5 p.m.
- The Illini are now 1-2 in December.
Score after 1st Quarter: 16-16
Score at Halftime: 30-25 (14-9)
Score after 3rd Quarter: 44-44 (14-19)
Final score: 66-69 (22-25)
