CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois extended its winning streak to three games with a 74-52 win over Northern Kentucky at State Farm Center on Wednesday night.Â
The Fighting Illini led from start to finish, had all 14 players register minutes, and remained perfect at home this season en route to the 22-point victory.
Brynn Shoup-Hill set a new career-high scoring mark with a team-best 15 points. Shoup-Hill registered two 3-pointers and grabbed three rebounds, all of which came on the offensive glass.Â
Makira Cook tallied 13 points, her second consecutive outing in double figures. Cook also accumulated eight rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal.
Kendall Bostic notched eight points and finished with a team-high 15 rebounds, a new season-best mark for the Illini senior.Â
Genesis Bryant hit two triples en route to a nine-point performance, and she dished out a team-high five assists.Â
The Fighting Illini grabbed a season-high 49 rebounds, including 17 on the offensive glass. The team's +20 rebounding margin is their second-best mark this season, and the Orange and Blue have now out-rebounded their opponents by at least 20 boards in each of their last two games.
Illinois opened the game with an 8-2 run, which included a Shoup-Hill block, two Bryant 3-pointers, and buckets on the Illini's first three attempts of the night. With the Orange and Blue's advantage down to two points halfway through the opening frame, Illinois closed the first quarter with an 11-2 run. The Illini got shots to fall from five different scorers to take a 21-10 lead through 10 minutes of play.
After the Norse cut into their deficit early in the second period of action, the Illini used an 11-0 run to re-establish their double-digit lead. Shoup-Hill accounted for the team's final 10 points of the frame, bringing her into double figures for the first time this season.
Holding Northern Kentucky without a basket for a stretch of over eight minutes in the second quarter, Illinois went into the break with a 35-17 advantage. Shoup-Hill led all scorers with a season-high 12 points in the first half.
Cook opened the second half by hitting her first two shots, both of which came from 3-point range, to move into double digits for the second straight game. With seven different Illini tallying points in the third frame, Illinois closed the third quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 27-point edge heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest.
Six different Illini got on the scoresheet in the fourth quarter, a frame that saw all 14 players see the court. A 5-0 run midway through the frame pushed Illinois' advantage to a game-high 28 points, and the Orange and Blue thwarted a late Norse attack to clinch the home victory.
Illinois (5-2) remains at State Farm Center on Sunday, when it opens Big Ten play against Michigan (7-2). Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT and will be streamed on B1G+.
Postgame Notes
Player Notes:
- Brynn Shoup-Hill registered a career-high 15 points and grabbed three offensive rebounds.
- Shoup-Hill led the team in scoring and hit double figures for the first time this season and the eighth time in her Illinois career.
- Shoup-Hill two 3-pointers for the second time this season.
- Makira Cook tallied 13 points and eight rebounds.
- Cook has hit double digits for the second straight game and for the third time in her four appearances this season.
- Cook knocked down two 3-pointers for the second consecutive contest.
- Kendall Bostic finished her outing with eight points and a team-high 15 rebounds.
- Bostic hit double-digit boards with 5:36 to play in the second quarter.
- Her 15 boards set a new season-best mark.
- Her most since March 3, 2023, when she recorded 16 in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals against Maryland.
- Genesis Bryant recorded nine points and a team-high five assists.
- Bryant converted two 3-pointers, her sixth time this season with at least two triples.
- Bryant's five assists are her second-most this season.
- Adalia McKenzie ended her night with six points and five rebounds.
- Camille Hobby notched eight points and five rebounds in her 15 minutes off the bench.
Team Notes:
- Illinois won the tip, and Genesis Bryant opened the scoring with a 3-pointer on the Illini's first possession of the game.
- Illinois is 5-0 when scoring first.
- Two players (Shoup-Hill and Cook) finished in double figures for the Illini.
- 10 different Illini have had double-digit scoring efforts this season.
- Illinois knocked down its first three shots to open the game on an 8-2 run.
- The Fighting Illini used an 11-0 run from 6:43 to 0:42 in the second quarter to take an 18-point lead before the break.
- Illinois held Northern Kentucky to 17 points in the first half, the fewest points the Illini have allowed in the opening 20 minutes of a game this season.
- The Illini held Northern Kentucky below double digits in the second quarter, and the Orange and Blue now sit at five quarters of doing so on the season. Illinois has held opponents at/below 15 points in 18 of 28 periods thus far.
- Illinois out-rebounded Northern Kentucky, 49-29.
- The team's 49 rebounds were a season-high mark for the Illini.
- The Illini's +20 rebounding margin is the second consecutive game the team has out-rebounded their opponents by at least 20 boards.
- The Illini scored 18 points off a season-high 17 offensive rebounds.
- The Orange and Blue's bench outscored the Norse's reserves, 23-5.
- The Illini had an assist on 15 of their 29 field goals.
- Seven different players recorded an assist.
Misc Notes:
Quotes
Opening statement:
"I really liked our start and our first half. Obviously, holding them to 17 points in the first half, and then in the second quarter, only seven.Â
"I thought we were really locked in, and obviously the rebounding battle was important. It's something we've really been working on and emphasizing, which we always do. I don't care how big or small anyone is; it's about production, and are we getting it done. 49-29 and 17-4 (offensive rebounding): I really liked that, and we're going to need that going into Sunday, as Michigan is one of the top rebounding teams in the country.
"A lot of good things on offense. They played that 3-2. They kind of tried to slow us down a little bit. I think we settled in. When we got aggressive, got into punching gaps, and got some paint touches, then we were able to have a better flow offensively. We just weren't hitting threes, so we can't fall in love with the three when people zone us. We're gonna see a lot of it as we get into some of these games and even in the conference, and we have to do a better job of it. I thought that was good, though. It gives us good experience of seeing a team that plays a zone like that and really tries to pack it in.Â
"A lot of good things and a lot of things we need to tighten up as we go into Michigan on Sunday."
On the return of Big Ten play this weekend:
"You play for conference play, right? All the non-conference is in preparation; the Big Ten and conference play is what matters. This is what we're preparing for, so I'm super excited. I can't wait to start Big Ten play, and we only have one of them before Christmas this year.
"It's not rocket science. It's a big game because every Big Ten game is big. You have to protect your home court in this league. We play Michigan twice this year, which is different. Every game is big, every game is exciting, so I'm ready to go."
On Shoup-Hill's performance:
"We're constantly telling her to get in there and rebound. I think rebounding is that spark that ignites her because when she's focused on that, when she's crashing, even going back to last year, we were a different team.Â
"She was really active on the boards early. She got some rebounds and then got some finishes. If you think about some of our games this year, she just hasn't finished some of those. Now, she's getting an and-1. Brynn went and got to the free-throw line four times tonight. That's a really good sign that she's being aggressive, getting in there, and getting in the mix a little bit."
On what the career-high 15-point performance can do for her moving forward:
"I think just carrying over everything with my confidence and stuff like that. I've taken a really big step in my mental preparation, especially for this game. Honestly, glory to God because I was praying and doing a bunch of stuff. I just think it's about my confidence and carrying over my preparation I had for this game."
On how she can sense when she is in a rhythm offensively:
"When I rebound a lot in the beginning. I feel like if I'm crashing the boards hard, even if I don't get the rebound, I feel like that gets me into my rhythm. I don't overthink, like, 'Where am I going on defense, or what what am I doing on offense?' When I focus on playing defense hard and crashing the boards hard, that definitely gets me into my rhythm."
On the start of Big Ten play on Sunday:
"I'm excited. Playing in the Big Ten and having the Big Ten season start is the best. You can not have a down game. I really feel like now, with the Big Ten, we're gonna have that energy. We're gonna be able to go into these games excited. It's good competition. It's just fun. The Big Ten is so fun."
