With two minutes left in the third quarter against Maryland on Friday night, Illinois made history. 

Genesis Bryant's 3-pointer – her second of the game and, more importantly, the team's fifth triple of the night – set a new program record for 3-pointers made as a team. The Illini have knocked down 225 triples and counting this season while remaining one of the most efficient 3-point shooting teams in the country.

"I think it's a testament to our style of play: Defend, rebound, and run," Bryant said. "When we run and we get out, we get good shots. They're good looks for us. That's just a testament of how we play."

Bryant has accounted for nearly one-third of these 3-pointers, a testament to her 42% 3-point percentage that ranks second in the Big Ten. Bryant averages 2.4 makes per game, while her mark of 71 3-pointers is currently tied for the eighth-most in Illinois single-season program history.

She is not the only 3-point threat on the Illini, though, as Bryant is one of four players who have knocked down at least 30 triples this season, along with Jada Peebles (50), Makira Cook (49), and Brynn Shoup-Hill (32). Illinois leads the Big Ten in 3-point field-goal percentage at 37.8%, which is in pace to break the single-season program record.

Head coach Shauna Green agrees with Bryant's sentiment, as her team rarely forces a three or settles for a tough, contested shot. Instead, the Illini wait for good looks and punish teams for leaving 3-point shooters open.

"I think our style, we don't take a lot of threes," Green said. "We're shooting a high percentage, but we're not jacking threes. Our threes come out of rhythm, they come out of inside out, so now our percentage is going to be higher. We're just not a team that's going to shoot a ton of them. That's why I also think our efficiency has been higher because we take good threes, and rhythm threes, and threes out of our offense."

Despite leading the conference in 3-point percentage, Illinois ranks seventh in 3-point attempts. Their 3-point percentage ranks eighth in the nation despite ranking 151st in attempts per game. 

That's all part of the plan, Green says, which has paid dividends in this historic Illini season. Getting good looks and avoiding contested shots have helped Illinois achieve one of its best seasons this century, but the Illini aren't done yet.

Illinois looks to build on its program record in its final tournament of the season, though the Illini's tournament seeding, game location, and opponent will be announced next Sunday, March 12,

"If you would have told me that at the start of the season, I'd say you're crazy," Green said. "That was probably one of the biggest ones. We were No. 1 in the nation in three-point percentage for a while, so I credit our players for repping it and getting in."