CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – All five starters finished in double figures as Illinois secured its second Big Ten win of the season with a 96-68 victory over Rutgers at State Farm Center on Wednesday night.
The Fighting Illini recorded at least 90 points for the second straight game, their first time hitting that scoring mark in back-to-back Big Ten games since the 1998-99 season. Ten players (of 11 that saw action) tallied a basket as the Orange and Blue clinched consecutive conference wins for the first time this season.
"I'm just really proud of this team, how we performed today, how we performed Sunday, and how we've attacked the last month," said head coach Shauna Green. "We've been a different team the past month in how we've prepared and how we've practiced. We've fought through a lot of adversity, and they've never wavered and continued to stay together. I'm just really proud of them for that because a lot of teams could have just given up when we faced some of those challenges, but we didn't.
"Tonight, it was just an unbelievable overall performance for our team. This was a team win."
Genesis Bryant registered a team-high 17 points after scoring 12Â points in the first half. Reaching double digits for the seventh time in her last eight games, Bryant also tallied four assists while shooting 50% from the field.
Adalia McKenzie amassed 10 of her 14 points in the second half, which helped her clinch her seventh double-digit scoring output of the campaign. McKenzie also grabbed three rebounds and a team-high three steals, her fourth performance with at least three takeaways.
Camille Hobby opened the scoring before ending her night with 12 points, her second consecutive game in double figures. Hobby also notched a season-high eight rebounds, one assist, and one block.
Makira Cook accumulated 12 points and dished out a team-high seven assists, her second straight game – and third overall this season – with at least seven assists. Cook also grabbed two steals.
Kendall Bostic scored 13 points, the eighth time in her last nine games that she closed her night in double figures. Bostic also totaled seven rebounds.
Gretchen Dolan equaled her career-best scoring performance with 11 points, the second time she has reached double figures in her college career. Dolan also set a new career-high mark in playing time, registering 23 minutes off the bench.Â
Brynn Shoup-Hill did a little bit of everything, coming off the bench and finishing with five points, five rebounds, and three blocks.
Illinois won the rebounding margin, 38-27, and they took advantage of their dominance on the offensive glass by scoring 14 second-chance points on 13 offensive boards. Establishing their presence in the paint early and often, the Illini scored 40 points in the lane while also taking care of the basketball with a season-low six turnovers.
The Illini scored the first 10 points of the night while registering a basket on their first six trips down the court. A 7-0 run over a two-minute stretch extended the hosts' edge to 15 points before the Orange and Blue accounted for the final six points of the opening frame. With seven Illini players tallying points in the first quarter and holding Rutgers to just two field goals and 18% shooting, Illinois jumped out to a 23-5 lead through 10 minutes.
Bryant knocked down a jumper to open the second period of play, pushing the Illini edge to 20 points, the largest margin of the first half. Hobby splashed her second 3-pointer of the season one minute later, though the Scarlet Knights fought back to cut their deficit to single digits. Closing the opening half with four points, Illinois went into halftime with an 11-point lead.
With a 45-34 advantage at the break, the Illini shot 61% through 20 minutes of first-half action. Bryant led the way with 12 points, while all five starters accumulated at least four points prior to the intermission.
Hobby picked up right where she left off within the first 30 seconds of the second half. Grabbing an offensive rebound before converting an and-1 layup, Hobby moved into double figures for the second straight game. Two minutes later, the Illini began a 12-2 run, which included an and-1 layup for McKenzie and Bostic's second triple of the season, and saw the hosts' advantage expand back up to 20 points.Â
Rutgers continued to battle, though, as the visitors closed the frame with a 12-5 scoring stretch. The Scarlet Knights' run saw the Illini take a 67-54 advantage into the final period of play. McKenzie recorded a team-high eight points in the third quarter, bringing all five of the Orange and Blue's starters into double figures.
The Illini started the fourth quarter on a 14-0 run, capped off by a steal and fast-break layup from McKenzie to force a Rutgers timeout. Five different players recorded a field goal during that stretch, which extended the Illini lead to 81-54 with six minutes remaining in the contest.
With nine players scoring in the final period of play, the Illini outscored the Scarlet Knights by 15 points in the fourth quarter and led by as many as 30 to cruise to back-to-back conference victories.
Illinois (8-8, 2-4 B1G) hits the road for its next contest, traveling to the East Coast to take on Maryland (11-6, 3-3 B1G)Â on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff from College Park, Md., is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT on B1G+.
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Adalia McKenzie scored 14 points and added three rebounds and an assist.
- Kendall Bostic scored 13 points, on 6-for-8 shooting, and secured seven rebounds.
- Has scored in double figures in 13 of 16 games this season.
- Has grabbed at least seven boards in five straight games.
- Camille Hobby scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
- Poured in double figures for the second straight game.
- Has made a 3-pointer in back-to-back contests, her first two in an Illini uniform.
- Her eight rebounds set a new season-high mark.
- Genesis Bryant scored a team-high 17 points and dished out four assists.
- Scored a team-high 12 points in the first half, going 5-for-7 from the floor.
- Has scored in double figures for the seventh time in her last eight games…has 11 such performances this season.
- Has at least four assists in eight contests this season.
- Makira Cook poured in 12 points and had a game-high seven assists.
- Has at least seven assists in two straight games.
- Gretchen Dolan equaled her career-high scoring mark with 11 points while registering a career-high 23 minutes.
- Brynn Shoup-Hill was first off the bench along with Dolan.Â
- Shoup-Hill registered 3 blocks and has racked up 7 blocks in the last three games while coming off the bench.
Team Notes:
- Illinois won the tip, and Camille Hobby opened the scoring with a jumper.
- The Illini opened the game on a 10-0 run, holding Rutgers scoreless for the first 3:08 to begin the game.
- Illinois also scored on its first six field-goal attempts.
- Illinois held Rutgers to five points in the first quarter and have now held opponents to single digits in a quarter seven times this season.
- The Illini have also held opponents at/below 15 points in 36 of 64 periods this season.
- A season-high six players (Bostic, Bryant, Cook, Dolan, Hobby, McKenzie)Â finished in double figures.
- First time with six players scoring in double digits since Nov. 16, 2022, vs. McNeese State.
- All five starters reached that mark.
- First time since Jan. 5, 2023, vs. Northwestern that all five starters reached double figures.
- First time since Nov. 26 vs. Canisius that at least five players reached double figures in scoring.
- Illinois committed a season-low six turnovers – the team's fewest since also recording six against Nebraska on Feb. 22, 2023.
- Illinois won the rebounding battle, 38-27, holding a 13-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
- Scored 14 second-chance points.
- Have won the rebounding margin by +11 in two straight games.
- The Illini have scored at least 20 points in eight straight quarters.
- Illinois out-scored Rutgers, 40-26, in the paint.
- The Illini have scored 40 points in the paint in consecutive games.
- The Illini have scored at least 90 points in consecutive Big Ten contests since doing so on Dec. 3, 1998, and Jan. 3, 1999.
- Illinois shot 54.3% from the floor, a season-high against a Big Ten opponent.
- The Illini have also knocked down at least six 3-pointers in three straight games, a season-long streak.
Misc. Notes:
- Starters: Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie, Kendall Bostic, Camille Hobby
- This lineup is now 3-1 on the season.
- Shauna Green is now:
- 30-18 at Illinois
- 157-68 as a Division I coach
- 186-93 overall
- Illinois vs. Rutgers: 5-9 (14th meeting)
- Illinois is now 5-4 when wearing white uniforms this season.
- UI is now 6-3 in home games this season.
- The Illini are now 4-1 in games starting after 5 p.m. CT this season.
- The Illini are now 2-2 in January.
QUOTES
Opening statement:
"I'm just really proud of this team, how we performed today, how we performed Sunday, and how we've attacked the last month. Sometimes, the wins didn't happen, but we've been a different team the past month in how we've prepared and how we've practiced. We've fought through a lot of adversity, and they've never wavered and continued to stay together. I'm just really proud of them for that because a lot of teams could have just given up when we faced some of those challenges, but we didn't.
"Tonight, it was just an unbelievable overall performance for our team. This was a team win. You have six people in double figures. We won all three of the battles that we had talked about. We knew rebounding was going to be a critical number one key when you play a Rutgers team, and we outrebounded them, 38-27. The offensive boards were our main priority, and we beat them in that category, which was huge. We won the paint battle, won the turnover battle, and when we do those things, usually good things happen for us.Â
"Our point guards took care of the basketball, and that's huge. Between all three of them, 12 assists to zero turnovers is pretty remarkable.Â
"Overall, a great team win. Now, it's about continuing to build on this, continuing to get better, and we have a really tough Maryland team at their place on Saturday."
On Jada Peebles' season-ending injury:
"I pretty much knew as soon as I walked out on the court from how it happened. Autumn knew, and the ref actually told me as I was walking out.Â
"It's hard. It's a mix of emotions because you're so happy that we had the best game of the season, we're celebrating, and everyone's up, and then I look at Jada in the locker room, she's there, and she's crying. It hurts. You're happy, but you just feel for her, especially as a fifth-year. It sucks for anyone, but for it to happen in her fifth year, this is it, and to go out like that, but the thing about it is who Jada is as a person and where she's at right now.Â
"She's gonna be able to get through this, and she has all of us here. She has her family, and then she has our family here. We're going to be there for her, and she's gonna be a major part of our team going forward.Â
"Obviously, my heart hurts for her. I love her to death, and I'm just so proud of her. To see the growth she's had off the floor is probably the most important thing to me, and her loyalty. When I came here and got this job, she wanted to stay. She didn't have to come back for her fifth year.Â
"Her growth, even in the last year, has been just remarkable. She's obviously part of us, and we'll be here for her. She'll be here for us, and hopefully our kids, I think, are gonna have a little bit of extra motivation to play for her."
On the team's second straight game with at least 90 points:
"The last week or so in practice, we've really emphasized our ball movement, getting in the paint, getting paint touches for kickouts, and just letting the game come to us a little bit more. I think you see there are not contested shots, and there are not bad shots. We're getting almost all rhythm shots out of offense, out of making extra passes, and we're passing up really good shots for great shots. I think that's been the key."
On getting acclimated to the college level and her increased role:
"Being a freshman, it definitely is a process every day, but I think the people around me have made it so much easier every day to get through it and keep growing. I really just give it to them because they've been so helpful in my growth process."
On the team's back-to-back performances with at least 90 points:
"We're moving the ball really well, and we're taking a great shot instead of a good shot. I think that's why, the last few games, we've been clicking."
On the team's back-to-back performances with at least 90 points:
"I definitely think that we're playing together as a team and moving the ball around really well. That's led us to click."
On moving into the starting lineup and having consecutive games in double figures:
"I think the biggest thing is focusing on the team and all of us working together to get a win. That's the biggest thing we have to do right now. We're facing adversity, so we just have to keep fighting and staying together as a team."
