Illini Improve to 2-0 With Home Win Over Marquette

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois used a strong defensive showing to move to 2-0 and defeat Marquette, 65-53, at State Farm Center on Sunday night.

After scoring only one point in the first half, Genesis Bryant poured in 15 points across the final 20 minutes and finished with 16 points while going 9-for-11 from the free-throw line. She also grabbed four rebounds and made one steal.

Adalia McKenzie scored in double figures for the second consecutive game, tallying 12 points while coming up one rebound short of a double-double with nine boards, including four on the offensive glass. 

Brynn Shoup-Hill reached double figures in scoring for the first time since Jan. 11, registering 11 points and six rebounds.

Gretchen Dolan added nine points off the bench and notched a steal.

Illinois took advantage of its constant presence at the free-throw line, going 31-for-35 on its attempts at the stripe.

Despite a slow start for both teams' offense, the Illini got to the free-throw line early and scored their first three points of the night from the charity stripe. McKenzie accounted for Illinois' first field goal, which came on a second-chance effort after she corralled an offensive rebound and made the putback layup.

Four of the Orange and Blue's five starters scored within the first five minutes. Neither team led by more than three points in the first quarter, but the Illini held a slim 13-12 advantage through the opening 10 minutes of play. 

A 6-2 Illini run early in the second frame extended their lead up to five points, a stretch that included four points from Dolan, while the hosts held Marquette scoreless for nearly four-and-a-half minutes.

The Golden Eagles reduced their deficit to two points with under two minutes remaining, but the Orange and Blue closed the half strong. Scoring the final seven points of the frame, the Illini went into halftime with a 29-20 edge.

Dolan led all scorers with nine points at the break, while five Illini scorers had at least four points across the first 20 minutes. 

The Illini pushed their lead into double digits after tallying the first three points of the second half, all from the free-throw line, but a 5-0 run from the visitors cut into that advantage. Illinois responded with a 5-0 run of its own, which featured a Bryant 3-pointer and a McKenzie pullup jumper, which gave Illinois a 37-25 edge and forced a Marquette timeout.

Keeping the Golden Eagles scoreless for over three minutes between the third and fourth quarters, the Orange and Blue outscored the visitors, 6-3, across the first 90 seconds of the final frame.

A 7-0 run from the Golden Eagles cut the Illini's lead to 58-46 with three minutes to go, but a run of five straight makes from the free-throw line extended the hosts' advantage up to 63-46 with 90 seconds remaining.

Leading by as many as 19, the Illini remained perfect on the season with the 12-point home victory.

Illinois (2-0) takes on Eastern Illinois on Thursday night in the third of five contests during the team's season-opening five-game homestand. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on B1G+, with tickets available at FightingIllini.com.

HIGHLIGHTS

PRESS CONFERENCE

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes:

• Genesis Bryant scored a team-high 16 points while adding four rebounds.
  • Went 9-for-11 from the free throw line.
• Makira Cook scored six points and tallied one rebound and two assists.
• Brynn Shoup-Hill scored a season-high 11 points and secured six rebounds.
  • First game scoring in double figures since Jan. 11, 2024, at Nebraska.
• Adalia McKenzie scored 12 points, adding nine rebounds.
  • Grabbed a game-high four offensive rebounds.
• Kendall Bostic scored five points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
  • First double-digit rebound game of the season…55th such game of her career.
  • Is now just two rebounds away from passing Cindy Dallas (1,014) for third all-time in program history. 
• Gretchen Dolan scored nine points off of the bench.
  • First Illini off the bench for the second time in as many games.
  • Scored a team-high nine points in the first half, going 4-for-6 from the floor while knocking down one 3-pointer.
• Jasmine Brown-Hagger came off of the bench to score six points.
  • Went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

Team Notes:

• Marquette won the tip, but the Illini opened the scoring via two Makira Cook free throws on their second possession of the game.
• Illinois held Marquette scoreless for a 4:25 stretch in the second quarter.
  • The Golden Eagles went 0-for-6 from the field during that span, with the Illini forcing two turnovers.
  • Overall, the Illinois defense limited Marquette to just eight points in the second quarter on 4-for-16 shooting.
• The Illini used a 7-0 run over the final 1:30 of the second quarter to take a 29-20 lead at halftime.
• Illinois held Marquette without a field goal for the final 2:56 of the third quarter to take a 15-point into the fourth.
• The Illini had three players score in double figures (Bryant, McKenzie, Shoup-Hill).
• The Illini won the rebounding battle 40-35, including an 11-7 advantage on the offensive glass.
  • Converted those 11 o-boards into 16 second-chance points.
• Illinois went 31-for-35 from the free throw line, compared to Marquette going 10-for-17 from the stripe.
  • The Illini have attempted at least 30 free throws in each game this season, the first time since at least the 2007-08 season that Illinois has attempted at least 30 foul shots in consecutive games.
  • The Orange and Blue have attempted 66 free throws through two games and have allowed just 29 opponent free throws.
• Illinois forced a season-high 16 turnovers, scoring nine points off of those turnovers.
• The Illini held a 24-22 edge in points in the paint.
• The Illini trailed for a brief 44 seconds in the contest, leading the ballgame for a total of 36:23.
  • Illinois has led for a total of 76:06 this season through two games, while only trailing for 44 seconds.

Misc. Notes:

• Starters: Genesis Bryant, Makira Cook, Brynn Shoup-Hill, Adalia McKenzie, Kendall Bostic
  • This lineup is now 2-0 on the season.
  • This group has started 24 games together across the last three seasons, holding a 13-11 combined record.
• Shauna Green is now:
  • 43-25 at Illinois
  • 170-75 as a Division-I coach
  • 199-100 overall
• Illinois vs. Marquette: 3-6 (ninth meeting)
  • Shauna Green's coaching record vs. Marquette: 1-2
• The Illini have held opponents at/below 15 points in 4 of 8 regulation periods.
• Illinois is now 2-0 when wearing white uniforms this season.
• The Illini are now 2-0 in games starting after 5 p.m. CT this season.
• The Illini are now 2-0 in November.
• Attendance was called at 3,748.

        Score after 1st Quarter: 13-12
        Score at Halftime: 29-20 (16-8 Q2)
        Score after 3rd Quarter: 49-34 (20-14 Q3)
        Score after 4th Quarter: 65-53 (16-19 Q4)