Bryant's 27 Points Guide #19 Illinois to Victory Over UMES at Music City Classic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 19 Illinois began its time at the Music City Classic with a 75-55 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday afternoon in Nashville, Tenn.

The Fighting Illini improved to 6-0 for the second time under third-year head coach Shauna Green, while three scorers tallied double-digit points in the 20-point victory.

Genesis Bryant posted a game-high and season-most 27 points, her first outing with 20+ points this season. After reaching double figures in the first quarter, Bryant went 4-for-5 from 3-point range and 11-from-14 from the free-throw line. She also totaled five assists and two rebounds.

Kendall Bostic secured her third double-double of the campaign with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Her nine boards in the first period tied the program record for most boards in a single quarter, and she also finished with three assists and two blocks.

Makira Cook poured in 15 points for her third game in double figures this season. Cook also made one block and grabbed one rebound.

Brynn Shoup-Hill corralled a career-high 11 rebounds, the second game of her career with double-digit boards.

Adalia McKenzie did a little bit of everything on Tuesday, amassing five points, four assists, three rebounds, and a steal.

Gretchen Dolan added seven points and a block off the bench.

The two teams battled in a very physical contest that featured a combined 55 fouls and 55 free-throw attempts.

The Illini opened the scoring nearly three minutes into the contest, holding UMES without a point for over six-and-a-half minutes to start the game and taking a 9-0 edge during that time. With the Orange and Blue's lead down to seven with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Illini used a 10-0 run, which included two Cook 3-pointers, to extend their advantage up to 21-4.

Bryant closed the first period with a 3-pointer, her first field goal of the day after making seven free throws earlier in the frame, to move into double figures and and put Illinois in front, 24-6, through the opening 10 minutes of action. Bostic grabbed nine rebounds in the first quarter, which equaled the program record for most boards in a quarter.

A 6-0 Illini run to begin the second period moved the Orange and Blue's lead up to 24 points, but the Hawks responded with a long scoring stretch of their own. UMES used a 16-2 run over the next four minutes to reduce its deficit down to just 10 with 4:23 remaining in the first half.

Illinois countered with a 9-2 run, featuring six points from Bostic, to extend its advantage up to 41-24 with one minute left on the clock. 

The Illini eventually took a 17-point edge, 43-26, into the break behind double-digit first-half scoring efforts from Bryant (14 points) and Cook (13 points).

Bostic moved into double figures with Illinois' first points of the second half before Cook and Bryant also got shots to fall within the first few minutes of the frame. Despite going without a field goal for the final 6:32 of the third quarter, the Orange and Blue went 8-for-13 from the free-throw line to maintain a 17-point edge, 58-41, entering the final period of play.

The Hawks cut their deficit down to 15 just over two minutes into the fourth quarter, but a 6-0 Illini run extended Illinois' advantage up to 21 for the first time in the second half. The Orange and Blue's advantage climbed as high as 22 points in the frame to close out the victory.  

No. 19 Illinois (6-0) finishes its time at the Music City Classic on Wednesday against No. 14 Kentucky. Tipoff against the ranked Wildcats in Nashville, Tenn., is set for 7 p.m. CT on BallerTV.

HIGHLIGHTS

RADIO INTERVIEW

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes:

• Genesis Bryant scored a season-high 27 points while adding a game-high five assists.
  • Secured her first outing with 20+ points this season and for the 12th time in her career.
    • Posted double-digit points for the third time this season and for the 53rd time in her career.
      • Was the first scorer to reach double figures, which she achieved on a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in the first quarter.
  • Went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc…has three games this season with multiple makes from deep.
  • Registered a season-high five assists.
    • Has now tallied 4+ assists in back-to-back games and in three contests overall this season.
  • Went 11-for-14 from the free-throw line.
    • Has 8+ makes from the charity stripe in two games this season.
• Makira Cook scored 15 points.
  • Scored in double figures for the third time this season and for the 85th time in her career.
• Brynn Shoup-Hill scored two points while recording a career-high 11 rebounds against the Hawks.
  • Grabbed double-digit rebounds for the second time this season and for the second time in her career.
    • Has at least six rebounds in all six games this season.
• Adalia McKenzie scored five points to go along with three rebounds and four assists.
• Kendall Bostic, who earned honorable mention AP player of the week honors, recorded 12 points  and 11 rebounds.
  • Registered her third double-double of the season and the 37th such game of her career.
    • Bostic now owns sole possession of fifth place on the program's career double-double list.
      • All three of her double-doubles have come over the last four games.
  • Secured a double-digit scoring outing for the fourth consecutive game, for the fifth time this season, and for the 54th time in her career.
  • Recorded double-digit rebounds for the fourth time this season and the 58th time in her Illinois career.
    • Bostic grabbed nine rebounds in the first quarter, including eight on the defensive glass.
      • Her nine boards equaled the most in a single quarter in program history, tying her own record that she set with nine rebounds in the fourth quarter against Missouri State on March 21, 2024.
  • Registered multiple blocks in a game for the 23rd time in her career and for the first time this season.
• Gretchen Dolan was the first Illini off the bench on Tuesday.
  • Scored seven points.

Team Notes:

• The Hawks won the opening tip, but Illinois opened the scoring nearly three minutes into the contest with an Adalia McKenzie layup.
• The Illini opened the game with a 9-0 scoring run, holding the Hawks without a point for the first 6:37 of the contest.
  • Illinois held UMES to a 0-for-11 start from the field. 
• Illinois pieced together a 10-0 run from 2:11 to 0:20 in the first quarter, during which the Illini extended their lead to double digits.
• The Illini held the Hawks scoreless for stretches of 2:56 and 2:22 in the fourth quarter.
• The Illini had three scorers in double figures (Bostic, Bryant, Cook).
• Illinois limited UMES to 3-for-13 from beyond the arc.
  • Illini opponents are shooting just 18.0 percent (24-133) from the 3-point line this season.
    • Is currently tied for the fourth-best mark in the nation.
• The two teams split the rebounding battle, grabbing 41 boards each.
  • Despite being out-rebounded on the offensive glass 14-9, the Illini held a 14-8 advantage in second-chance points.
  • Illinois has not lost the rebounding battle yet this season and has not done so in 11-straight games dating back to the end of the 2023-24 season.
• The Illini assisted on 17 of their 22 field goals.
  • Have tallied at least 17 assists in four-straight games.
  • Assisted on 77.2 percent of their makes, a season-best mark.
• Illinois forced 13 UMES turnovers and scored 10 points off those takeaways.
  • Have forced double-digit turnovers in all six games this season.
• The Illini outscored the Hawks in fast-break points, 16-4.
  • Third consecutive contest with double-digit fast-break points.
  • The Illini have allowed four or fewer fast-break points in five straight games. 
• Illinois led for a total of 37:08 in the contest and did not trail.
  • The Illini have not trailed at any point over their last three games.
    • Have trailed for just a total of 44 seconds through six games.
    • Have led for a total of 231:39.

Misc. Notes:

• The Illini extended their winning streak to 11 games, the longest in program history.
  • Illinois holds the longest active winning streak among Division I teams.
• Starters: Genesis Bryant, Makira Cook, Adalia McKenzie, Brynn Shoup-Hill,  Kendall Bostic
  • This lineup is now 5-0 on the season.
  • This group has started 27 games together across the last three seasons, holding a 16-11 combined record.
• Shauna Green is now:
  • 47-25 at Illinois
  • 174-75 as a Division I head coach
  • 203-100 Overall
• Illinois vs. Maryland Eastern Shore: 1-0 (first meeting)
  • Shauna Green's coaching record vs. Maryland Eastern Shore: 1-0
• The Illini have held opponents at/below 15 points in 17 of 24 regulation periods.
• Illinois is now 1-0 when wearing blue uniforms this season.
• The Illini are now 2-0 in games starting before 5 p.m. CT this season.
• The Illini are now 6-0 in November.
  • Second 6-0 start under Shauna Green.
    • Shauna Green is the second coach in program history to have multiple 6-0 starts to a season (Jane Schroeder, 1980-81, 1981-82).

        Score after 1st Quarter: 24-6
        Score at Halftime: 43-26 (19-20 Q2)
        Score after 3rd Quarter: 58-41 (15-15 Q3)
        Score after 4th Quarter: 75-55 (17-14 Q4)