Illinois Returns to State Farm Center, Begins Five-Game Homestand Against Bradley

Illinois vs. Bradley - Most Valuable Professor Night
Date | Time	Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 | 6 p.m. CT
Location	Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center
Tickets	Buy Now | Single Game
Promotions	MVP Night | Student-athletes invite academic figures to be recognized
Digital Game Programs	All Publications | Bradley Game
Watch	B1G+ | B1G+ App | WATCH
Radio	Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Listen | Varsity Network App
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Rosters	Illinois | Bradley
Stats	Illinois | Bradley
Game Notes	Illinois | Bradley | Big Ten
Record Books	Illinois | Big Ten WBB | NCAA WBB
Availability/Interviews	Bradley Pregame Availability (12/11/24) | YouTube Playlist
Shop	Online Store | Auctions
Social Media	@IlliniWBB  | @IlliniWBB  | Facebook  | YouTube

Head Coach Shauna Green

Career Record: 204-102 (.667), 11th season
Division I Record: 175-77 (.694), Ninth season
At Illinois: 48-27 (.640), Third season
Big Ten Record: 19-18 (.514), Third season

LIVE STREAM

Fans unable to attend Thursday night's contest can watch Illinois vs. Bradley online by purchasing a subscription to B1G+, a streaming service of non-televised events produced by the Big Ten Network in partnership with the Big Ten Conference schools.

Fans who sign up can choose either the monthly rate of $12.99 or the annual rate of $89.99. The B1G+ subscription includes access to live streaming of non-televised games, next day on-demand archives, and access to Big Ten Network's library of Illinois' previous season classics and originals.

The 12 remaining women's basketball games are slated to be streamed via B1G+:
» Dec. 15 at 1 p.m. vs. Southern Indiana
» Dec. 20 at 12 p.m. vs. Southern
» Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. vs. Oregon
» Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. at Minnesota
» Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. vs. Iowa
» Jan. 19  at 2 p.m. vs. Michigan State
» Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. at Rutgers
» Feb. 2 at 12 p.m. at Maryland
» Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. vs. Northwestern
» Feb. 9 at 3 p.m. at Wisconsin
» Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. vs. Penn State
» March 2 at 2 p.m. vs. Michigan

OPENING TIP

The 51st campaign of Fighting Illini women's basketball continues with the first contest of a five-game homestand as Illinois hosts Bradley on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. CT on B1G+ from State Farm Center. Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM). Streaming, audio, and stats links are also available at FightingIllini.com/wbb. 

• Illinois has earned a win over a ranked opponent for the third consecutive season under Green.
• The Fighting Illini have now been ranked in the Top 25 in all three seasons under Green.
• Illinois returned four 1,000-career point scorers, tied for the most in the NCAA with Baylor, Notre Dame, and Kansas State.
• Illinois' seniors (Cook, Bryant, McKenzie, Shoup-Hill, Bostic) have a combined 393 career starts (367 at Illinois) and played a combined 535 games (407 at Illinois).
• Kendall Bostic's 1,152 career rebounds rank third of all active NCAA D1 players.
• Head coach Shauna Green earned her 200th win as a head coach on Nov. 14, 2024 vs. Eastern Illinois.
• Illinois faced a ranked team in its Big Ten opener for the third straight season (#12/7 Ohio State, --/25 Michigan, #5/4 Indiana).
• Illinois' 3-point percentage defense ranks third in the NCAA at 20.5 (41-of-200), Bradley's ranks first (18.1% - 21-of-116).
• The Illini have held opponents at/below 15 points in 23 of 36 regulation periods.
• Seven different Illini scorers have posted double-digit points in a game this season: Bostic, Bryant, Brown-Hagger, Cook, Dolan, McKenzie, Shoup-Hill. 
• The Fighting Illini return eight players from last year's WBIT Championship team while adding six newcomers - four freshmen and two transfers - into the mix.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Bradley makes the short trip to Champaign with a 5-2 record and having won four of its last five games. The Braves, members of the Missouri Valley Conference, are 2-1 away from home this season, a mark that includes road wins over Central Michigan (Nov. 17, W, 66-57) and Chicago State (Dec. 3, W, 75-57) and a loss to Lindenwood (Nov. 12, L, 56-64).

Bradley's 3-point percentage defense leads the NCAA as the Braves has held their opponents to a 18.1% rate from deep (21-of-116).

Bradley is the third in-state team to take on the Fighting Illini at State Farm Center this season, as the Illini have already hosted Lewis for an exhibition on Nov. 1 and Eastern Illinois on Nov. 14.

ALL-TIME SERIES INFORMATION

Thursday's contest between the Fighting Illini and the Braves is the 16th game in the all-time series. Illinois holds an 11-4 advantage in the series, which dates back to 1982. The Orange and Blue won the previous meeting between the sides on Nov. 18, 2017, when the Illini posted a 74-62 win over the Braves in Champaign.

LAST TIME OUT

No. 21/21 Illinois opened Big Ten play with a ranked road loss to No. 12/7 Ohio State, 83-74, on Dec. 8 at the Schottenstein Center.

Genesis Bryant led the Illini with 22 points while going 8-for-14 from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point range. Scoring 20+ points for the second time this season, Bryant made three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and also totaled four rebounds, two assists, and one steal.

Kendall Bostic posted her fifth double-double of the campaign, which moved her into sole possession of fourth place on the program's career double-doubles list. Bostic totaled 17 points, a team-high 13 rebounds, and a block.

Jasmine Brown-Hagger added 14 points off the bench, her fourth double-digit scoring outing of the season. Following a seven-game absence, Berry Wallace collected eight points and three rebounds in her return to her home state, while Brynn Shoup-Hill grabbed six of her 11 rebounds on the offensive glass.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE

Following its 5-0 homestand to open the regular season, Illinois has won 9 consecutive games in State Farm Center. The streak marks the fourth-longest in program history. Illinois is 29-8 in home games under Shauna Green. 

COACH GREEN RETURNS TO HER ALMA MATER

The No. 21-ranked Illini picked up their first true road win of the season on Dec. 2 in a 68-55 victory over Canisius as Illinois third-year head coach Shauna Green returned to her alma mater. The Fighting Illini were the first-ever Division I ranked team to play at the Golden Griffins' Koessler Athletic Center. 

Illinois forced a season-high 23 Canisius turnovers and scored 18 points off those takeaways, while the Orange and Blue led for a total of 39:33 in the contest and did not trail. 

For the first time in her career as both an assistant and head coach, Shauna Green (the former Shauna Geronzin), coached against her alma mater, Canisius, on Nov. 26, 2023. The Illini won, 90-58. 

Illinois made a return trip to Canisius during the team's 2024-25 slate, with the Illini posting a 68-55 road win on Dec. 2. 

Wearing No. 34 for the Griffs from 1998-2002, Green scored 2,012 career points, the most of any men's or women's player - a record which still stands. She also became the program's all-time leading rebounder with 910 boards - a mark that now ranks second. Green was named 1999 MAAC Rookie of the Year and was also voted 2002 Canisius Female Athlete of the Year. She was a four-time All-MAAC selection and three-time All- MAAC First-Team honoree. She was enshrined into the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. 

ILLINI EARN SPOT IN AP POLL FOR FOUR CONSECUTIVE WEEKS

Fighting Illini women's basketball was ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll for four consecutive weeks and earned spots in the Weeks 2-5 polls.

The highest Illinois has been ranked under Green was the team's 2024-25 Week 4 No. 19 mark, while the previous high of No. 21 came back during the 2022-23 campaign. The highest ranking in program history is No. 5, which came on Dec. 8, 1997.

Illinois has been ranked in nine combined AP polls under Green. In 2022-23, the Illini appeared in four Top-25 polls, followed by the preseason rankings in 2023-24, and most recently the Week 2-5 polls in 2024-25.

The Illini have now appeared in 72 AP polls all-time across 11 different seasons.

Week 2: No. 23
Week 3: No. 22
Week 4: No. 19
Week 5: No. 21

BOSTIC EARNS FIRST-CAREER B1G PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD (NOV. 25)

Kendall Bostic delivered a spectacular Week 2 performance on the court to earn the first Big Ten Player of the Week award of her career. The fifth-year senior led the Illini to a 2-0 week after averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds, and one steal while posting zero turnovers as the Fighting Illini climbed to 5-0 after downing their third 2024 NCAA Tournament team of the season.

The Kokomo, Ind., native shot 83.9% from the floor on 26-of-31 attempts and connected on all four of her free-throw attempts. No other Big Ten player was more efficient at a high volume than Bostic, as she made more combined field goals across the week (26) than all but two Big Ten players attempted. Additionally, she was the only Big Ten player with two 20-point games during the week.

In the Illini's first game of the week, a blowout win over Le Moyne on Nov. 18, Bostic registered the 36^th double-double of her career, scoring 25 points (11-for-13 FG) and grabbing 12 rebounds in 23 minutes of action.

In Illinois' handing of Oregon State on Nov. 22, Bostic became just the fourth player in program history to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds as an Illini. Bostic is also now second on Illinois' career rebounding list (1,045). She scored a career-high 31 points in the victory over the Beavers and grabbed eight rebounds in 32 minutes of work.

ILLINOIS WINS ALL FIVE GAMES DURING SEASON-OPENING FIVE-GAME HOMESTAND

Beginning the 2024-25 regular season with a stretch of five home contests, the Fighting Illini took care of business and went 5-0, which saw the Illini earn wins over three 2024 NCAA tournament teams.

Illinois started the campaign with a ranked victory over #19 Florida State (Nov. 7) before defeating Marquette by double digits three days later. Triumphs over Eastern Illinois (Nov. 14) and Le Moyne (Nov. 18) followed, and the Orange and Blue concluded their homestand with a dominant 19-point win over an Oregon State team that advanced to the Elite 8 at the 2024 NCAA tournament.

The victory over the Beavers (Nov. 22) helped the Illini improve to 5-0 on the season, marking the second 5-0 start under third-year head coach Shauna Green.

TOP HOME ATTENDANCES

Fighting Illini head coach Shauna Green has re-energized the women's basketball fan base and delivered two of the top five home attendances in program history through just 70 games at Illinois. Green's teams have drawn attendances of 13,486, 11,563, and 8,141 across the last three seasons - all three are in the top 13 of all-time largest home game attendances for the program.

The 2024 game vs. Le Moyne that drew 13,486 fans set a new single-game attendance record for home nonconference games at Illinois.

COACH GREEN SECURES 200TH CAREER WIN

Fighting Illini women's basketball head coach Shauna Green won the 200th game of her career on Nov. 14, 2024, with an 84-37 victory over Eastern Illinois. Of the 200 wins, Green won 44 of those as the head coach at Illinois. Green tallied 127 victories at Dayton (2016-22) and the first 29 tallies came during her tenure at Loras College (2005-07).

In terms of wins with her current assistant coaches, 126 victories came with DeAntoine "Cat" Beasley on the bench, followed by 123 with Calamity McEntire, 22 alongside Britney Anderson, 22 with Emily Durr as an assistant (70 total with her on staff), and three of those wins were accompanied by Liza Fruendt.

ILLINOIS OPENS REGULAR SEASON WITH RANKED WIN

The Fighting Illini started the 2024-25 season with a statement win, taking down No. 19/19 Florida State, 83-74, at State Farm Center on Nov. 7. Four Illini scored in double figures in the ranked nine-point win, including 20-point outings for both Makira Cook and Adalia McKenzie, while the home side never trailed in the contest.

Kendall Bostic (18 points) and Gretchen Dolan (11 points) also finished with double-digit points, which helped the Illini pick up a ranked win for the third consecutive season.

BOSTIC REACHES 1,000 CAREER REBOUNDS

Kendall Bostic became the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 career rebounds with the Illini, achieving the feat during Illinois' 83-74 victory over No. 19 Florida State on Nov. 7. Bostic joined Jenna Smith (1,217), Karisma Penn (1,043), and Cindy Dallas (1,014) on the exclusive list.

Bostic has continued to climb the program's career rebounding list and now ranks second all-time.

RANKED WINS CONTINUE TO ROLL IN

With the Illini's 83-74 season-opening victory over No. 19 Florida State on Nov. 7, Illinois has now registered a win over a ranked opponent for the third consecutive season, the longest streak since the 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08 campaigns.

The streak began on Jan. 1, 2023, when the Illini took down No. 12 Iowa, 90-86, for the program's first ranked win since 2019. Illinois defeated No. 16 Indiana on Feb. 19, 2024, in dominant fashion, 86-66, before Illinois' win over the Seminoles solidified that three-season streak.

PRESEASON WATCH LISTS

All three returning fifth-year Illini players landed on Naismith Award position watch lists ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Makira Cook (Point Guard), Genesis Bryant (Shooting Guard), and Kendall Bostic (Power Forward) each earned spots on the respective 20-player lists. Cook also was recognized to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Women's Player of the Year Watch List and Preseason All-Big Ten list for the second-consecutive year. 

Freshman Berry Wallace was named to Shane Laflin's (Premier Basketball/ESPNW) 2024 NCAA Expected Impact Freshman List, featuring 10 college newcomers.

1,000 POINT SCORERS & REBOUNDING

Entering the 2024-25 campaign, Illinois has four players with 1,000+ career points scored. All foUr (Bostic, Bryant, Cook, McKenzie) have now scored 1,000 during their Illini tenures as well.

To date, 34 Fighting Illini players have scored 1,000 points during their career at Illinois, and only four players have scored 1,000 points and grabbed 1,000 rebounds at Illinois. Kendall Bostic became the fourth player in program history to join the 1,000/1,000 club as an Illini, earning a spot on the exclusive list that features Jenna Smith, Karisma Penn, and Cindy Dallas.

THE SHAUNA GREEN EFFECT

The Illini's 41 overall wins in Green's first two seasons were the program's most over a two-year span since the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 campaigns, when Illinois recorded 42 combined victories under Hall of Fame coach Theresa Grentz.

Illinois' 19 Big Ten regular-season victories over Green's first two seasons are the program's most over a two-year span since the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 campaigns, when Illinois totaled 20 conference wins under Hall of Fame coach Theresa Grentz. 

HOME ATTENDANCE NUMBERS

Across 15 home games during the 2022-23 season, Illinois Women's Basketball saw 52,295 fans fill the State Farm Center en route to a 12-3 record. That total attendance ranked 5th in program history and made Shauna Green the only head coach to bring in 50,000 or more fans in her first season with the Illini.

In Illinois' 2023-24 season - and home - opener, the attendance of 2,680 marked the largest ticketed season-opening crowd at State Farm Center since 2000 (3,954). In the Illini's 17 home games last season, Illinois finished with a combined attendance of 63,242 for an average of 3,720 a game. 63,242 is now the fifth-best all-time attendance.

Illinois' season-opener against Florida State drew a crowd of 3,741 to surpass last year's season-opening mark by over 1,000 fans. With 13,486 fans in attendance for Field Trip Day, Illinois' season average is up to 5,702 per game through five contests.

CONTRACT EXTENSION

Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced a two-year contract extension for women's basketball head coach Shauna Green, which was approved by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees at its Nov. 14 meeting. Initially, the new agreement will keep Green on a six-year contract through at least the 2029-30 season. The agreement also provides Green the opportunity to earn up to four additional one-year extensions if certain performance thresholds are met.

Under Green, Illinois owns a 48-27 record, including a 19-18 mark in Big Ten play. In the first two years under Green, the Illinois women's basketball team registered 41 wins, the first-ever postseason championship in program history (2024 WBIT), and back-to-back top-five season attendances in State Farm Center. Over the last three seasons, Illinois has delivered three upsets of AP Top-20 ranked teams: No. 12 Iowa (1/1/23), No. 14 Indiana (2/19/24), and No. 19 Florida State (11/7/24).

PRO ILLINI

Illinois women's basketball is represented at the professional level across multiple continents. Former Illini center Camille Hobby joined the professional ranks after spending her fifth year of college at Illinois. Hobby plays for PAOK in Greece. Adrienne Williams Godbold, a guard at Illinois from 2009-13, plays in the Puerto Rican BSNF for Hatillo. Brandi Beasley, a guard at Illinois from 2016-20, plays for CJS Geispolsheim in France. Brittany Carter, who played at Illinois from 2014-15, now plays for GIE Cibao Immortals in the Dominican Republic and was the 2024 league MVP. Rebecca Harris, a guard at Illinois from 2006-08, plays for the Bay Area Phoenix in the Women's Premier Basketball Association (WPBA), helping them to a championship. Harris has also played in the Athletes Unlimited League.