CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois came up short in a 69-53 loss to Maryland in the team's Play4Kay game at State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon.
Camille Hobby recorded the first double-double of her collegiate career, finishing with 16 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, both of which were team-best marks. Hobby also grabbed a steal for the fourth time in her last five games.
Adalia McKenzie hit double figures for the fourth game in a row, totaling 10 points. She also grabbed two rebounds and made two steals.
Genesis Bryant tallied 13 points, her 15th game in double figures, and she set a new career-high single-season block mark with her fourth rejection of the season three minutes into the contest. She also amassed three rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Makira Cook registered four steals, which equaled her season-high mark, and she was the lone Illini to play all 40 minutes.Â
Kendall Bostic grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists, while Gretchen Dolan added six points off the bench.
Illinois (11-12, 5-8 B1G) hits the road for its next contest, traveling to take on Penn State on Thursday night. The contest is the lone regular-season meeting between the sides, and it will get underway at 5 p.m. CT on B1G+.
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Genesis Bryant scored 13 points while adding three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
- Recorded her fourth block of the season in the first quarter, setting a new career-high mark.
- Has recorded a steal in three-straight games.
- Makira Cook matched a season high by collecting four steals in the contest.
- Adalia McKenzie scored 10 points and recorded two steals.
- Has scored in double figures in four-straight games, her longest such streak of the season.
- Longest since having a five-game double-figure scoring stretch from Feb. 22 - March 15, 2023.
- Camille Hobby scored a team-high 16 points and secured 11 rebounds.
- Collected her first-career double-double by securing her 10th rebound of the game in the fourth quarter.
- Recorded her 10th double-digit scoring performance of the season.
- Her 11 rebounds are a new career-high mark.
- Grabbed six of those rebounds on the offensive glass.
- Kendall Bostic scored two points and added eight rebounds.
- Has 16 games this season with at least eight boards.
- Has also hit that mark in three-straight games.
- Gretchen Dolan came off the bench and scored six points.
- First off the bench for the Illini at the 5:07 mark in the first quarter.
Team Notes:
- Illinois won the tip, and the Illini opened the scoring on their first possession of the game, a layup by Adalia McKenzie, assisted by Genesis Bryant.
- The Illini had three players score in double figures (Hobby, McKenzie, Bryant).
- Illinois held Maryland to 15 points in the first quarter and 12 in the second, the 47th and 48th time this season the Illini have held their opponent to at/under 15 points in a period.
- The Illini forced the Terrapins into 19 turnovers, scoring 17 points off of those turnovers.
- Illinois recorded 10 steals in the contest, the fifth time this season they've had double-digit steals in a game.
Misc. Notes:
- Starters: Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie, Kendall Bostic, Camille Hobby
- This lineup is now 6-5 on the season.
- Shauna Green is now:
- 33-22 at Illinois
- 160-72 as a Division-I coach
- 189-97 overall
- Illinois vs. Maryland: 0-16 (16th meeting)
- Illinois is now 0-2 when wearing pink uniforms this season.
- UI is now 8-5 in home games this season.
- The Illini are now 5-9 in games starting before 5 p.m. CT this season.
- The Illini are now 1-2 in February.
QUOTES
On Hobby's first double-double of her career:
"She did a lot of really good things today. You're used to Kendall getting 10-plus rebounds, but Hobby's been really big for us lately. She's doing a great job of continuing to get better. If she can continue to get double-doubles and now we get KB back to feeling 100% and she's doing her thing, that helps us out a lot, especially on these nights where the ball's not going in. Her being able to rebound, she manufactures some points for us with those rebounds."
On the team's outlook on the rest of the season:Â
"Now, it's time to finish strong. Everybody talks about how it's not how you start but how you finish. We have some big opportunities coming up, on the road and back at home. We're not giving up. We haven't checked out. We're ready to fight."
On what the Play4Kay game meant to her:Â
"It's special, and it's really important. There are a lot of people who are affected by breast cancer and cancer in general. To have an opportunity to have a game totally dedicated to that is special and means a lot to me and so many people."
