Illinois Earns First Ranked Win of Season in 20-Point Victory Over No. 14/12 Indiana

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois secured its first ranked win of the season with an 86-66 victory over No. 14/12 Indiana at State Farm Center on Monday afternoon. Leading for the final three quarters, all six Illini players who saw the court finished in double figures as the Orange and Blue improved to 7-8 in conference play with three regular-season games left on the schedule.

With the 20-point win, the Orange and Blue snapped a 16-game skid against the Hoosiers and clinched their biggest margin of victory over a ranked opponent since 1998.

Adalia McKenzie recorded a team-high 10 points in the first half, and she finished with 14 points on 60% shooting. Playing all but two minutes, McKenzie never left the floor in the second half and made big defensive plays from start to finish. She also added four rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Makira Cook tallied a team-high 22 points, her fourth outing this season with at least 20 points. Amassing 15 points in the second half, Cook finished the afternoon with four assists, one rebound, and one steal. 

Kendall Bostic notched her ninth double-double of the campaign, racking up 12 points and 11 rebounds. Bostic also accumulated two assists and two blocks.

Genesis Bryant was the lone Illini to play all 40 minutes, and she ended with 15 points and four rebounds. Bryant went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line and knocked down a 3-pointer for the third game in a row. She also recorded four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

Camille Hobby started 2-for-2 from the field before pouring in 12 points, her 11th outing with double-digit points this season. She also grabbed four rebounds, three of which came on the offensive glass.

Gretchen Dolan equaled her career-high scoring output with 11 points, her second straight game in double figures. The lone Illini to come in off the bench, Dolan also totaled three rebounds and two assists.

The Illini forced 14 Indiana turnovers, and they capitalized on their defensive dominance by scoring 16 points off those takeaways. The Orange and Blue also took care of the ball by recording a season-low five turnovers. Winning the battle in the paint, Illinois outscored the Hoosiers in the lane, 42-36, and on the glass, 30-26.

After Indiana opened the scoring, the Illini took their first lead of the afternoon after Bryant knocked down a 3-pointer on Illinois' first possession. Hobby's second-chance layup after grabbing an offensive rebound capped off a 5-0 Illini run to give the hosts an early 5-2 advantage.

The Orange and Blue weathered the storm five minutes later, when the Hoosiers went on a 9-0 run to put the visitors in front, 15-9. The Illini responded with a 9-2 run to close the frame, a stretch that included five points from Cook, a jumper from Bostic, and a buzzer-beating layup from Bryant. The strong finish gave Illinois an 18-17 lead through the opening 10 minutes.

McKenzie and Bostic combined to score the first four points of the second quarter, which extended the Illini's edge to five points. The two sides traded baskets over the next two minutes before Illinois took over. The Illini pieced together an 18-2 run, fueled by good defense and strong play in the paint, extended the hosts' lead to 18 points with one minute remaining in the first half.

McKenzie registered eight points during that six-minute span, which put the Orange and Blue ahead, 44-26. The Hoosiers scored the final two points of the frame, but Illinois went into the break with a 44-28 advantage.

Fueled by a seven-minute stretch between the first and second quarters that saw the Illini go 12-for-13 from the field, the Orange and Blue outscored the Hoosiers, 26-11, in the second period and shoot 60.6%. McKenzie led the way with a team-high 11 points in the first half, while all six Illini who saw the court in the opening two quarters recorded at least six points.

The Hoosiers opened the second half with a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to nine points within the first two-and-a-half minutes. The Illini fought back and countered with a 7-0 stretch of their own, capped off by five points from Cook to move her into double figures. Indiana continued to push and cut its deficit to 10 points before Cook and Dolan both knocked down 3-pointers in the span of 33 seconds. 

That 6-0 run gave Illinois a 59-43 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter. The Hoosiers scored the next four points of the frame before McKenzie's jumper ended the visitors' 4-0 run and put the Illini in front, 61-47, with 10 minutes to play.

Hobby scored the team's first four points of the fourth quarter, which countered an early Indiana 3-pointer. After a 14-6 run from the Hoosiers cut the away side's deficit to eight points with just over three minutes left, the Illini iced the game from the free-throw line. Closing the night on a 15-3 run, which included 13 free throws on 14 attempts in the final 2:51, the Illini secured the 20-point victory over the ranked Hoosiers. 

Illinois (13-12, 7-8 B1G) hits the road in its next contest, traveling west to take on No. 4/4 Iowa on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff at 12 p.m. CT will air nationally on FS1.

POSTGAME NOTES

Player Notes:

• Genesis Bryant scored 15 points and added four rebounds.
  • Scored in double figures for the third-straight game.
• Makira Cook scored a team-high 22 points and had four assists.
  • Hit the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season.
  • Scored in double figures for the 10th time in the last 11 games and for the 18th time this season
    • Reached the double-digit mark with 6:28 to go in the third quarter.
  • Scored a team-high seven points in the first quarter on 3-for-3 shooting, including 1-for-1 at the line.
  • Went 2-for-3 from beyond the arc in the contest.
    • Ninth time this season with multiple 3-pointers.
• Adalia McKenzie scored 14 points while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
  • Has scored double-digit points in six-straight games
  • Reached the double-figure mark with 1:08 to go in the first half
  • Has recorded two or more steals in four-straight games.
• Camille Hobby scored 12 points and secured four rebounds.
  • Has double-figure scoring performances in two-straight games.
• Kendall Bostic scored 12 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked two shots.
  • Recorded her second-straight double-double, her ninth of the season.
    • The 27th double-double of her Illini career.
  • Secured double-digit rebounds for the second-straight game and for the fourth time in her last five overall.
• Gretchen Dolan came off the bench to score 11 points and add three rebounds and two assists.
  • First off the bench for the Illini, entering the game for the first time at the 2:25 mark in the first quarter.
  • Scored in double figures for the second-straight game, a career-long streak.

Team Notes:

• Indiana won the tip, and the Hoosiers opened the scoring on their first possession.
• The Illini had six players score in double figures (Bostic, Bryant, Cook, Dolan, Hobby and McKenzie.)
• Illinois held Indiana to 11 points in the second quarter, marking the 50th time the Illini have held their opponent at/under 15 points in a period this season.
• Had an 18–2 run over a 6:28 stretch in the second quarter to take an 18-point advantage.
  • Held Indiana scoreless for a span of 4:30 during the run, forcing four turnovers.
  • Began as an 8-0 run over a 1:43 stretch to take a 10-point lead.
  • Also recorded a 10-0 run over a 4:15 stretch.
• Went on a 10-0 run over a 1:49 stretch late in the fourth quarter to take an 18-point lead.
  • Closed out the game on an extended 15-3 run over the final 2:51 of the ballgame.
• Illinois captured its first over Indiana since Feb. 23, 2013, snapping a 16-game losing streak.
  • First win over the Hoosiers in State Farm Center since Feb. 23, 2013.
  • The Illini picked up their first win over a ranked opponent since Jan. 1, 2023, when they defeated No. 12 Iowa 90-86.
    • Illinois has picked up wins over ranked opponents in consecutive seasons for the first time since doing so in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 campaigns.
  • The 20-point margin of victory was the largest by the Illini over the Hoosiers since winning by 30 on Jan. 9, 2000.
    • Largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent since also defeating No. 14 Florida by 20 on Dec. 19, 1998.
• Illinois took a 44-28 lead into halftime, with all six players that saw floor scoring at least six points.
  • The Illini went 20-for-33 from the floor (.606), scoring 32 of their 44 points in the paint. 
• Illinois went 31-for-59 (.525) from the floor in the game.
  • The Illini have shot over 50 percent from the field in consecutive games
    • Seventh time this season shooting above 50 percent from the field
• The Illini out-rebounded the Hoosiers, 30-26, including an 8-6 advantage on the offensive glass.
  • Illinois converted those eight offensive rebounds into six second-chance points.
• Illinois out-scored Indiana, 42-36, in the paint.
  • The Illini went 15-for-22 on layups in the contest.
• The Illini forced 14 Hoosier turnovers and converted those into 16 points.
  • Illinois turned the ball over a season-low five times in the contest. 
• Illinois led for a total of 34:16 in the ballgame.
  • The Illini grabbed the lead for good in the contest after Genesis Bryant's buzzer-beating layup at the end of the first quarter.
• The Illini bench out-scored their Hoosier counterparts, 11-2.

Misc. Notes:

• Starters: Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie, Kendall Bostic, Camille Hobby
  • This lineup is now 8-5 on the season.
• Shauna Green is now:
  • 35-22 at Illinois
  • 162-72 as a Division-I coach
    • 191-97 overall
• Illinois vs. Indiana: 31-49 (80th meeting)
• Shauna Green coaching record vs. Indiana: 1-3
• Illinois is now 8-5 when wearing white uniforms this season.
• UI is now 9-5 in home games this season.
• The Illini are now 6-9 in games starting before 5 p.m. CT this season.
• The Illini are now 3-2 in February.

QUOTES

Head coach Shauna Green

Opening statement:

"I'm just really proud of our guys today. I have a ton of respect for Indiana and what Teri's done and how she's built the program. I remember when she first got there and how she's built it up into a perennial top-15 team. 

"We knew it was going to be a really tight game, and they're so hard to prepare for. I'm really proud of how we came out, executed our game plan, and made it really tough on them. Holmes had 15 early, but then I thought we did a really good job on her as the game went on with bringing some doubles and trying, as best you can, to neutralize her a little bit. She's so good, and she's so hard to prepare for. They have so many pieces around her that can hit threes and do different things. 

"Our big thing was we didn't do a great job the first game in the paint. They really got us in the paint, and we didn't do a great job in ball-screen action so they got slips. They got a ton of dumped-down layups, so our focus was trying to take away the paint as best as you can. We won that battle, and then we won the battle on the boards, which I thought was key when you play them. 

"Holmes does so much damage with getting rebounds and putbacks or rebounds for kick-out threes, and their team flourishes when she does that. For us to hold her to two rebounds and only one o board, I think that is probably the biggest stat of the game because they generate so much off of that. I thought our guys were really, really intentional and disciplined with our talking about that, getting a body on her, and not letting her get those opportunities. 

"I thought it was a great overall 40 minutes for us. We were able to hit some shots and score the ball, and we've been kind of up and down with that. To be able to put 86 up against such a great defensive team of Indiana, that's really good for us going forward. We just have to continue to have that rhythm and confidence."

Makira Cook

On the team's preparation and focus over the last few weeks:

"Obviously, we started the season off rough, but we have been working our butts off and been super focused. We've been putting a whole bunch of things aside and keeping our main thing the main thing. Today, it just showed what we can do when we string it all together."

On Hobby's growth over the course of the season:

"I see how hard she works. She is in the facility from morning until after we're done with everything, which is after a while. If you talk with her, you know she'll be a coach in the future. I think her work, her willingness to adapt, and wanting to be a key piece here has made her a key piece here."

Adalia McKenzie

On the team staying together:

"We're really together. We're really tight. We all have good relationships on the team. Most importantly, I feel like we have a great leader. Coach Green talks about staying together, staying locked in, keep growing, and going 1-0. Not once have we ever put our heads down. Losing doesn't mean you're a failure; it just means you have an opportunity to grow. Every time we've been knocked down, we got back up and took the opportunity to grow."

On Dolan's recent success and maturity throughout the season:

"She works really hard. Yes, she's a freshman, but she doesn't play like a freshman nor thinks like one. We're a veteran team, so we're pushing her to be her best. I told her, 'You cannot think like a freshman. You're a really good basketball player, so just go out and play.' Every time she steps in a game, she has this confidence vibe about her. She's just a really key player for us, and I love her."