CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois used a dominant second half to defeat Nebraska, 77-68, at State Farm Center on Sunday evening.
With four scorers in double figures, the Fighting Illini clinched their eighth Big Ten win in a row, the longest streak in program history, to improve to 21-5 overall and 11-4 in conference play.
Playing all 40 minutes, Adalia McKenzie led the way offensively with 23 points after scoring 17Â points on 60% shooting in the second half. McKenzie also tallied eight rebounds, seven assists, and a season-most four steals.
Kendall Bostic secured her career-best 17th double-double of the season, with the Illini fifth year posting 19 points and 11 rebounds. She also notched an assist and a block.
Berry Wallace recorded a team-high 10 points in the first half before finishing with 15 points. Going 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from deep, Wallace also collected three rebounds and an assist.Â
Genesis Bryant logged 12 points, four assists, three rebounds, and a steal while going 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Brynn Shoup-Hill closed the evening with eight points, six rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal.
Bostic, Bryant, McKenzie, Shoup-Hill, and Wallace all played the entirety of the second half, with the Orange and Blue outscoring the Huskers across the final 20 minutes, 47-37.
Despite the sides combining to make three of their first 17 shots from the field, the Illini took an early 7-3 advantage behind baskets from three different scorers. A back-and-forth first quarter that featured seven lead changes ultimately saw the visitors take a 16-13 edge through the opening period of play.
The teams traded baskets across the first six minutes of the second quarter, but the Cornhuskers extended their lead up to six points during that time. The Illini responded with a 10-0 run across the next four minutes, with Wallace accounting for five points while making her second 3-pointer of the frame. That stretch briefly gave the Orange and Blue a 30-26 edge, though the Huskers closed the half with a 5-0 run and took a 31-30 advantage into the break.
Wallace tallied a team-high 10 points across the opening 20 minutes of play, while she made two of her three attempts from deep in the first half.
Nebraska extended its lead after scoring on its first possession of the third quarter, but back-to-back buckets from Bostic put the home side back in front just over a minute later. The visitors answered with a 4-0 run to go back ahead, but the Illini did not trail for long. A 10-1 run, which included a 3-pointer from Bryant and an and-1 layup from McKenzie, put the home side in front once more, 44-38, with 4:46 left in the third period of play.
After the Huskers ended a stretch of over three minutes without a field goal, the Orange and Blue pieced together a quick 4-0 run to lengthen their lead to eight. That margin remained the same heading into the final frame, with the Illini ahead, 52-44.
The away side used a 7-2 run to start the fourth quarter to reduce its deficit to three. Bostic then scored the Illini's next six points before Wallace knocked down her third 3-pointer of the evening, which pushed the hosts' advantage back up to six with four minutes to go.
A 5-0 run from the Orange and Blue brought their edge to eight, 68-60, with 1:24 remaining. The Huskers cut into their deficit on their ensuing possession, but McKenzie's and-1 layup less than 10 seconds later turned the score into a nine-point advantage for the Illini, 71-62.
Bostic's layup late in the game sealed the victory for the Illini, extending their winning streak to eight games.
Illinois heads west for a two-game road trip to Los Angeles, starting on Thursday when the Illini take on No. 1 UCLAÂ at 8:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
HIGHLIGHTS
PRESS CONFERENCE
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Kendall Bostic scored 19 points to go along with 11 rebounds, an assist, and a block.
- Still in second place in the record books, Bostic continued to move closer to Jenna Smith's program record for career double-doubles.
- Added to her lead atop the program's career rebounding list:
- 1. Kendall Bostic (2021-pres.) - 1,282
- 2. Jenna Smith (2006-10) - 1,217
- Remained in third place on the Big Ten all-time career rebounding list (of players that played in the league) and moved closer to the two players above her:
- 1. Megan Gustafson (Iowa, 2016-19) - 1,460
- 2. Jantel Lavender (Ohio State, 2008-11) - 1,422
- 3. Kendall Bostic (Illinois, 2020-Present) - 1,346
- 4. Denise Jackson (Indiana, 1981-84) - 1,273
- Moved into ninth place on the program's single-season rebounding list.
- Remained in eighth on the Illinois all-time career blocks list:
- 1. Alex Wittinger (2016-19) - 274
- 7. Chatrice White (2014-16 - 123
- 8. Kendall Bostic (2021-Pres.) - 116
- Posted 10+ rebounds for the 19th time this season.
- Now has at least six rebounds in all 26Â games this season.
- Scored in double figures for the 24th time this season and for the 73rd time in her career.
- Has eclipsed the 10-point mark in 23 of her last 24 games.
- Genesis Bryant scored 12 points, dished out four assists, and secured three rebounds.Â
- Scored in double figures for the 20th time this season and for the 70th time in her career.
- Has also done so in eight-straight games.
- Connected on two 3-pointers to continue to climb the Illinois career makes list:
- 1. Amber Moore (2009-14) - 295
- 2. Lori Bjork (2005-08) - 214
- 3. Krista Reinking (1994-98) - 194
- 4. Genesis Bryant (2022-Present) - 189
- Adalia McKenzie led Illinois in scoring with 23 points on 8-for-17 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out a team-high seven assists, and recorded four steals.
- Scored in double figures for the 20th time this season and the 76th time in her career.
- Has 10+ points in three-straight games.
- Her four steals are a new season-high mark and are one shy of her career-best (5).
- Berry Wallace scored 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the floor (3-for-4 from deep) and grabbed three rebounds and an assist.Â
- Scored in double figures for the eighth time this season.
- Has 10+ points in four of the last five games and in six of the last eight.
- Registered a team-high 10 points in the first half.
- Made multiple 3-pointers for the ninth time this season.
- Went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
- Has multiple treys in four of the last five games.
Team Notes:
- Nebraska won the opening tip, but the Illini would score first on a Kendall Bostic short corner jumper on their first possession.
- The Illini had four double-figure scorers (Adalia McKenzie [23], Kendall Bostic [19], Berry Wallace [15], Genesis Bryant [12]).
- Illinois forced Nebraska into 10 turnovers and scored 7 points off of them.
- The Illini have forced double-digit turnovers in 25 of their 26 games this season.
- A 10-0 run during a 4:22 stretch late in the second quarter turned a six-point deficit into a four-point advantage.
- The Illini used a 14-3 run from 7:29 to 3:37 in the third quarter to help the home side take a 48-40 advantage.
- Illinois scored 11 second-chance points on nine offensive rebounds.
- The Illini outscored the Huskers by 10 points in the second half, 47-37.
- The game featured two ties and 12 total lead changes.
Misc. Notes:
- Starters: Genesis Bryant, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Adalia McKenzie, Brynn Shoup-Hill, Kendall Bostic
- This lineup is now 14-3 on the season.
- Illinois has now won eight games in a row for the first time since the team's 11-game streak that spanned March 21, 2024 - Nov. 26, 2024.
- The Illini's eight-game winning streak is the longest active such streak in the Big Ten.
- Illinois has won eight-consecutive Big Ten games in the same season for the first time in program history.
- Shauna Green has now won 21 games during the regular season for the second time while at the helm of the program, also doing so in her debut season in 2022-23.
- 21 wins ties the 1999-2000 and 2022-23 teams for the most regular season wins in program history. 21 wins are also tied for fourth-most in program history overall.
- 26 games is the fewest games needed to reach that mark. The 1999-2000 team held the previous program record with 27 games.Â
- Illinois improves to 11-4 in Big Ten play.
- The 11 Big Ten wins match Shauna Green's total in her first year at the helm of the program in 2022-23.
- Shauna Green is the first Illini head coach since Hall-of-Famer Theresa Grentz to lead her teams to two seasons with 10+ Big Ten wins within her first three years with the program.
- Shauna Green is now:
- 62-30 at Illinois
- 30-21 in Big Ten play
- 189-80 as a Division I head coach
- 218-105 overall
- With the Illini's win over Nebraska, Shauna Green moved into sole possession of fifth place on the program's head-coaching wins list, passing Matt Bollant with 62 victories at the helm of the Fighting Illini.
- Illinois vs. Nebraska: 8-20 (28th meeting)
- Shauna Green's coaching record vs. Nebraska: 3-2
- Illinois is now 4-9 against Nebraska when playing in Champaign.
- The Illini have earned back-to-back wins over the Huskers for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.
- Â Have also earned consecutive wins over Nebraska at State Farm Center for the first time in program history.
- Illinois moved to 14-2 at State Farm Center this season.
- The Illini's 14 home wins are their most in a single season since recording 16 such victories during the 1999-2000 campaign.
- With 5,881 fans in the stands on Sunday, Illinois' attendance at State Farm Center this season moves to 77,548 through 16 games.
- That mark ranks third in program history with one more home game still on the schedule.
- The Illini have held opponents at/below 15 points in 61 of 104 regulation periods.
- Illinois is now 1-0 when wearing pink uniforms this season and 2-3 when doing so under Green.
- The Illini are now 8-4 in games starting before 5 p.m. CT this season.
- Illinois is now 5-3 in games played on Sundays this season.
- The Illini are now 5-0 in February.
- Illinois is now 10-2 during the 2025 calendar year.
Score after 1st Quarter: 13-16
Score at Halftime: 30-31 (17-15 Q2)
Score after 3rd Quarter: 52-44 (22-13 Q3)
Score after 4th Quarter: 77-68 (25-24 Q4)
