Illinois women’s basketball welcomes Purdue Boilermakers to the State Farm Center
Photo courtesy of Farrell Shine/Illini Athletics
Guard Adalia McKenzie dribbles towards the hoop during the Penn State game on Jan. 16. The Illini will be back home and will be up against Purdue on Thursday.
January 20, 2022
After a disappointing loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions last Sunday, Illinois women’s basketball is back in action versus the Purdue Boilermakers. The Illini come into this action with a 6-9 record (1-3 B1G), as this will certainly be another formidable challenge for the home team in their conference.
Against Penn State, Illinois struggled all around offensively. De’Myla Brown (19) and Sara Anastasieska (11) led all scores for the Illini, but the rest of the squad struggled to stop the Nittany Lions. Penn State’s Makenna Marisa posted a game-high 25 points, while the whole team shot an impressive 51.5% from the field.
Moving on to tonight’s matchup, Purdue sit at 11-6 (2-4 B1G) after a 73-68 loss at home to No. 6/5 Indiana this past Sunday. The Boilermakers have played some of the top teams in the Big Ten, losing to Maryland and Ohio State earlier this year, but they are a solid team despite their poor conference record.
Their squad is led by sophomore guard Madison Layden, who averages 12.7 points per game. The two other Purdue players to average double figures are center Ra Shaya Kyle (11 ppg) and guard Abbey Ellis (11 ppg). These three Boilermakers will lead the attack for the visiting team and will be a handful for the Illinois defense.
Although Purdue is a higher ranked team than Illinois, there are many positives to look at ahead of this game. The Illini have been outstanding at home this year, boasting a 6-3 record at the State Farm Center. Along with this, sophomore Kendall Bostic is the top rebounder in the Big Ten, averaging 12.1 per game.
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This matchup will be the 82nd time these two sides have met in women’s basketball, however, Illinois trails in all-time series 19-62. The last time the Illini and Boilermakers met was late last season, where Purdue narrowly came out victorious by a score of 66-70.
Tipoff between Illinois and Purdue is set for 7 p.m. at the State Farm Center, and the game will be streamed live on B1G+, while Mike Koon will call the action on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM).
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