14-seed Illinois women’s basketball opens Big Ten tournament with matchup against 11-seed Wisconsin
Forward Kendall Bostic hugs forward Geovanna Lopes during the senior ceremony after the game against Rutgers on Sunday. The Illini will be up against Wisconsin for the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.
March 2, 2022
No. 14 seed Illinois (6-19, 1-13) has one more chance to get its first win since January in Indianapolis against No. 11 seed Wisconsin (8-20, 5-13).
The Illini and Badgers have already met twice this season on Jan. 9 and Feb. 6. The season series currently is split 1-1 with both teams getting wins on their respective home courts.
Both Illinois and Wisconsin met in last year’s first round of the tournament. The Illini came out victorious with a 67-42 win, marking head coach Nancy Fahey’s first tournament win in her five-year coaching tenure.
Illinois then fell in the second round against in-state rivals Northwestern, 67-42.
Three-point sharpshooter sophomore guard Aaliyah Nye leads the Illini in scoring with 12.1 points per game. Right behind her are freshman guard Adalia McKenzie and junior guard De’Myla Brown, who are averaging just short of nine points, 8.9 and 8.6 points, respectively.
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Nye has been instrumental for Illinois this season, taking on the role as the primary shooter, especially beyond the arc. The East Lansing, Michigan, native has registered 62 3-pointers.
Another stat line that has stuck out for Illinois are rebounds. Sophomore forward Kendall Bostic finished the regular season averaging a conference-best 11.4 rebounds per game.
Her impressive rebounding performance all season has earned her a place in the top-15 of the NCAA rankings. Her total number of rebounds of 286 put her in the sole position of ninth place in season rebounding in Illinois history.
Bostic is just 14 short of 300 rebounds in one season, and if she achieves it, she’ll be the sixth person in Illinois history to achieve the feat.
The Badgers this season are having their best Big Ten season since 2014-2015. Wisconsin’s last game of the season ended with a 63-62 win over Purdue to secure its fifth conference win.
A layup from sophomore guard Halle Douglass with six seconds to go, plus a last-second block from sophomore guard Brooke Schramek, secured the victory on the road.
Wisconsin has two shooters that Illinois have to look out for on Wednesday: junior guards Julie Pospisilova and Sydney Hilliard
The two junior guards’ scoring average is in the double digits. Pospisilova is the highest scorer with 14 points per game, and Hilliard sits in second at 12.8 points per game. Hilliard is also the top rebounder for the team with 4.7 rebounds per game.
Whichever team wins Wednesday’s game will move onto the second round on Thursday to face 6-seed Nebraska.
The Illinois and Wisconsin matchup will be at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It will be broadcasted live on Big Ten Network at 3:30 p.m.
@AngelleCortes
