Coming off of a 62-point victory last Wednesday, Illinois returned to State Farm Center to face off against Evansville, earning its fourth victory of the season in convincing fashion, 93-54.

Illinois’ scoring was special in their last time out, reaching 100 points for the first time since 2013 while having 6 double digit scorers. Junior forward Kendall Bostic earned her second double-double of the year with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Evansville won the tip, but Illinois quickly got possession after the Aces turned the ball over just nine seconds into the game. Bostic got Illinois going on offense after coming down with an offensive rebound and converting the layup.

By the time the Illini conceded a bucket, they had stretched their lead to eight points. Illinois responded by scoring 10 unanswered points to bring the score to 20-4 with a minute left in the fourth quarter. Evansville managed to secure two more points before the quarter ended, but back to back layups for sophomore guard Jayla Oden gave the Illini a 24-6 lead going into the second quarter.

The Aces started the quarter off with their first make from behind the arc, senior guard Jada Peebles responded with a three of her own to start a 9-0 run by Illinois. Intense defense from the Illini held Evansville scoring to four made free throws until the 3:45 mark when the Aces converted on a layup to bring the score to 40-15. Junior guard Genesis Bryant, sophomore guard Makira Cooks and Peebles combined for 10 more points for the Illini.

An offensive rebound off of a missed three pointer gave the Aces a layup in the final seconds of the second quarter, bringing the score to 50-21 at halftime. Illinois’ has led by 23 points or more at halftime in every game this season.

Peebles led Illinois in scoring with 14 points on perfect shooting from deep, while Cook was not far behind with 11. On top of scoring, Cook topped the playmaking statistics with Bryant as they led the Illini with three assists each. The paint belonged to Bostic, who reeled in a game-high seven rebounds while blocking four Evansville shots.

After Illinois gave up a layup on Evansville’s first possession of the third quarter, Bostic opened up the scoring for the Illini with a made field goal. A three by sophomore forward Brynn Soup-Hill cracked 60 points for the Illini with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter. A couple of possessions later, Bryant was fouled while shooting on back to back possessions for a total of five points.

By the start of the fourth quarter, Illinois had stretched their lead to 40 points (76-36) off the backs of Bryant and sophomore guard Adalia McKenzie who each totaled seven points in the quarter, while Cook dished out two more assists.

The two squad’s largely traded buckets to close the game, with neither team securing much ground over the other. Final score: 93-54.

Illinois had many impressive performances on all sides of the floor today. Off of the bench, Bryant led the game in scoring with 19 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds. Cooks was not far behind in scoring with 17 points, but also totalled a game high five assists. With just four shots taken, Bostic found other ways to impact the game as her paint defense earned game highs in blocks (6) and rebounds (10).

Through four contests, Illinois have recorded an impressive 41.8 point margin of victory en route to their first 4-0 start since 2018. The Illini are yet to lose since the Shauna Green era began a few weeks ago and show no signs of stopping.

Illinois women’s basketball will be welcoming Oakland to State Farm Center on Monday as it looks to remain undefeated through its season-opening five-game home stretch.

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