No. 19 Illinois (6-1) suffered its first loss of the season, falling to No. 14 Kentucky (7-0), 53-76. Despite the lopsided score, the Illini kept the Wildcats in a close game for three quarters. However, Kentucky took over in the fourth, ending the game on a 23-5 run, which lasted most of the fourth quarter.
Back and forth — until it wasn’t
Illinois and Kentucky were locked in a tight battle at halftime, tied at 28. Tough defense from both teams led to a low-scoring first half. The Illini struggled on the offensive end, shooting just 16-60 from the floor and an unimpressive 1-16 from three.
Despite the offensive struggles, the Illini made it a competitive game. Outside of sophomore center Clara Strack, no Kentucky player scored more than four in the first half.
That trend continued through the third quarter, where Strack once again led the scoring for the Wildcats without much scoring from the other players. The Illini were down six going into the fourth quarter. However, that gap between Kentucky and Illinois widened quickly in the final quarter.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
The Wildcats went on a 23-3 run for most of the fourth quarter, holding the Illini to nine points. What had been a close game turned into a full-on blowout. Kentucky scored a game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter. It seemed as though no one on Illinois could stop Kentucky in the paint. They scored 12 points in the paint in the last quarter with three three-pointers.
Player notes
Senior guard Adalia McKenzie provided a spark on offense, scoring a team-high 18 points. McKenzie played with energy, which Illinois needed during a lousy shooting night. Despite only making four of her 10 shots, McKenzie drove to the hoop aggressively and got to the line.
The senior got to the charity stripe 12 times and sunk 10 of her attempts. McKenzie’s aggressive play style helped her get to the line. It also kept Illinois close for most of the game.
While she did have another double-double, fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic struggled. The Big Ten Player of the Week started slow on offense in the first half, scoring only six points and missing multiple shots she normally hits.
She didn’t pick it up in the second half either, scoring only four points and shooting 2-10. The usually dominant forward struggled against the much taller Strack, the primary defender on Bostic.
On defense, Bostic was outmatched by Strack. The 6-foot-5 center scored 25 points on 12-18 shooting. Bostic looked visibly frustrated on defense as Strack kept finding the bottom of the basket. The Indiana native has had difficulty making shots on this round trip, shooting just 10-27 from the floor.
Starting guards, fifth-year Makira Cook and fifth-year Genesis Bryant, both had poor performances.
Bryant, coming off a season-high 27 points, scored just one point against Kentucky. She struggled from three, missing all six of her shots. Despite finding multiple open shots, the starting guard couldn’t get a field goal to go.
While she got to double-digit points, Cook had a hard time finding the bottom of the basket. She made only two of her 12 shots, finding most of her points at the free-throw line. Like Bryant, she also struggled from beyond the arc, making just one of five attempts.
Playing from behind
All season, Illinois had only trailed for 45 seconds. However, Illinois trailed for over 30 minutes and played catchup for most of the game. It was the first true taste of adversity this season. They did well and kept it within six for most of the first half and third quarter.
Despite the loss, it is a good chance for Illinois to learn a valuable lesson. While the team never lacks aggression, playing with a lead for most of the season can make players feel comfortable. Playing from behind is a different mindset, and getting some experience with that early in the season can be good for the Illini.
Next up
Illinois will travel to New York to take on Canisius (1-5) on Dec. 2. It is Illinois’ first true road game, playing at Canisius instead of a neutral site. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
@ben_some16
