Illinois (6-1) turned its luck around after suffering its first loss against Kentucky last week. A hard-fought game on Monday resulted in a 13-point win for the Illini. In the two teams’ second meeting in as many years, Illinois is now 2-0 in the all-time series. 

Homecoming for Green, Dolan

Illinois’ head coach, Shauna Green, was a legendary player for Canisius from 1998-2002. She remains the program’s highest-scoring player with over 2,000 career points. Green is second in Griffins’ history in both scoring average and rebounds. She turned the Canisius program around as a player, which played a role in choosing a home-and-home series with the mid-major competitors.

Buffalo native sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan added another memorable moment to her experience at Koessler Athletic Center. Two years ago, Green met with Dolan for a recruiting visit to Canisius’ facility. Her mother and sister donned the blue and gold, and Dolan’s father teaches sports medicine at Canisius.

Dolan, unfortunately, never touched the floor today. There was no official pregame report, and she was seen in plain clothes on the bench during the game. With her ties to Canisius, this is undoubtedly a game she wanted to flex her chops in, but the Illini have had their fair share of injuries this season. 

Early bird gets the worm

Fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic won the tip and then scored the opening basket. Illinois was solid in establishing this opening lead, and Bostic played a large part in this effort. She led in scoring and rebounds and made a difference everywhere on the floor. The 6-foot-2 player also set hard screens and crashed the boards. 

Canisius took a while to warm up. Going into the half, the Griffins were down by 13. But they fought back and diminished the lead to six by the fourth quarter. However, they couldn’t hang on, and the Illini pushed ahead again. 

In the third quarter, Canisius went on a roll. Senior guard Xanthippi Karatasiou played amazing for the opponents, shooting 100% on field goals, threes and free throws. This was the best game of her Golden Griffin career after not playing or scoring a lot in the previous five games this season. She came away with 10 points tonight and might have secured herself more minutes in the future.  

Fast and furious

There were many quick-footed players on the court. On the Griffins’ side was senior guard Cory Santoro. While not as efficient as usual, she was aggressive defensively and converted three beautiful long-range baskets.

Standing at only 5-foot-5, she is often underestimated. However, she pressured Illinois ball handlers high and had a killer arm. On offense, she kept outside the arc, switching sides constantly to outrun her defender. 

For Illinois, senior guard Adalia McKenzie muscled her way down the lane with ease. She provided needed movement on offense for the Illini. Even under solid pressure, she managed to get around her defenders. She stretched the Griffin defense and drew critical fouls down the stretch.

Illinois owned the glass

The Griffins struggled to grab free balls. They had zero offensive rebounds but turned it around in the second half. In total, they grabbed four offensive and 20 defensive boards by the end of the game. 

Illinois capitalized on Canisius’ inability to grab the ball, scoring 16 second-chance points. The Illini grabbed an impressive 35 rebounds. All of Green’s squad was aggressive under the basket, but McKenzie led today with 10.

Illinois’ rebounding allowed multiple opportunities to push ahead despite Canisius’ good efforts to close the gap. Because the Griffins also struggled to get into the paint, they typically lacked players in the area to allow them to repossess missed shots.

Looking ahead

Illinois heads into conference play with only one loss. At the moment, its first Big Ten opponent, No. 12 Ohio State (7-0), is undefeated. 

This will be the Illini’s third ranked opponent of the season. They are 1-1 in such matchups so far, and with a thin bench, it should prove a good test to start the year.

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