No. 7 Illinois (21-9, 11-8) let up another late-game comeback, this time against No. 10 Nebraska (21-10, 11-8). The short-handed Illini couldn’t keep up with a much deeper Cornhuskers team and fell 72-67 in their opening Big Ten tournament game. The Illini offense went ice cold to end the game, leading to the Cornhusker comeback.

Late-game collapse

Like the game against Michigan (21-9, 11-7), Illinois ran out of gas. Late in the fourth quarter, the Cornhuskers took over on both ends. The Illini were outscored 25-14 in the final frame and missed their last six field goals. Late in the fourth, fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant got three shots to tie the game but missed all of them.

Nebraska had the deeper bench, and it showed late in the game. The Cornhuskers relied on that depth and looked more energized as the Illini grew sluggish. Nebraska’s bench scored 22 points, much better than Illinois’ seven. 

A sloppy final 10 minutes was detrimental to the Illini. They only made three field goals and couldn’t get one to fall in the last four minutes. The offensive spacing fell apart, and the team stopped playing through each other.

Hot start, cool finish

Despite the upset, Illinois started the game hot and opened the game on a 9-0 run. The offense clicked early, thanks to fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic. 

For most of the game, Nebraska’s senior center, Alexis Markowski, stayed near the top of the paint. When the ball handler came near, she jumped out and doubled them, trying to cut off a drive to the rim. 

That often left Bostic with a big mismatch, and the Illini worked it throughout the first frame. Anytime Markowski came up to double, Illinois worked hard to get the ball from Bostic. 

Even when Bostic wasn’t under the rim, she couldn’t miss. She was working in the left wing, where she made multiple deep twos over her defender. The Illini then strayed away from the fifth-year forward midway through the second, and it went as expected.

They went cold, shooting 1-6 from the floor during a rough stretch. Eventually, they got back to Bostic and settled themselves, but the score had narrowed.

The same situation happened late in the fourth quarter. Bostic, who had 19 points on 9-13 shooting, had just four shot attempts in the second half. Illinois played more independently, failing to return to what worked well in the first half. 

Nebraska didn’t make things any easier. It hit five three-pointers in the second half, a huge part of the comeback. Head coach Shauna Green knew that if her team couldn’t stop the three-point shooting, Illinois wouldn’t win.

“You can’t let these guys get hot,” Green said on Nebraska’s three-point shooting on Big Ten Network.

Not all doom, gloom

A bright spot in a disappointing loss: Illinois swung the rock, finishing the game with 20 assists on 26 made field goals. The ball movement was phenomenal for the Illini, who had plenty of open looks throughout the game. 

It led to even better spacing and off-ball movement. Bostic did well to get in the paint when Markowski stepped up to double, and the other Illini were just as active. Freshman forward Berry Wallace shook her defender well, either cutting behind them or rolling off a screen.

Senior guard Adalia McKenzie led the passing attack for Illinois. She notched 10 assists, a new career-high. Her aggressive, offensive style drew the defense, and she used that to her advantage. McKenzie drove toward the basket and kicked to open teammates.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get past the Cornhuskers. Like their attack with Bostic, the Illini got away from good, smart ball movement in the fourth quarter. They had just one assist in the frame, which was the worst of the game. Once they got down, they went faster and forced shots instead of settling into their offense and getting good looks. 

Player notes

The seniors played very well in what could be one of their last college games. McKenzie, Bostic and Bryant led the team throughout the game with very little offensive help from the bench.

With three three-pointers and 17 points, Bryant lit up the box score in the second half. She scored just three in the first half but exploded in the second. She was a huge part of Illinois staying in the game. No matter who was in front of her, Bryant kept knocking down catch-and-shoot threes. 

McKenzie also had an all-around great game despite the loss. She scored 16 points and had 10 assists, and her defense was skilled as well. She had no problem staying in front of her matchups and poked the ball away multiple times. 

Only three other Illini scored, and none had more than seven points. 

Next up

Illinois will have time to recollect and rest up before March Madness begins. Selection Sunday is on March 16, and games start a week after that, giving the Illini plenty of time to figure things out.

@ben_some16

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