Exhibition performance
Illinois beat Lewis University 80-53 in its exhibition match on Nov. 1. Head coach Shauna Green enters her third season at the helm of the Illini women’s basketball program and is searching for new successes this year.
Players like fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic and sophomore guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger made impactful appearances in this game.
Bostic undoubtedly shined offensively in all areas. She played 28 minutes, going 7-9 in field goals and 6-7 in free throws. In total, Bostic scored 22 of the team’s 80. With that, she was the highest scorer of the night on either side.
Brown-Hagger did everything. Junior forward Shay Bollin described the impact of her leadership and talent, on and off the court. She made three defensive rebounds and scored nine points, with a perfect free throw percentage. Her dual talents did not go unnoticed by her teammates.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“She’s a good passer,” Bollin said about Brown-Hagger. “She is an amazing offensive player as well as defense. When someone can bring it on both ends of the floor like that, it makes a huge difference.”
Florida State Seminoles
The Associated Press ranks Florida State No. 19, while Illinois could not snag a spot. The Seminoles won their first game of the season on Monday against the North Florida Ospreys, 119-49.
Senior forward Makayla Timpson now ties for No. 2 in program history at 32 career double-doubles. In this game, Timpson had 17 points and 22 rebounds. Her rebound performance now ties her for No. 3 in school history. The team collectively converted 15 three-point field goals, tying the program record from 2018.
Junior guard Ta’Niya Latson stood out in that game offensively. She led her team in scoring, with 27 points. She went 50% in field goals, shot 9-18 and made three steals. Latson was nearly perfect on free throws and three-pointers, shooting 6-8 and 3-5, respectively.
The Seminoles started the game with a 19-0 run, giving a glimpse into their ability to come out of the starting tip-off with speed and control the game from there. For the Illini, it will be crucial for them to slow down the Seminoles’ offense early to prevent long scoring runs.
Preparation
Illinois struggled last season to start games with intense speed. Green and the players are looking to change that this season, though. One path ahead that Green calls out is an increase in shooting talent on her new squad.
“In my first year, we shot more,” Green said. “This team, we have a lot of good shooters. We probably have more shooters than we did last year. So, hopefully, that number will go up again. If we’re open, if there is a rhythm shot that we practice a lot, I want us to shoot anytime that we are open.”
Taking more shots will allow the Illini to settle into a more comfortable position on the floor. Pushing ahead early and taking good shots when possible will all be critical on Thursday. Illinois will need to match or beat Florida State in pace and early points to have a chance at victory.
Defending, playing with a purpose
Also, defense against Florida State will be essential, and Illinois has been running drills in practice, according to Bollin and Brown-Hagger. Bollin described the practice methods the coaches have used to get the team used to the Noles’ intensity.
“The coaches were having the practice guys run some of their actions and play really tough against them,” Bollin said. “Florida State plays with great pace and toughness. Having to guard that every day has just made us prepared for it in more ways than we could have even known.”
Brown-Hagger also spoke on the defensive mindset the coaches have been instilling in the players.
“We’re going to play guards that can shoot, get to the midrange and get to the basket,” Brown-Hagger said. “Our goal is to make them shoot contested shots. You don’t want them beating you right to the basket for a layup, shooting wide-open threes. They’re going to shoot the threes in your face.”
The Illini showed in their exhibition match that they have the skills to do what is needed against Florida State. Offensively, Bostic went into half-time with double-digit points. However, she scored all but four of those points in the second quarter. Taking a whole quarter to get into a comfortable run leaves room for the Seminoles to have already established control and be on the front foot.
Defensively, the team had seven blocks, 23 defensive rebounds and six steals. With practices since then, the team has good positioning to increase these stats and shut down Florida State.
This will be a difficult opener for the Illini. The two teams have only played each other twice in program history, with Florida State leading the record 2-0. However, both match-ups were before Green took over the program; anything can happen.
“We’re really focusing on ourselves and the ways that we can do our best, and not so much on the team we’re playing,” Bollin said.
Tip-off
Illinois tips off against No. 19 Florida State at 6 p.m. at State Farm Center this Thursday. Following the team’s WBIT victory last season, the fans, coaches and players are looking forward to what Green’s squad can do this year.
