The Illini women’s basketball team is returning to the State Farm this Sunday to face off against the Butler Bulldogs. The home team come into this matchup with a 4-5 record, after dropping their Big Ten opener against Michigan State at the Breslin Center.

In East Lansing, Adalia McKenzie (14) and Aaliyah Nye (13) led all Illini scorers. However, a strong second half from the Spartans saw Illinois drop their fifth game of the 2021-22 campaign.

Offensively, Illinois have been much improved over the last season. Through the first nine games, the Illini are averaging 65.2 points per game, which is a solid improvement from 59.6 points per game in the previous season. 

The Butler Bulldogs have struggled mightily so far this season, as they’re 0-9, with an 0-2 record in the Big East. In their last match, Butler lost a quadruple overtime thriller to the University of Denver by a score of 100-94.

Although they’ve had a tough start to the year, one player to look out for on Butler is Celena Taborn. The graduate transfer from Furman leads the Bulldogs in scoring 14.2 points per game, while shooting 77.3% from the field. Along with Taborn, redshirt sophomore guard Tenley Dowell has been a strong player for the Bulldogs, averaging 4.8 rebounds per game. 

Sunday’s matchup between the Illini and the Bulldogs is the fourth game between the two schools, as Illinois leads the all time series 2-1. Their last game was in 2006, where the Illini were victorious 65-47.

The Illini boast a 4-2 record at home so far this season, and they’ll look to improve on that at 2 p.m. when the two teams tip off at the State Farm Center. The game will be streamed live on B1G+, and Mike Koon will call the action live on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM.

@WillPayne3

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