Illinois women’s basketball drops Big Ten matchup versus Nebraska
Freshman guard Adalia Mckenzie runs with the ball during the game against Nebraska on Saturday. Illinois lost to the Cornhuskers 82-63 making it their sixth consecutive loss.
February 13, 2022
After multiple cancellations within Big Ten women’s basketball over the past few weeks, Illinois is finally getting back into a consistent rhythm when it comes to playing games. However on Saturday, the Illini lost their sixth consecutive conference game to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 82-63.
Sophomore guard Aaliyah Nye led all scorers for the Illini with 23 points on 9-14 shooting from the field. Senior center Eva Rubin contributed a season-high 13 points on 5-7 shooting as well. For the Cornhuskers, they had four players in double-figure scoring. Jaz Shelley (21), Isabelle Bourne (17), Bella Cravens (12) and Sam Haiby (10) led the offensive output for Nebraska during the afternoon.
For the majority of the game, Nebraska held a commanding lead over Illinois. After the third quarter, they led by 20 points, however, the Illini kicked off the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run. The Huskers responded with six straight points and never looked back from there, going on to win by 19.
Nye’s 23 points versus Nebraska marked her third 20+ point game of the season and her 10th game of the year scoring in double figures. Despite the loss, the sophomore was happy with the offensive opportunities she not only received but created for herself throughout the 40 minutes.
“I think Coach Fahey and my teammates set me up really well,” Nye said. “I noticed from other games that I just have to read the defense and see what they’re doing. Defenders have been on my hip a lot, so I’ve had to change how I come off the stagger.”
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Any head coach in collegiate basketball would not be pleased with their team losing by 19 points at home to a conference foe, but head coach Nancy Fahey made sure to take away some positives from her team’s performance against the Cornhuskers.
“We did get the score down to nine, and the kids played extremely well during that stretch,” Fahey said. “Obviously, we aren’t happy with the loss, but there is something to build on after seeing the pushback down the stretch.”
The Illini moved to 6-14 overall (1-8 in the Big Ten) and now sit at 6-6 at the State Farm Center this season. Saturday’s loss also was Nebraska’s seventh straight win versus Illinois in the series.
Illinois’ next matchup is on Monday night versus the 18-4 Ohio State Buckeyes at the State Farm Center. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m.
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