It is no secret the Illinois’ women’s basketball team has struggled on the road this season, and Thursday’s matchup was the cherry on top of a tough campaign away from the State Farm Center. The Illini were defeated by a score of 87-54, as they officially finished the regular season with an 0-10 record on the road. 

The Golden Gophers were lights out from the field, shooting an outstanding 34-67 during the course of the 40 minutes. Guard Gadiva Hubbard led the way for Minnesota with 22 total points, including six 3-pointers. Along with Hubbard, Minnesota had four other scorers in double digits who all played a vital role in their 33 point victory.

For Illinois, there weren’t many positives you could take away from Thursday’s game at the Williams Arena. Sophomore guard Aaliyah Nye (14 points) scored in double digits for the team-leading 13th time this year, and freshman guard Adalia McKenzie scored in double-figures for the 10th time this season.

Sophomore Kendall Bostic’s rebounding has been quite important to Illinois’ game plan this year, and she did pull down a game-high nine rebounds versus the Golden Gophers. But the transfer was held scoreless for only the second time this year.

The big story for Illinois was their lack of bench scoring. The Illini have averaged 25.3 points per game off the bench this season, however versus Minnesota, they scored a season-low eight points. Minnesota were not one of the stronger teams in the Big Ten, and this was a great opportunity for the Illini to pick up a road conference win, but sadly it wasn’t in the cards.

After the loss, Illinois have a 6-18 record (1-12 in the Big Ten) ahead of their final game of the regular season. This matchup is back at the State Farm Center against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on B1G+

@WillPayne33

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