The Illini battled back to force overtime in West Lafayette, Indiana, but were unable to finish on top, dropping them below .500 once more. The team struggled from the field overall — only shooting 36%. This loss brings them to 10-11 on the season and 4-7 in the Big Ten.
Head coach Shauna Green decided to keep the same starting lineup once more. Senior guard Genesis Bryant, senior guard Makira Cook, junior guard Adalia McKenzie, fifth-year center Camille Hobby and senior forward Kendall Bostic all took to the floor to begin their 21st game of the season.
Illinois got the game’s first possession, but Purdue’s defense came out strong and forced a turnover to get the first points of the matchup. Illinois struggled to finish a shot early in the game and did not score until about four minutes into the first quarter.
Fortunately for the Illini, the Boilermakers were also struggling to complete their shots, starting 3-9 from the field. Cook scored a three-pointer, and McKenzie put up a midrange shot to bring Illinois’ lead to one before the first media timeout (7-6).
The Illini quickly lost this lead and continued to struggle from the field while the Boilermakers went on an 8-0 run to get them a seven-point lead. Cook sank two free throws to get the Illini back on track, but the first quarter rounded out with the Boilermakers ahead 16-9. At this point, Illinois was only 3-15 from the field.
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Purdue made elite passes and easy layups, and Illinois continued to miss shots and turn the ball over. With tough defense from Purdue and inefficiency on the offense from Illinois, Purdue got to a 12-point lead halfway through the second quarter (24-12). Bostic grew more comfortable in the high post and low corners with her jump shots, putting up six points and seven rebounds. Growing frustration came from Green, and after a three-pointer from Purdue, she called a timeout at the 2:30 mark of the second quarter.
The half finished with Purdue still leading, 33-22. Illinois went 1-10 from behind the arc and only shot 26% from the field in the first half.
McKenzie got the first points of the second half for the Illini with a smooth layup. The team went 2-7 on layups in the first 20 minutes of the game, and it was desperate to get more dominant in the paint.
The Illini started their three-point game better in the second half with successful shots from Bryant and Bostic. The team continued to fire up in the third, taking advantage of gaps in the zone and moving the ball around on offense. A three-pointer from freshman guard Gretchen Dolan cut the lead to four with two minutes remaining in the third quarter (48-44).
The third quarter ended with Purdue increasing its lead to eight, ahead 52-44. Bostic started the final 10 minutes with two layups, but each time Illinois scored, Purdue made timely plays to maintain its lead. Bostic scored her second three-pointer of the evening, and the lead was once again at eight for Purdue at the 4:25 mark (61-53).
Illinois intensified its defense in the last few minutes of the game, managing to cut the lead to four. With 40 seconds left in the game, the Illini cut the lead to just two points, and the Boilermakers began to slow things down with their last possession.
McKenzie, with her strong defensive efforts, managed to get a steal and a layup to tie the game with just nine seconds left. Purdue was unable to get a score off its last possession, and the game traveled into overtime.
Illinois got its lead back at the start of overtime. The extra five minutes were defined by back-and-forth leads, and with a minute and a half to go, Purdue was up 70-69. Then, an open three-pointer pushed them ahead even further.
After getting fouled on a shot, Cook sank her first free throw, and Hobby recovered the second missed one to maintain possession. The team was unable to get a score off this possession and fouled Purdue with 20 seconds to go, increasing its lead to five.
An inbound pass to Bostic and a layup brought the score to 75-72, but Illinois was unable to tie the game back up again. The final score was 77-72, with McKenzie and Bostic grabbing double-doubles. The team returns to Champaign this Thursday for its second matchup against Northwestern.
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