The Illini had almost a week off from competitive play before heading to Iowa City to face off against the infamous No. 4 Hawkeyes. They knew this would not be an easy matchup, as they were going against a team with the all-time leading scorer for NCAA women’s basketball. It certainly was not a piece of cake for the Illini, as they fell 16 points below the Hawkeyes, returning to .500 on the season.
The same starters took to the floor in a packed arena for one of their last games of the regular season. Senior guards Genesis Bryant and Makira Cook, junior guard Adalia McKenzie, fifth-year center Camille Hobby and senior forward Kendall Bostic started the game with high energy after their impressive wins against No. 14 Indiana and Penn State.
The Hawkeyes started with the ball and scored the first points of the game with their second possession. McKenzie was tasked with guarding senior Caitlin Clark for this matchup, who happened to be the second Hawkeye to score. Things started rocky for the Illini. They began 0-4 from the field, and the Hawkeyes took a 9-0 lead to begin the game. Cook changed this with a pull-up jumper, and Bryant drove to the hoop soon after to get her first points of the game as well.
The first five minutes proved to be a physical battle for both teams. Iowa was aggressive in the paint, and Bryant was called for an offensive charge early in the first quarter. At the first media timeout, Iowa led 12-6. After a few shots from Illinois, Iowa went on a 10-0 run, forcing head coach Shauna Green to call a timeout. Bryant scored a three-pointer to end the team’s scoring drought, but Iowa was exquisite in transition, and Illinois struggled to keep up.
The first quarter rounded out with Iowa slowing things down on its end and getting Clark to the free-throw line for two shots. After the first 10 minutes, Iowa led 30-18. The Illini shot 39% from the field, while the Hawkeyes went 50%, dominating the offensive side.
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The Hawkeyes continued to drop in three-pointers in the second quarter. Iowa already had six made three-pointers, and its passing game was elite as well. Three minutes into the quarter, Iowa was up 40-22, not pumping the brakes on either end of the court. The Illini were struggling altogether. They shot 9-28 from the field with five minutes left of the half and also racked up six turnovers at this point. Cook put up back-to-back three-pointers, but Iowa responded with their own immediately after. The Hawkeyes were not allowing the Illini to take clean looks, while the Illini were giving them plenty of space to sink shots successfully.
At the half, Iowa was leading 50-34. Iowa was playing with nothing but ferocious energy, hungry for a win after its loss against Indiana. Illinois shot 35% in the first half, and while it had out-rebounded Iowa, it was lacking in the assist field, putting up five to Iowa’s 16. Additionally, nearly half of Iowa’s points came from behind the arc, absolutely dominating from deep.
The second half began with paint points from the Hawkeyes and a three-pointer from Bryant. To no one’s surprise, however, the Hawkeyes continued the fire from three, reaching their 11th made three-pointer halfway through the third quarter. Illinois kept up with Iowa’s pace better in the second half and finished more shots. However, each time Illinois inched closer, Iowa made plays of its own to maintain a high lead.
The third quarter ended with a 13-point differential between the teams. Illinois out-scored Iowa in the third quarter 27-24 but remained unable to keep up with Iowa’s offensive motor.
At the 6:24 mark of the final quarter, the Hawkeyes took a 20-point lead over the Illini. While Iowa thrived from behind the arc, they also succeeded in the paint, making high-level passes to get the ball inside for easy layups. Illinois had a solid performance in the fourth quarter, but constant three-pointers and aggression from Iowa kept the game in its hands. Iowa put a full-bench unit on the court in the last minute of the game, and Green decided to do the same.
The game concluded with Iowa on top 101-85. Clark finished with another triple-double, and all of Illinois’ starters ended in double-figures. The team has two regular season matchups left before the Big Ten tournament, hoping to close the year with more wins than losses.
@tess_eken
