Illinois women’s basketball (13-13, 7-9) is headed on the road to East Lansing, Michigan, for its final regular season road game before the Big Ten tournament. Facing the Michigan State Spartans (20-7, 10-6), the Illini are in dire need of a win, with just one more opportunity afterward to get a conference win before heading to Minnesota for the tournament.
The Illini were dismantled by the No. 6 Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday in a 101-85 loss, crushing their chances for another ranked regular season win. The Hawkeyes, led by phenom Caitlin Clark, hit 17 threes against the Illini who seemingly gave up points on every defensive possession that followed a score.
The Hawkeyes shot 50% from the field while the Illini responded with a 40.3% line. However, there were some bright spots for head coach Shauna Green’s squad. Illinois out-rebounded Iowa on the offensive side of the glass 15-12, recorded 11 steals and shot 15-16 from the charity stripe. The 93.8% is the second-highest mark for the Illini this year.
The Illini also scored 51 points in the second half, and all five starters finished with at least 10 points. Senior guard Makira Cook led the group in scoring with a season-high 26 points, with three steals. It was her fifth game with 20 or more points this season and her 19th game in double digits. Cook also posted a season-high four three-pointers, tying her career-high.
Senior forward Kendall Bostic had a standout game as well, finishing with 17 rebounds and 10 points on 5-12 shooting from the field. She also recorded a block and two steals. Bostic recorded 35 minutes, the second-highest total on the team, behind junior guard Adalia McKenzie who played all 40 minutes.
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Freshman guard Gretchen Dolan had a nice outing, with five points, two rebounds and three steals off the bench. The three steals marked a career-high. Looking at the opposition, the Spartans are no pushover as the Illini continue their grueling end-of-season schedule.
Michigan State enters on a three-game winning streak and a 12-2 home record. The Spartans are 4-2 in February, while the Illini sit at 3-3. Additionally, the Spartans’ volatile offense gives them the ability to score at will, as they have five players who average double-digit scoring and are led by guard Julia Ayrault’s 15 points per game. Michigan State outscores its opponents by an average of 17 points per game, totaling 84.6 points per outing. As a team, Michigan State shoots about 37% from deep, which Illinois will need to stop if it wants to pull off a road upset.
The Illini will play at the Breslin Center, looking for a big upset win with tipoff slated for 7 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network. Following the game against the Spartans, the Illini will return home for their final regular season game: a Senior Day date with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
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