After a close game in the beginning, Illinois (2-0) bested Marquette (0-2) 65-53. Even though the Illini were victorious, the game was significantly lower scoring than the team would have liked, and their opponent was a bit too close for comfort.
The win still demonstrated the many talents of the team. The Illini had a solid defensive showing overall. Some players, like senior forward Brynn Shoup-Hill, sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan and fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant, were impactful throughout the game.
Rebounding: Keep on defense, improve on offense
Marquette and Illinois were nearly dead-even at halftime in rebounds. Both teams were solid on the defensive glass in the first half, with the Illini harboring a 16-13 edge over the Golden Eagles in defensive boards. In the end, Illinois managed to slightly edge their opponent out, with 29 defensive rebounds to Marquette’s 28.
Marquette led Illinois in offensive rebounds at halftime, 5-4. The lack of offensive boards points to glaring issues on both sides regarding offensive positioning. Often, after a shot attempt, only the opposition could be seen near the ball, with the offensive team already retreating into defense.
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Senior guard Adalia McKenzie had nine total rebounds. Her positioning and aggression resulted in four offensive rebounds. She was effective in winning back possessions for her team as well, where she won her remaining five defensive rebounds.
Illinois must prioritize those easy rebounds after shooting attempts from either side and then get to the net fast.
Three-point game: Improve
In the second quarter, Dolan took two three-pointers, sinking one. This shot was important in establishing Illinois’ scoring momentum in the subsequent quarters. But it was one of only two three-pointers made by the squad out of 11 long-range attempts.
While this is an improvement from last game — 18% from beyond the arc versus 15.4% in Thursday’s victory over No. 19 Florida State — there is still room to improve the Illini’s long-range shooting.
Marquette shot more threes but had only a slightly better percentage, 21%. Both squads could use more practice from outside the arc, but Marquette seemed more comfortable attempting threes and had 24 tries compared to Illinois’ 11.
Defensive efforts: Keep
When the Illini stuck to their players, they could keep the Golden Eagles away from the basket. Marquette capitalized on disorder in the Illinois defense, setting picks and kicking the ball wide to make space in the paint.
Marquette scoring leaders senior guard Lee Volker and sophomore forward Halle Vice nailed this technique. The two had a combined six assists, almost purely from making aggressive drives down the middle and kicking it out to an open teammate for a jump shot.
Despite solid defense from the Illini, the Golden Eagles still posted a strong performance on the interior, with 22 of their 53 points registered inside the paint.
Marquette dominated in fast break points and Illinois had none. Those transition areas are critical and the Illini are lucky the Golden Eagles couldn’t capitalize more on them.
Shooting: Keep
In the opening half, both teams were slow to establish aggressive scoring games.
Illinois hung on to their narrow lead by forcing fouls from Marquette. By the end of the game, Marquette had sent Illinois to the line 35 times, handing them 31 points thanks to the team’s 89% free-throw shooting.
These free throws were critical in the Illini finally creating some distance from the Golden Eagles. Late in the second quarter, a pair of free throws from McKenzie pushed the game from a two-point lead to a four-point lead. From there, Dolan sunk her three and fifth-year guard Makira Cook made a layup in the final seconds before halftime. Illinois only extended their lead from there, and Marquette never came within nine points in the second half.
Illinois improved its pacing issues in the third and fourth quarters. Shoup-Hill was great in the paint, stacking up 11 points and six rebounds.
Bryant ended the game with 16 points and four rebounds. She went nine out of 11 at the line and accounted for one of her team’s two three-pointers. Additionally, she collected one of the team’s three steals to prevent Marquette from coming back.
Overall, this game seemed more good than bad. Going forward, Illinois needs to focus on converting outside the arc to extend leads against other high-scoring teams, grab offensive rebounds and stick to their player on defense.
