Despite being down to nine healthy players, Illinois (5-0) finished its homestand strong and beat Oregon State (1-4), 85-66. Fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic exploded for a career-high 31 points, breaking her previous record of 27 points.
Player notes
Bostic’s 31 points were her fourth double-digit game this season. Despite being primarily covered by 6-foot-7 senior center Sela Heide, Bostic found ways to score. She established herself in the mid-range, sinking two in the late second quarter.
“I’ve been working on that,” Bostic said. “That mid-range part of my game, and they sunk so far off, it’s like I didn’t really have a choice but to shoot it.”
Not only did Bostic score a career-high, but she also recorded her 1,000th point as an Illini. She wasn’t the only one to reach the huge milestone. Fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant scored 12, which also got her to 1,000 points as an Illini.
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Fifth-year guard Makira Cook was on fire to start the game, sinking back-to-back three-pointers to put the Illini up 6-2. She cooled down, though, only scoring four points the rest of the half. However, she picked it back up in the second half, scoring another 10 to end the game with 20 points. Cook also found a groove while moving the ball, notching a team-leading eight assists.
“Her passes are phenomenal,” Bostic said. “As a big that is able and likes to run, that’s like a dream to have a point guard who just rears back and chucks it to you.”
Despite getting more run, sophomore guard Cori Allen struggled. She went without a bucket in 17 minutes and turned the ball over twice. Offense wasn’t the only area she struggled in.
Allen was a nonfactor on both ends, looking winded much of the game. The Nashville native has been put in a tough position, literally. She’s been playing more at the four instead of the guard position due to all the team’s injuries.
Clamped down
To no one’s surprise, the Illini defense was stout once again. They held the Beavers to 30 points on 12-33 shooting in the first half. They were outrebounded by a very tall Oregon State frontcourt, but it didn’t affect their focus on the defensive end.
Coming into this game, Oregon State averaged 18.3 turnovers per game. Illinois pounced on their mistakes, forcing double-digit turnovers once again. Turnovers weren’t the only thing that Oregon State struggled with.
Oregon State was shooting just 17.4% from beyond the arc this season. Illinois’ defense did not help their shooting, holding them to just 7-29 from three. Despite its limited success from three, Oregon State did not stop shooting. They shot more threes than any team Illinois has faced this season.
Locked in
A huge part of an already depleted bench, sophomore guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger, was ruled out before the game. The Illini lost 10.8 points per game in her absence. Even with a short lineup, Illinois continued its strong play.
The starters stepped up big time to make up for a thin bench. Seventy-eight of the 85 points scored by the Illini came from their starters. Only sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan scored points off the bench.
Even though the bench didn’t perform well, the offense still showed out. They had 12 fast break points compared to Oregon State’s zero. In the paint, the Illini outscored the Beavers 40-32 despite being undersized against a tall lineup.
“We’re all a threat,” Cook said. “So it’s just better for us and harder for them.”
Once again, Illinois led for the entire game, the fourth time this season. In all five games, Illinois has trailed for only 45 seconds. Even with multiple injuries, the Illini have been dominant to start this season.
Next up
Illinois will go on the road for the first time this year, traveling to Nashville for the Music City Classic. It will face Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday, Nov. 26, and Kentucky on Wednesday, Nov. 27. BallerTV will stream both games.
