On Dec. 2, Illinois (7-2) defeated head coach Shauna Green’s alma mater, Canisius (1-7), 68-55. However, a recent loss to No. 11 Ohio State (8-0) dropped Illinois from the AP Top 25 poll. Last week, there was a mix of solid performances and letdowns from the Illini. Here are the grades.
*Kendall Bostic (A): Starting strong, fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic recorded a double-double against Ohio State and led Illinois in scoring versus Canisius.
Bostic has consistently been strong on the boards, and her scoring is elite. She recorded her fourth double-double against the Buckeyes with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
In total, Bostic put up 33 points across both games. She doesn’t get to the line often, but Bostic is good at converting when she does. She went 2-2 against Canisius and converted three of four against Ohio State.
Her presence on the floor has been essential in every game. Bostic was key to closing the gap between Illinois and Ohio State with only one foul. Her positioning allowed her to play physical defense as two starters fouled out for the Illini.
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*Makira Cook (B-): Fifth-year guard Makira Cook was fairly quiet from the floor in both games, but her presence on the court remained impactful. Cook scored eight points against the Griffins and only six against the Buckeyes.
Her shooting has been on a downward trend since Nashville. Cook has made a similar amount of attempts but has failed more often in converting them. Against Canisius, the guard was 4-9 from the floor and 0-1 on threes. Cook’s shooting was even worse against Ohio State, where she converted only two of her 11 attempts.
Her off-ball movement and ability to find teammates under high pressure remained consistent, though. She had eight assists over both games, leading her team this week. Ohio State is a high-pressure team, and Cook’s ability to get the ball to a teammate to score was impressive. She did so with only one turnover on Sunday.
*Genesis Bryant (A-): Fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant has a high ceiling but has played inconsistently. Against Canisius, the guard had a disappointing night and converted 2-9 from the floor. Bryant finished with only five points that game.
However, six days later, Bryant had her second-best season effort on Sunday against Ohio State. She had a 57.1% shooting average and converted four three-pointers. Three of her long-range connections came in the fourth quarter. Bryant led the scoring that night with 22 points.
She grabbed four rebounds against Canisius and three against Ohio State, which is on track with past outings. With conference play just beginning and the competition getting more difficult, Bryant must hone in on and fix her inconsistencies for future appearances.
*Brynn Shoup-Hill (B): Brynn Shoup-Hill grabbed her season-best 11 boards against Ohio State when capitalizing on these free balls was key. The Buckeyes do not grab many rebounds. Having Shoup-Hill on the floor to clean up after off-target attempts was crucial for the Illini in cutting their deficit. Shoup-Hill displayed her typical performance of setting screens, grabbing rebounds and contesting shots. She drove down the lane but struggled to convert at times when the Illini could have used it.
Against Canisius, she shot 50% from the floor and grabbed five rebounds. The Dayton transfer is a player who can get Illinois on the right foot early but needs to remain solid in crucial moments.
*Adalia McKenzie (B-): Senior guard Adalia McKenzie was on fire against the Griffins but struggled to make much of an impact against the Buckeyes. She recorded her first double-double of the season in New York. McKenzie put up 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Her appearance against Ohio State was significantly quieter, though. She finished with only five points, three assists and two rebounds. Her usual ability to get to the line wasn’t there, and she lost the ball twice.
Having a poor shooting performance in the conference opener is not ideal. With Shoup-Hill and Cook fouling out for the last quarter, the Illini needed a leader on the floor, and McKenzie was unable to take on that role. Her talent is evident in past performances, but this was a low point for the senior.
Hayven Smith (C-): Freshman center Hayven Smith got four minutes of playtime against Canisius but sat on the bench against Ohio State. She subbed in for senior forward Shoup-Hill to give her teammate a rest.
With her handful of minutes, she converted a shot and grabbed two rebounds. She committed one foul and had a single turnover. For such a short time on the floor, her performance was fine but did not add much to the team’s effort.
Berry Wallace (B-): Making a highly anticipated return to the team, freshman forward Berry Wallace returned with a bang. The freshman played 20 minutes versus Ohio State and proved efficient on offense. She converted three out of four shots and sank one three-pointer. She also secured three boards.
Her first game since the season opener was against a swift team with an aggressive pace of play, and she was thrown in the deep end. But she managed well, and Green appeared pleased with Wallace’s performance. As the season progresses and she gets used to playing post-injury, Wallace’s impact will no doubt increase.
Cori Allen (D): As a bench player, sophomore guard Cori Allen’s performance leaves much to be desired. She has next to no offensive presence and is quick to foul. Allen did manage three steals against Canisius and committed only one foul in her five minutes. Unfortunately, against Ohio State, she committed two fouls in two minutes and was quickly pulled again.
During November, Green let Allen showcase her talents. The Tennessee native averaged 20.25 minutes across four games. However, her impact was small, and Green has almost entirely diminished the sophomore’s minutes since then.
Jasmine Brown-Hagger (B+): Sophomore guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger is an essential component of Green’s bench. She is a consistent player whose presence and adaptability on the court are noticeable.
Overall, she knocked down 13 points against Canisius and was 3-3 on free throws. She also recorded two steals against the Griffins, a season-high for the guard. During Sunday’s matchup, she found her groove in the second half and put up 14 points against a tough team. Ohio State had nine blocks, but after halftime, Brown-Hagger maneuvered around these efforts and collected a few points.
Her aggressiveness was needed to counteract the Buckeyes’ pressure and pace on both ends. Despite these tough conditions, Brown-Hagger was able to adjust and contribute to her team.
