Illinois (13-4, 3-3) took down Indiana (12-5, 4-2) 68-54 in a dominant road victory on Thursday. It is the first time Illinois has beaten Indiana in Bloomington since 2012. Illinois now has a two-game winning streak against Indiana after snapping a 16-game losing streak that dates back to 2013.
Fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic led the team with 21 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Adalia McKenzie was a force in the first half, scoring 13 points on 6-9 shooting.
The swing of momentum
In the first half, Illinois did well stopping any momentum Indiana gained. Illinois answered almost every Indiana bucket with one of its own. Any momentum that the Hoosiers gained, the Illini shot down on both sides of the ball until the end of the first half.
Indiana took advantage of Illinois’ slow end to the first half, finding its footing in the second half. Then, Indiana roared back late in the third quarter, overcoming a 15-point deficit to get within four points. Over that stretch, the Illini continued their rough shooting streak, making just four of 17 shots from the floor.
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Just as the Hoosiers got close to the Illini, the visitors responded. Freshman forward Berry Wallace stole an errant pass from Indiana and took it all the way for the layup. Soon after, she put up a confident three-point shot and sank it. The lead jumped back to double digits, and Illinois didn’t look back. It didn’t miss a shot the rest of the game, going 7-7 from the floor.
Player notes
Once again, Bostic was unstoppable. She hit multiple jumpers and layups, making it tough to guard her. Her effort and effect on the court have not changed despite injury woes and lineup changes. Her performance against Indiana was the 15th double-digit scoring game of this season.
McKenzie was a big part of the 13-point lead going into the half, making buckets from every level. She cooled off considerably in the second half and only scored two points. Her effort was noticeable, however, grabbing two offensive rebounds.
Dispute being a true freshman with only ten games under her belt, Wallace is as confident as anyone on this team. Her three-pointer in the third quarter was a huge momentum changer. She continues to look not only confident but comfortable on the court. Her 13 points mark the second-highest of her season.
Additionally, fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant had another good game. She scored 12 points and led the team with seven assists. However, she got into foul trouble late in the game and finished with four fouls.
Sophomore guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger was quiet against the Hoosiers. She scored seven points but hit a big three-pointer.
Gaining momentum on and off the court
Illinois has found its momentum again, on and off the court, after a rough start to the new year. It lost to Washington (12-6, 3-3) and Minnesota (16-2, 4-2) and lost fifth-year guard Makira Cook and sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan for the rest of the season.
Despite this, the Illini find themselves back in the win column. It beat No. 23 Iowa (12-6, 2-5) and now has a double-digit win over Indiana. The team could have let the injury news get them down, but they did exactly the opposite. Two hard-fought wins have come through adversity and prove Illinois isn’t finished with the season yet. Illinois is up to No. 10 in the Big Ten.
Illinois is back home against Michigan State (14-3, 4-2) on Jan. 19. Head coach Shauna Green is 1-1 against the Spartans and the Illini have a 17-19 record against the Spartans when at home. The game will be available on Big Ten Plus.
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