Illinois (19-5, 9-4) is only two games away from facing No. 1 UCLA (23-0, 11-0) and No. 6 USC (21-2, 11-1). To compete with these high-caliber programs, Illinois must use its next two matchups to perfect its three-point game.
The recent victory over Wisconsin (11-13, 2-11) gave a glimpse into some players’ previously unutilized talents. Senior guard Adalia McKenzie had her best conference outing. She collected eight rebounds and scored 18 points. Her performance was coupled with senior forward Brynn Shoup-Hill knocking down three threes.
McKenzie in the spotlight again
Since the Illini launched into conference play, the senior has been a prime defender but only alright on the boards. With a teammate like fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic, who is No. 3 in double-doubles and No. 6 in rebounds nationally, McKenzie can be confident in the frontcourt. Having some backup will only better the team and take some pressure off Bostic.
To her credit, McKenzie grabbed eight rebounds on Sunday after averaging 4.5 this season. McKenzie showcased a real affinity for getting in the mix, regaining offensive and defensive possessions and aggressively scoring. She converted 50% of her shots and proved she could impact all aspects of the game.
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McKenzie’s defensive influence typically comes from sticking to her mark, preventing easy shots and cutting off the lane. Against the Badgers, she showed that she can also affect the offensive side of the equation, which will show up in the box scores.
If she can carry this energy into Penn State (10-14, 1-12) and beyond, Illinois will be in a good spot once the regular season concludes.
Wallace continues to show up, step up
Six-foot-one freshman forward Berry Wallace has gotten into a comfortable, confident stride since returning from her hand injury earlier this season. She came out with a bang against Southern Indiana with 18 points and three three-pointers.
However, she soon hit a rut with some health-related setbacks. She got back into the groove against Indiana and has been on fire since. In her past eight appearances, Wallace has scored double-digits in six of them.
Wallace is also the team’s most efficient three-point shooter, shooting a 40.7% long-range clip. Between Wallace and fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant, Illinois has some consistent talent it can look for outside the arc. It’s a strategy that has been working for them.
“We were so downhill-driven that teams just go under everything and collapse in,” said head coach Shauna Green. “But we’ve really worked on it in practice. When people come in on (McKenzie), we’re now going to make you pay and get inside-out threes.”
Not only is Wallace good for taking those three-pointers, but her abilities as a guard have improved. She’s been less hesitant to drive to the basket to score or draw a foul and has been jumping into the mix for rebounds and putbacks.
Shoup-Hill can add to 3-point attack
Shoup-Hill not only matched her best scoring performance of the season against Wisconsin, but she also tied triple-machine Wallace in converting beyond the arc. Shoup-Hill has also shown she can score and rebound when needed. However, her efforts have rarely paid off as well as they did in Madison.
Before Sunday, the senior rarely sank her relatively few three-point attempts. In fact, she rarely tried more than two in a night. She reached into her pocket for some confidence against the Badgers and pulled out five three-point attempts. She was good for three of them.
Illinois is becoming an all-level scoring team, and other teams have struggled to adjust. The more players that can cash in on three-pointers, the better odds they have of going on runs and keeping the energy up when games drag on and subs are low.
“It’s contagious,” Green said. “We don’t take a ton of threes, so when you see the ball go in and everyone starts, we keep getting the reps up.”
What Penn State will bring
Similarly to Wisconsin, Penn State’s record does not accurately reflect all its talent. The largest margin of defeat in the past four games was an 11-point loss to Washington.
Also of note, the Lady Lions lead the Illini 40-18 all-time. Rivalries can bring out the best in teams, and this may be the kicker Penn State needs to shape up and bring its all against Illinois.
The Lady Lions’ only conference win came against the No. 9 Ohio State Buckeyes (20-3, 9-3), winning by a three-point margin. In that game, redshirt sophomore guard Moriah Murray was good for four three-pointers. This comes nowhere close to her season-best of nine. She has also hit eight three-pointers twice this season. She will be a force, and the Illini will need Wallace and Bryant to answer her points.
But the perimeter is not the only spot the Illini must watch. The Lady Lions are a force in the paint as well.
Bostic did a fantastic job keeping junior forward Serah Williams at bay when facing the Badgers. Now, she must do the same against redshirt sophomore center Gracie Merkel, who averages 15 points and 8.4 rebounds. While Merkel is less dominant in the post, Illinois should not underestimate her. She scored 24 points against No. 14 Maryland, a team Illinois only managed to edge out by one point.
Where to watch
Big Ten Plus will stream Illinoisʼ meeting with Penn State on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the State Farm Center.
