Illinois (21-8, 11-7) started strong on Sunday before collapsing in the final period to end its season with a three-game skid. Illinois’ historic eight-game win streak was previously crushed by No. 2 UCLA (27-2, 16-2) and No. 4 USC (26-2, 16-1). In its game against Michigan (20-9, 11-7), one thing that brought back some of that fire was the return of sophomore guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger. She previously missed both California games with a hamstring injury.
Michigan falls right behind Illinois in the Big Ten rankings but has struggled to find consistency in the latter half of the regular season. Winning this game was huge for the program as it sent Michigan into the postseason with another victory on its shoulders.
Senior Day celebrates several starters
The crowd at State Farm Center was fired up to support their seniors. The arena boasted a 6,889-person audience, and the screams heard during play were deafening. Screens showed childhood pictures of the starters and spotlighted them as they passed on advice to young girls aspiring to play basketball.
Over their Illini careers, these four players have given their all to the program. Fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic has cemented her No. 1 spot on the all-time program rebounding and is now tied for No. 1 in program career double-doubles (53). She is only one of four players with 1,000 points and rebounds as an Illini. In only three years, she has become one of the best defensive players Illinois has seen.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant jumped from No. 9 to No. 3 on the Illinois career three-point leaders list. She was second on the team this season with a 39% clip beyond the arc. Not only has she cemented her three-point spot, but Bryant has also pushed boundaries at the charity stripe. She leads in starters with a 90.2% average and has 15 perfect free-throw performances. Those free points have been critical in more than one win this season.
Senior guard Adalia McKenzie has blossomed into a powerhouse in the last six games. She scored 18-plus points in four consecutive games this season, the best run in her career. Her free-throw percentage was taken to new levels under head coach Shauna Green, and she also leads the team in steals this season.
Finally, senior forward Brynn Shoup-Hill isn’t a point scorer, but she can shut down other team’s shooters. She boasts 26 blocks on the season, and without her, the Illini’s defense would be much easier to break through.
Fighting for it
Michigan played like a comeback team. In the first half, it closed gaps in single possessions but couldn’t break ahead. After the opener, its only lead lasted for less than 30 seconds until Illinois went on a 5-0 run to push ahead again. The next time it pushed ahead again was under the two-minute mark in the closing period.
Brown-Hagger had an excellent steal in the second half. She missed a layup, and Michigan recovered the ball and started charging toward the opposite end. Brown-Hagger tracked back with a fire in her eyes and knocked the ball out of the guard’s hands. That determination to never give up on a play showed in all the team’s efforts.
This game was won on three-pointers. Both teams could go shot for shot on these, which made for an exciting battle. Bryant, Bostic and Brown-Hagger carried the team today, knocking down three, two and two, respectively. On the Wolverine’s side, freshman guard Olivia Olson and senior guard Greta Kampschroeder hit two. In the end, Bryant tried to hit a few contested ones to help her team get ahead again, but both shots hit left of the iron.
Areas for improvement moving to postseason
The Wolverines certainly controlled the ball better than the hosts. Freshman guard Mila Holloway had excellent handles all game. This allowed her to bank some easy points by simply charging down the paint. Her behind-the-back dribbling and crossovers were hard for Illinois to defend.
Losing these rebounds and not keeping dribbling under control lost the Illini some key points. These mistakes even allowed the Wolverines to push ahead again in the closing period after not holding a lead since the second quarter. Combined with unnecessary fouls late in the game, Illinois couldn’t fight back anymore.
Another area Michigan held Illinois down on was its defensive pressure. Switching to a full-court press forced more time off the shooting clock from the Illini. But the pressure didn’t stop once they passed halfcourt. The Wolverine’s defense made the Illini take almost the full shooting clock for most of their possessions. Especially late in the game, when they were down, the Illini might have won by getting clear shots off quickly, but their opponent made this nearly impossible.
