For the first time in 25 years, No. 8 seed Illinois (22-9) won an NCAA Tournament game. It took down No. 9 seed Creighton (26-7) 66-57. The Illini used just six players, and they all made an impact in the big win.
“Every single person that played for us made plays,” head coach Shauna Green said in the post-game press conference.
*Kendall Bostic (A): Fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic did what she did best against Creighton. She collected a season-high 17 rebounds and crashed the boards early and often. Bostic grabbed eight rebounds in the first quarter alone.
The veteran was also reliable on offense. She found a good mix of mid-range shots and buckets in the paint. Bostic did get into some foul trouble late in the game, but she did well staying vertical and kept it clean the rest of the game.
*Genesis Bryant (B): Fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant was on fire to start the game. She scored nine points in the opening frame. The veteran hit two three-pointers and got three the hard way on a tough layup under the basket.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
However, Bryant went ice-cold for the rest of the game. She shot 1-6 from the floor after the first quarter. Most of her points came from her six free throws at the end of the fourth quarter. While her teammates picked up the slack offensively, more was expected from the Illini’s top scorer.
*Adalia McKenzie (A): On both ends of the floor, senior guard Adalia McKenzie was on top of things. As usual, she played stout defense and rarely left any space for her assignment to get a clean look. Multiple times throughout the game, she forced bad shots after a Bluejay picked up their dribble.
On offense, she did a good job creating her own shots. She flipped between mid-range and driving to the rim. She drove to the rim aggressively, almost always reaching the basket after swerving through and around defenders. The senior drove hard when getting to the mid-range, but would stop on a dime and pull up. Her effort on both ends was critical in the win.
*Berry Wallace (B+): It seems no light is too bright for freshman forward Berry Wallace. Despite this being her first-ever NCAA Tournament game, she looked more like a seasoned vet.
She came up clutch multiple times, none bigger than a putback late in the fourth quarter. After Bryant missed a free throw, Wallace grabbed the board and put it back up and in. It put the Illini back up six and gave them the lead they needed to finish out the game.
The freshman did struggle at times. She missed four of her five attempts from beyond the arc. While it is usually her specialty, Wallace couldn’t seem to get the three-point shot going.
*Brynn Shoup-Hill (B+): One Illini that showed out from beyond the arc was senior forward Brynn Shoup-Hill. Not normally known for her scoring abilities, the senior had two huge three-pointers.
Creighton made a push in the third quarter and got within two points. Then Shoup-Hill knocked down two threes, both from the same spot in the corner. It was a big swing for Illinois, pushing its lead back to eight.
Additionally, Shoup-Hill’s defense was solid. She did well helping around the rim and switching to defend the three-point line.
Jasmine Brown-Hagger (C+): Coming off the bench once again, sophomore guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger didn’t have much impact offensively. She scored only three points, which came from a three-pointer in the fourth.
Her defense was better than her offense, as she constantly blocked passing lanes and had one steal. However, her lack of offensive output, especially with Bryant being quiet, was disappointing.
Next in line
Illinois will officially play No. 1 seed Texas (32-3) on Monday at 1 p.m. The game will be incredibly tough for the Illini to win, as the Longhorns are one of the best teams in the country.
The Longhorns a top-15 scoring offense in the country, averaging 79.7 points per game. Their defense is nearly as good, only giving up 56.1 points to their opponents. Their strong offense and defense hinder any team from overcoming the Longhorns.
Sophomore forward Madison Booker leads Texas. She averages 16.3 points per game and grabs nearly seven rebounds. She scored 20 points and had 14 rebounds in its first-round matchup against No. 16 William and Mary’s (16-19).
Unlike Illinois, Texas has a deep roster. Ten players average at least five points per game. It will be a very tough matchup for an Illini team that currently plays a six-man rotation. All time, Illinois is 0-2 as the No. 8 seed when facing a No. 1. It is an uphill battle, but March has certainly seen crazier upsets.
@ben_some16
