Head coach Shauna Green knew that her young roster needed to learn how to play on the road. Before the season, she scheduled an away scrimmage to simulate a travel day. Facing a tough team early like Oregon State (3-0) was also part of that plan.
The 64-59 loss is another learning experience for Illinois (2-1). It dominated SEMO (1-2) and survived a close battle against Illinois State (2-1). After those two experiences, the Illini improved on three-point shooting and offensive rebounding but still had defensive lapses that allowed the Beavers to slip by unguarded.
“The main things that I’ve been preaching to this team all year is ‘Can we keep someone in front?’” Green said. “They straight-line drove us multiple times. No help was there. Until we can find that defensive stopper and put some stretches together offensively, we’re not gonna win games.”
Many things piled up in the five-point loss. Defense was the biggest issue. Illinois couldn’t stay in front of Oregon State, allowing 34 points in the paint. Then, despite 14 offensive rebounds, Illinois only had nine second-chance points. Finally, the team placed all their offensive load on sophomore forward Berry Wallace’s shoulders again.
Mistake 1: Unsteady defense
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Illinois frequently lost its shooters. Oregon State was too good at moving the ball quickly, and it was able to consistently get a shooter open. The Beavers’ fast, in-and-out ball movement had the Illini turning around time and again.
The Beavers were also able to get crafty with their shots. Senior guard Tiara Bolden punished the Illini for any mistake on both ends of the floor.
One standout moment was a steal off of junior guard Gretchen Dolan midway through the third quarter. She got ahead on a fast break with only junior guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger fast enough to catch up to her. But Brown-Hagger had no time to get her hands up, and Bolden got an easy layup to help her team go on a short run.
Mistake 2: Too many points left on table
The Illini beat the Beavers on the boards, 31 to 30. Green likes it when her team’s defense generates offense, which they did well enough. They scored 14 points off turnovers and had seven fast-break points. This was a good start, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.
“There was a stretch in the second quarter where we had 10 possessions and we went empty,” Green said. “That was unacceptable.”
In the stretch that Green is referring to, Dolan grabbed a defensive rebound and scored a jumper around the seven-minute mark, putting her team up by 6 points. It took the Illini until just under the two-minute mark to get on the board again, and the Beavers had put up 11 points by then.
Mistake 3: Wallace had to carry team
Just like against ISU, Illinois relied heavily on Dolan and Wallace. Dolan had another double-digit game, finishing with 11 points, while Wallace posted her third-straight 20-point game with 24.
The only other Illini to finish in double-figures was freshman forward Cearah Parchment with 14. Only two other Illini scored; the team’s two young point guards, sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton and freshman guard Destiny Jackson, each added five points.
Wallace was the most active player on the roster. She grabbed five offensive boards and had two steals. She also shot a perfect six for six from the free-throw line.
But this overdependence on one or two players barely worked against ISU and now fell short against Oregon State. Wallace, Parchment and Dolan not only scored nearly all of Illinois’ points, but they also secured the majority of the team’s rebounds (17). Wallace and Parchment hit six of the team’s three pointers while Wallace and Dolan shared its only steals.
One positive: Shooting (and making) more threes
The largest adjustment the Illini have made since last Sunday is taking more three-pointers. Parchment was on fire, knocking down four from range. Even the newbies got in on the action, with both Jackson and Guyton making a triple of their own. Wallace rounded out the team’s perimeter performance with two makes.
Having a spread of deep shooters will be vital as the competition gets tougher. When Illinois struggles to break through the crowded paint and midrange areas, having reliable players out wide will give them some relief when scoring down low is difficult.
Redshirt sophomore center Lety Vasconcelos had her first zero-point game of the season despite playing 12 minutes. The Illini being able to kick it out quickly and keep the game close when the inside shooting was struggling was a good experience before the tough conference stretch begins.
