One year after losing to Oregon by three points, the Illinois women’s basketball team rode a balanced effort from its starting lineup on its way to a 80-62 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday night.

“It was a good win for our team,” Illinois head coach Matt Bollant said. “It was a team that we had lost to last year. And now to beat them by 18, I don’t care who is injured and who doesn’t play, that’s a change and a step in the right direction.”

All of Illinois’ starters finished in double figures for the first time this season, and the Illini improved to 6-4 on the season, while an injury-plagued Oregon team fell to 0-8.

Oregon jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the first three minutes of the game, but Illinois ended the first half on a 33-11 run and went into halftime leading 36-20. The Illini were able to capitalize on a poor first half shooting performance by Oregon, forcing 11 first-half turnovers to take a 16-point lead — Illinois’ largest first-half lead this season — into the half.

Bollant said defense has been a priority in practice the last few weeks, and it has paid off.

“The full-court Buzz, that was the best it ever looked,” Bollant said.

Illinois struggled in stopping Oregon forward Jillian Alleyne. The freshman finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.

“I thought we did a pretty good job except for on her,” Bollant said.

While Illinois was unable to stop Alleyne, Oregon struggled with Illinois’ Karisma Penn.

“In the second half, we got a little stagnant offensively, and I thought KP really stepped up and got touches inside and got finishes and got to the foul line,” Bollant said.

Penn finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. The senior forward also shot 12 free throws, making nine.

Juniors Amber Moore and Kersten Magrum contributed 15 and 12 points, respectively, while sophomores Ivory Crawford and Alexis Smith added 16 and 14. All five of Illinois’ starters grabbed at least five rebounds.

Wednesday marked the third straight game that Illinois’ bench was unable to record double digits in scoring. Taylor Tuck, Nia Oden and McKenzie Piper accounted for six points. The bench scored two and zero points against Memphis and Texas Tech, respectively. Bollant, however, hasn’t expressed concerned.

“I don’t think they have to score, honestly,” Bollant said of the bench. “We have five starters scoring in double figures. We don’t need the people coming off the bench to light the world on fire.”

“Just defend, rebound and take care of the basketball.”

Illinois came into the game after defeating Memphis on Sunday in the Illini’s second road game of the season. Illinois was 1-3 against BCS opponents heading into Wednesday’s game.

“A two-game winning streak feels good,” Bollant said. “We’re headed in the right direction.”

Following Wednesday’s win, the Illini will take some time off for final exams. The team will return to the court on Dec. 21 against Illinois State.

Johnathan can be reached at [email protected] and @jhett93.