Amber Moore stood at the back of the line as Illinois players and coaches headed toward to tunnel for their locker room.

She’d just made a thunderous postseason debut for the Illini, knocking down five 3-pointers on her way to 25 points, both matching season highs, as Illinois defeated Miami (Ohio) 73-60 in the opening round of the WNIT.

Her efforts helped end a season-high three-game losing streak for the Illini, but after the game, it was a complete 180 from the fearlessness she’d displayed on the court all night. Moore — who is normally reserved and quiet — kindly acknowledged the crowd of 903 at Assembly Hall by waving her hand and smiling as the team was embraced with a standing ovation.

Illinois head coach Matt Bollant came up to her and patted her on the back and called her the nickname she’d received back during high school, that was quickly adopted by Bollant and his staff.

“We call her ‘clutch,'” Bollant said. “I just feel like she’s going to make big shots when it matters.”

Miami began the second half on a surge, cutting Illinois’ halftime lead from 15 down to four. That’s when Moore hit what Bollant called the “shot of the game.” 

The Illini were struggling offensively and had trouble rebounding. It reminded Bollant of the second half against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament, a game in which the Illini were upset by the Badgers 58-57.

Moore looked her defender in the eye and took a quick stutter step before deciding to pull the trigger from beyond the 3-point arc. 

She was relentless in her release, attempting a season-high 13 3-point field goals and holding her shooting pose each time, hit or miss, for good measure. This time, however, Moore buried a clutch three that extended the Illini lead to seven that it would never relinquish.

The victory sends Illinois into the second round of the WNIT to play Eastern Illinois on Monday at Assembly Hall. Illinois was able to rebound after not being selected for the NCAA tournament Monday. The Illini had not played a game since losing to Wisconsin on March 7.

Bollant said the two week layoff helped the team realize that it would likely not make the NCAA tournament after ending the season so poorly, losing four of its last five.

“I think we’re a little more mentally prepared,” Bollant said. “I think that time really let it sink in, ‘Hey we might not get in, so we’d better be ready for the NIT.'”

Forward Karisma Penn — who had a stellar game herself with 20 points and eight rebounds — added that the layoff helped the players rest. Illinois’ rotation only features six or seven players who log major minutes.

Miami’s inability to hold on to the ball helped aid the Illini as well. The RedHawks came into the game ranked 248th in the NCAA in turnovers per game with about 18. Add that to Illinois’ vaunted Buzz defense, which helped the team rank 14th nationally in turnover margin, and ball control was one of the biggest keys to the game. 

Miami turned the ball over in every way imaginable. The team threw errant passes, shot air balls, got into jump ball situations when the possession arrow was not in its favor, had the ball stripped and tipped and redirected on seemingly every occasion. The RedHawks exceeded their per game average of turnovers less than halfway through the second half and finished with 26. The Illini weren’t as effective as they would have liked off those mishaps, scoring just 25 points.

“That hasn’t been a strength of ours taking advantage when we get turnovers, but it’s something we can grow and get better at,” Bollant said.

Thursday’s game was the first time in the last three seasons Illinois played in the postseason, qualifying for the WNIT after missing NCAA tournament. Moore was here in 2009-10 but watched the Illini in the WNIT from the bench after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in the first game of her Illinois career.

But she didn’t even realize that this was her first career postseason game, looking to Penn and questioning the fact before being able to confirm it. For most players, this game would’ve been a chance at redemption, but for Moore that “wasn’t on her mind at all.”

One of her best friends was in the crowd, seeing her play for the first time, but Moore denied that having anything to do with her performance.

“I was just in rhythm,” she said.

Jamal can be reached at [email protected] and @JamalCollier.