The Illinois women’s basketball team lived on opponents’ mistakes all season.

The Illini forced 23.4 turnovers per game, good for second in the nation, and set a Big Ten record for steals in a season.

So when Kansas State took care of the basketball Saturday, the Illini were unable to survive, falling to the Wildcats 66-48 in the WNIT quarterfinal in Manhattan, Kan.

Illinois’ seniors Karisma Penn and Adrienne GodBold tried to will their team to victory in what would be their final game, but came up short. Penn led the Illini with 20 points and nine rebounds, while GodBold added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Illinois’ defense, which has been key to the Illini’s success all season, struggled to create opportunities for the offense. Kansas State had 18 assists and just 13 turnovers, while Illinois flipped those numbers with 13 assists and 18 turnovers, which Illini head coach Matt Bollant said was the difference.

Kansas State was unfazed by Illinois’ Buzz and switching man-to-man defenses, and the Illini lost the turnover margin battle for just the second time since Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year GodBold returned from academic ineligibility on Dec. 28.

Illinois only received scoring from its starters, and, while Penn and GodBold combined for 31 points, the rest of the team finished with 17. Junior Amber Moore finished with eight points, while sophomores Ivory Crawford and Alexis Smith added seven and two, respectively.

Kansas State’s starters were the only scorers for the Wildcats as well, but they were more productive.

Brittany Chambers had her way with the Illini all afternoon long. The senior guard finished with 21 points and made 5-of-11 shots from beyond the arc. Chambers was joined in double figures by junior Chantay Caron, who finished with 19 points, and sophomore Haley Texada, who finished with 16.

The pressure applied by Illinois’ defense forced Kansas State to use the entirety of the shot clock, but the Wildcats were able to convert six shots in the second half as the buzzer went off.

“We would play really good defense for 25 or 28 seconds and then we couldn’t quite get a stop,” Bollant said.

Illinois jumped out to an 8-7 lead, but Kansas State answered with a 15-0 run and never looked back. The Wildcats led 34-24 at the half and never let their lead dwindle to less than nine points in the second half.

Illinois’ final record of 19-14 is the program’s best since finishing 19-12 in 2006-07, the final year of Theresa Grentz’s tenure at Illinois. The WNIT quarterfinal finish is the program’s best since finishing in the same position in 2010.

“Good to see (the program) heading in the right direction,” Bollant said. “We set some records for most steals in the Big Ten and most turnovers forced. It takes a year to learn the defensive system, so for us to have those numbers in our first year says something about these kids. They gave us great effort and great hearts. We weren’t very deep and we rode those starters as best we could, and they did a good job.

“I’m really proud of this team. It was a great first year, and I’m really proud of Adrienne and KP for what they gave to us.”

Penn played 40 minutes for the Illini before being taken out with 18 seconds left. She ended her career as Illinois’ all-time leader in blocked shots, second in rebounds and double-doubles, and fourth in scoring. Penn will likely be selected in the upcoming WNBA Draft.

GodBold was also key to Illinois’ success in Bollant’s first year. The senior made strides improving from Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year to the conference’s top defender, and she was second on the team with 15.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. GodBold will likely be signed as an undrafted free agent in the WNBA or play overseas after graduation.

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