Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois women's basketball team, ranked No. 22/23, secured an 85-66 victory over Oregon State at the State Farm Center on Friday. This win marked the conclusion of their five-game homestand with a perfect record.

Kendall Bostic led the team with a career-high 31 points, reaching her 1,000th point milestone for Illinois. She shot 15-for-18 from the field and collected eight rebounds. Makira Cook contributed 20 points and tied her season-best performance while adding eight assists. Genesis Bryant added to the scoring in the second half with all her 12 points, achieving her own career milestone of 1,000 points for Illinois.

Brynn Shoup-Hill and Adalia McKenzie also made significant contributions to secure the team's dominant performance. The Illini's strong showing was evident as they maintained a lead throughout the game and surpassed Oregon State's average allowed points by nearly 26.

"The Illini have now posted three wins over NCAA Tournament teams by an average margin of 13.3 points this season," noted a spokesperson.

Illinois opened strong with back-to-back three-pointers from Cook within the first two minutes and extended their lead through strategic plays throughout each quarter. By halftime, Bostic and Cook had both scored in double figures.

The third quarter saw further expansion of Illinois' lead due to effective runs spearheaded by key players like Bostic, Bryant, and Cook. Despite challenges from Oregon State under coach Scott Rueck, who has been with them for fifteen years, Illinois emerged victorious by a significant margin.

The Illini will now head into four consecutive away games starting Tuesday against Maryland Eastern Shore at the Music City Classic in Nashville.