Madison Dabrowski Director of Women's Basketball Branding & Creative Media | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Madison Dabrowski Director of Women's Basketball Branding & Creative Media | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Illinois secured its fifth consecutive victory with a 73-60 win over Northwestern at State Farm Center. The Illini led by double digits for most of the game, marking their sixth straight win against the Wildcats and improving to an 18-5 overall record, including 8-4 in Big Ten play.
Genesis Bryant led Illinois with 20 points, her third consecutive game scoring over 20. She also contributed five rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Kendall Bostic added 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists (matching her career-high), and three blocks. Berry Wallace scored 14 points off the bench, with ten coming in the first half.
The Illini started strong with a series of runs that established an early lead. A buzzer-beating three-pointer from Wallace helped them enter halftime with a commanding 45-25 advantage. Despite Northwestern's efforts to close the gap in the third quarter, Illinois maintained control throughout the final period.
Looking ahead, Illinois will face Wisconsin on Sunday before returning home for two games next week. "The opening tip between the Fighting Illini and the Badgers at the Kohl Center is slated for 3 p.m. CT on B1G+."
In player highlights: Kendall Bostic continues to lead in rebounding within Illinois' program history and remains third on the Big Ten all-time career list. Genesis Bryant recorded her eighth game of scoring at least 20 points this season while climbing Illinois' career three-point list.
Illinois forced Northwestern into committing ten turnovers during Thursday’s game and limited them to one successful three-point shot out of eleven attempts.
Shauna Green has achieved significant success as head coach: "59-30 at Illinois," "27-21 in Big Ten play," "186-80 as a Division I head coach," and "215-105 overall." The current streak against Northwestern marks their longest since winning twenty-one straight games from January 2000 to February 2010.
The attendance figure for Thursday was noted as part of an impressive seasonal turnout at State Farm Center, now totaling nearly sixty-eight thousand through fourteen games.
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