Fighting Illini Earn first Big Ten road win with dominating victory over Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Illinois led for the final 38 minutes of play en route to an emphatic 68-54 road victory over Indiana at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday night.

Ahead by as many as 15 in the contest, the Fighting Illini improved to 13-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play with their first Big Ten road win of the campaign.

Four scorers for the Orange and Blue finished in double figures as the Illini posted their largest margin of victory against the Hoosiers on the road since 1999.

Kendall Bostic marked her return to her homeland with a dominant performance of 21 points and eight rebounds. A pest in the paint from start to finish, Bostic went 9-for-19 from the field, dished out three assists and made a block while playing all 40 minutes.

After a total of 11 points in the first quarter, Adalia McKenzie tallied 15 points for her eighth straight in double figures. Three of her five rebounds came on the offensive glass and she collected four assists.

Berry Wallace scored in double figures for the second time in her career and first time in Big Ten play, chipping in 13 points off the bench. A stretch of five straight points in the fourth quarter swung momentum back in the Illini’s favor, and the freshman also hit three 3-pointers, went 3-for-3 from deep and finished with four rebounds and a steal.

Genesis Bryant finished the night with 12 points while tying her season-best total with seven assists. She also grabbed three rebounds and grabbed a steal.

Jasmine Brown-Hagger logged seven points, including five in the fourth quarter, along with four assists, two rebounds and a steal.

The Hoosiers scored on their first possession of the night, but the Illini didn’t trail for long. A 19-2 run over the next five and a half minutes gave the visitors a double-digit lead, 19-5. Bostic and McKenzie each recorded seven points during the stretch in which the Orange and Blue made eight of their first 11 shots from the field.

McKenzie became the game’s first scorer to move into double figures with just over two minutes remaining in the opening frame. The Illini maintained their double-digit edge and stormed into the second quarter with a 25-14 lead.

After Illinois extended its advantage up to 15 by scoring the first four points of the second period, Bostic joined McKenzie in double figures with just over four minutes left in the frame. Bostic ultimately scored the Illini’s final four points of the first half and helped the visiting team enter halftime with a 35-22 advantage.

Bostic and McKenzie led the way offensively for the Orange and Blue, combining for 26 of the Illini’s 35 points in the first half. Registering an assist on 11 of 16 made field goals over the first 20 minutes of action, Illinois shot 60% from 3-point range before the break.

Bostic picked up where she left off, scoring six of the Illini’s first eight points of the second half to allow the Orange and Blue to maintain their double-digit lead. A stretch of seven straight points by the Hoosiers cut the hosts’ deficit down to single digits, 45-37, for the first time in over 20 minutes of playing time.

After the Illini took a timeout, Wallace drilled his second 3-pointer less than 15 seconds later to push the visitors’ lead back to 11 with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. A 4-1 Indiana run to close the frame sent the sides into the fourth quarter with Illinois ahead, 49-41.

The Hoosiers cut their deficit to four early in the final frame, but a stretch of five straight points from Wallace pushed the Illini’s lead back to double digits. After making a steal and a transition layup, Wallace followed it up by knocking down a 3-pointer less than 20 seconds later. That momentum swing extended the Orange and Blue’s edge to 55-45 with 6:08 left to play.

A buzzer-beating Indiana 3-pointer cut the home team’s deficit to seven, but Brown-Hagger scored the game’s next five points, including a corner three, to re-establish Illinois’ double-digit advantage, 62-50, with three and a half minutes left in the contest .

Bryant and McKenzie’s back-to-back buckets put the Orange and Blue back up by 12 with under a minute remaining, sealing the team’s first conference road win of the year.

Illinois hosts a ranked opponent for the third time this season on Sunday when No. 22 Michigan State makes the trip to Champaign. The opening tip between the Fighting Illini and Spartans at State Farm Center is set for 7 p.m. 14 CT at B1G+, with tickets available at the door or online at FightingIllini.com.

HIGHLIGHTS

POSTGAME RADIO INTERVIEW

Coming soon.

MAIL GAME NOTES

Player Notes:

• Kendall Bostic scored a game-high 21 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and a block.
  

  • Recorded his fourth 20-point game of the season and his eighth such performance of his career.
    

    • Scored in double figures for the 15th time this season and the 64th time in his career.
      

      • Has exceeded 10 points in 14 of his last 15 games.

  • Now has at least six rebounds in all 17 games this season.

    • Continues to climb the program’s all-time rebounding list:

      • 1. Jenna Smith (2006-10) – 1,217
      • 2. Kendall Bostic (2021-pres.) – 1,182

• Jasmine Brown-Hagger scored seven points and added two rebounds and four assists.

  • Has at least three assists in three straight games, a season-long streak.

• Genesis Bryant scored 12 points while dishing out seven assists.

  • Scored in double figures for the 12th time this season and 62nd time in his career.
  • Her seven assists match a season high.

• Adalia McKenzie scored 15 points while posting five rebounds and four assists.

  • Finished in double figures for the 14th time this season and the 70th time in his career.

    • Has 10+ points in eight straight games.

  • Three of her rebounds came off the offensive glass.
  • Fourth game this season with at least four assists.
  • Has at least three assists in two consecutive games.

• Berry Wallace came off the bench to score 13 points and secure four rebounds.

  • First Illini off the bench, checked in at 6:19 in the first quarter.
  • Scored in double figures for the second time this season and first time in Big Ten play.
  • Matched her career high with three 3-pointers.
    

Team Notes:

• The Hoosiers won the opening tip and Indiana opened the scoring on a 3-pointer on its first possession.
• Illinois’ 14-point margin of victory is the largest over Indiana at Assembly Hall since a 14-point victory on February 11, 1996.

  • Just the fifth time the Illini have defeated the Hoosiers by double digits on the road.

• Illinois held Indiana to 54 points, the Hoosiers’ lowest point total in Assembly Hall since they scored 46 vs. Michigan State on December 28, 2017.

  • Fewest points allowed by the Illini in a game at Assembly Hall since holding the Hoosiers to 50 on Jan. 7, 2010.

• The Illini had four scorers in double figures (Bostic, Bryant, McKenzie, Wallace).
• Illinois used an extended 19-2 run from 9:22 to 3:50 of the first quarter to jump out to a 19-5 lead.

  • The Illini went 8-for-11 from the field during that stretch while holding Indiana to 1-for-9 from the floor and forcing them to commit four turnovers.
  • Illinois also went on a 13-0 run during that stretch over 3:15.

    • Went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc during that span.

• The Orange and Blue’s 25 points in the first quarter tied the most points scored by the Illini at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, while the +11 margin in the opening frame is the largest in any quarter by Illinois at this facility.
• Illinois closed the game on a 6-0 run and held Indiana scoreless over the final 2:08 of the ballgame.

  • Overall, the Illini made their final seven shots from the floor.

• The Illini out-rebounded the Hoosiers 28-26, including a 5-3 advantage in offensive boards.

  • The Illini turned those five o-boards into four second-chance points.

• Illinois forced Indiana into 14 turnovers on the night.

  • The Illini have forced double-digit turnovers in all 17 games this season.
  • Scored 14 points off those takeaways.

    • By comparison, Indiana scored just three points on six Illinois turnovers.

• The Illini assisted 18 times on their 27 field goals.

Miscellaneous Notes:

• Starters: Genesis Bryant, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, Adalia McKenzie, Brynn Shoup-Hill, Kendall Bostic
  

  • This lineup is now 6-2 on the season.

• Shauna Green is now:

  • 54-29 at Illinois
  • 22-20 in Big Ten play
  • 181-79 as a Division I head coach
  • 210-104 overall
  • Illinois vs. Indiana: 32-49 (81st meeting)
  • Shauna Green‘s coaching record vs. Indiana: 2-3

    • The Illini have won two straight over the Hoosiers for the first time since back-to-back victories on February 12, 2012 and February 23, 2013.

  • Illinois is now 11-28 against Indiana when playing on the road.

    • The Illini earned their first win in Bloomington since February 12, 2012.

• The Illini have held opponents to/under 15 points in 40 of 68 regulation periods.
• Illinois is now 3-2 when wearing blue uniforms this season.
• The Illini are now 8-1 in games that start after 17 CT this season.
• Illinois is now 5-0 in games played on Thursdays this season.
• The Illini are now 2-1 in January.
• Illinois is now 2-1 during the 2025 calendar year.

Score after 1st quarter: 25-14
Score at halftime: 35-22 (10-8 Q2)
Result after the 3rd quarter: 49-41 (14-19 Q3)
Result after 4th quarter: 68-54 (19-13 Q4)