Champaign, Illinois – history. For the first time in nearly eight years, Illinois defeated a home ranked opponent on his court, No. 12/10 Iowa State on Sunday afternoon in front of a rowdy and energetic State Farm Center crowd. he defeated 90-86.
On the back of a career-best 24-point performance from Genesis Bryant, the Illini held off the Hawkeyes at home and improved to 13-2 on the season and 3-1 in the big template.
Illinois led in the final 23 minutes of action, repelling Iowa’s comeback attempt and extending their winning streak to six games.
Fastest 4 points ever 👀@Genesis Bryant_ after that finish @ Adalia Mackenzie take a turn!
Q4 2:31 | #Illini 84, Iowa 77 pic.twitter.com/qhBk4M4hQ6
— Illinois W Basketball (@IlliniWBB) January 1, 2023
Makilla Cook scored 20 points for the win, making it her sixth straight game to score at least 20 points. Kendall Bostic recorded his fourth double-double of the season with a career-high 17 points and 12 rebounds while shooting a perfect 7/7 on field goal attempts, Adalia McKenzie added his 16 points and recorded his five assists, a season-high.
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Illinois and Iowa traded baskets early on, with neither team able to take the lead in the first quarter. The Illini’s biggest lead came after Cook hit shots on back-to-back possessions to put him ahead of the hosts by three, but the Hawkeyes fought back and he eventually dropped to five after 10 minutes of play. led by
Illinois needed a spark early in the second quarter and used a 9-1 run that included a Jada Peebles 3-pointer and two Mackenzie field goals to turn a 5-point lead into a 3-point lead midway through the frame. I was.
Illinois frequently turned offense into defense. It was a trend that helped Illinois close the half with a 12-3 run. Bryant’s 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer pushed Illinois’ advantage to 11 points at the break.
Cook took an offensive lead with 16 points in the first half after the Illini shot 66.7% in the second quarter. Illinois led 44-33 going into his last two quarters, with five blocks and two steals in his first 20 minutes of play.
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Illinois took their biggest lead of the afternoon early in the third frame, pushing their advantage to 13 points. After the Hawkeyes cut the deficit to his single digits, the Illini took his 67-58 lead in the final frame to close out the quarter with a 12-5 run. Bostic went into the 4th quarter as he led the team with 8 points in the 3rd quarter and he shot 100% from the field.
Bryant took over in the final 10 minutes of the Illini’s play, scoring 14 of 24 points in the frame. The Hawkeyes reduced the Illini advantage to one point, but a 5-0 Illinois Iran, including Bryant’s 3-pointer, extended the team’s lead to six. up to 7 points, made a stop and hit a free throw to win by 4 points.
Illinois will return to the State Farm Center Thursday night at 8pm CT to face in-state conference rival Northwestern University.
