Illinois overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to take down Nebraska, 72-64, on the road at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Thursday night.
Four different Illini finished in double figures to secure their seventh road of the season, clinch the team’s largest come-from-behind victory this season, and improve to 19-6 overall and 9-5 in Big Ten play.
The victory is the program’s first over the Huskers since March 1, 2017, and the team’s first win in Lincoln since Jan. 17, 2013.
Illinois forced 14 turnovers, off of which they scored 16 points. The Illini outscored the Huskers, 43-27, in the second half and 23-13 in the fourth quarter, while they scored 10 second-chance points off six offensive rebounds in the road win.
Makira Cook scored a game-high 22 points, including 10 points in the fourth quarter. Cook ended both halves with a 4-0 run, both of which proved critical in the win, while she also registered five rebounds, four assists, one block, two steals, and a team-high four assists and made all four of her free-throw attempts.
Adalia McKenzie recorded 10 of her 16 points in the second half and tallied seven total rebounds, a team-high two offensive boards, two assists, and two steals.
Jayla Oden put together one of her best games in an Illini uniform after playing 28 minutes, tying her highest mark this season. With Illinois missing Genesis Bryant for the majority of the night, Oden notched all 12 of her points in the second half and accounted for 10 points during Illinois’ 20-0 scoring run. Oden also finished with six rebounds, tying her career-high mark.
Kendall Bostic registered her 10th double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds on an efficient 71.4% shooting clip.
Jada Peebles knocked down two 3-pointers in the victory, her most in a game since Jan. 22.
Trailing by two just over 60 seconds into the game, the Illini used an 8-0 run that included six points from Bostic to take an 11-5 advantage through just over four minutes. The Huskers battled back and eventually took a three-point lead into the second quarter.
Cook provided a spark for Illinois in the second frame, scoring the team’s first six points of the quarter. Closing the half on a 4-0 run, the Illini cut the deficit to eight points and trailed, 37-29, with 20 minutes to play.
Cook registered a team-high 12 points in the first half, while Bostic and McKenzie each recorded six points at the break.
The Illini opened the third quarter on a 4-0 run to cut their deficit to four points. After Nebraska built its advantage back up to double digits, Illinois started to chip away. Illinois closed the quarter with eight straight points, a stretch that included two and-ones, to cut its deficit to two points heading into the final period of play.
Illinois picked up where it left off to start the fourth frame. Opening the frame with a 12-0 run and seven points from Oden, the Illini put together a 20-0 run between the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters, their second-longest scoring stretch this season. Illinois hit clutch shots when it needed to, held Nebraska without a field goal for over 10 minutes of playing time, and allowed just one Husker field goal in the fourth quarter to clinch the eight-point road win.
Illinois travels east for its next game this weekend, taking on No. 8/8 Maryland away from home on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. CT.
POST-GAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Kendall Bostic scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
- Recorded her 10th double-double of the season and the 16th of her career.
- Posted her 16th double-digit rebounding effort of the season.
- Tallied her 12th double-digit scoring effort of the season.
- Adalia McKenzie scored 16 points and secured seven rebounds.
- Has grabbed at least seven rebounds in four-straight games.
- Has three double-digit scoring efforts in her last four games.
- Makira Cook scored a game-high 22 points and added five rebounds and four assists.
- 12th 20-point game of the season.
- Had a game-high matching 12 points at halftime.
- Is now 16 points away from 1,000 career points.
- Brynn Shoup-Hill tallied six rebounds.
- Jayla Oden finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
- She tied her career high with six rebounds.
- First double-digit scoring effort since Dec. 21 vs. Florida Atlantic.
Team Notes:
- Nebraska won the tip and scored on their first possession.
- Illinois followed with a 3-pointer from Genesis Bryant, with an assist from Makira Cook.
- Has won at least 19 games in a season for the first time since 2012-13.
- Has won nine Big Ten games in a season for the first time since 2012-13.
- First win over Nebraska since March 1, 2017.
- First win in Lincoln since Jan. 17, 2013.
- Closed out the third quarter on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to two heading into the fourth. Scored the first 12 points of the fourth quarter to take the lead after trailing by as much as 10.
- The 12-point deficit overall was the largest overcome this season.
- First win of the season when trailing entering the fourth (0-5 entering tonight.
- The 20-0 run matched the second-longest scoring run of the season.
- Held Nebraska scoreless for a total of 7:06.
- Allowed just one field goal in the fourth quarter.
- Had four players score in double-digits for the second time in the last four games.
- The Illini bench out-scored the Huskers bench 20-5.
- Scored 16 points off of 14 Nebraska turnovers.
- Doubled-up Nebraska in points in the paint, 44-22
- Scored 10 second-chance points on six offensive rebounds.
- Illinois improves to 2-5 when trailing at halftime.
Misc. Notes:
- Starters: Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie, Brynn Shoup-Hill, Kendall Bostic for the 11th-straight game. Illinois is now 8-4 with this unit.
- The Illini moved to 19-6 on the season.
- Illinois moves to 9-5 in Big Ten play.
- Shauna Green is now:
- 19-6 at Illinois
- 9-5 in the Big Ten
- 146-56 as a Division I coach
- 175-81 overall
- Against Nebraska record: 6-18 (24th meeting)
- 2-8 when playing in Lincoln.
- Shauna Green vs. Nebraska: 1-0
- Illinois is now 3-2 when wearing blue uniforms.
- Illinois is now 8-3 in games played after 5 p.m.
