CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois women's basketball team is on an historic hot streak. The Illini have now won a school record eighth consecutive Big Ten game after knocking off Nebraska 77-68 on Sunday at State Farm Center.
Adalia McKenzie led Illinois on a second half surge, scoring 17 of her team-high 23 points while adding 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Senior forward Kendall Bostic posted her 17th double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Freshman Berry Wallace came of the bench to add 15 points for Illinois, going 6-for-9 from the floor and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Standout guard Genesis Bryant had an off shooting night (3-for-13) but was still in double figures with 12 points.
Illinois improves to 21-5 overall and 11-4 in the Big Ten, alone in fourth place in the conference. The Illini are likely to jump back into the AP Top 20 when the poll is released on Monday. Illinois was two spots out of the rankings last week.
A back and forth game in the first half, Illinois took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Huskers 22-13 and shooting 60 percent (9-for-15) from the floor.
"Just an overall gritty, resilient, tough performance by these guys against a really good Nebraska team," Illini coach Shauna Green said. "Our third quarters have been quarters that we have struggled with, and we am out of that locker room and we had a ton of energy".
Illinois has mounted its winning streak in the second half of the season with a depleted roster.
All-Big Ten guard Makira Cook and sophomore Gretchen Dolan were both lost for the season with injuries. Forward Shay Bollin is also currently sidelined. Lety Vasconcelos was ruled out for the year with a torn ACL before the season began.
The injuries continued to pile up on Sunday. Starting wing Jasmine Brown-Hagger left the game in the first half with an injured hamstring. Green said after the game that its unclear how much time she will miss.
Bostic, Bryant, McKenzie, Wallace, and Brynn Shoup-Hill all played the entire second half. Bryant and McKenzie were on the court for all 40 minutes.
"Togetherness is our superpower," Green said. "They are so connected, and they just don't want to lose. They are just so resilient in finding ways. We have been through so much. When you do that, trust builds. I think you're seeing the byproduct of that".
Nebraska was led by All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski, a member of the Naismith Trophy Watch List, with 28 points and 8 rebounds.
The Huskers led by as many as 6 points mid-way through the second quarter. After struggling to finish around the rim early in the contest, the Illini responded with a 10-0 run and briefly held the lead 30-26.
Nebraska finished the first half on a 5-0 run take a 31-30 into the locker room. Bryant struggled in the first half, going 1-for-7 from the field. Wallace scored 10 of her points before the break to keep Illinois close.
Trailing 37-34 early in the third quarter, Illinois outscored the Huskers 18-7 over the final 7:47 of the quarter.
Nebraska trimmed the lead to three points on multiple occasions in the final quarter and trailed 63-60 with 3:00 minutes remaining. McKenzie put the game away with three driving layups, completing and-1 opportunities on two of them.
Illinois now faces its biggest test yet, at it heads to Los Angeles on Thursday to take on No. 1 UCLA. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
