MINNEAPOLIS — Six-seeded Illinois opened its Big Ten Tournament run in dominant fashion, taking down 11-seed Rutgers, 81-55, at Target Center in downtown Minneapolis on Thursday night.

The Illini clinched their first quarterfinals appearance since 2011, while Illinois beat an opponent three times in one season for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign. The 26-point margin of victory is the program’s largest in Big Ten Tournament history and the largest in postseason play since 1981.

Makira Cook led all scorers with 24 points, shooting a season-best 76.9% from the field alongside four 3-pointers. Cook also registered five assists and two rebounds in her 27 minutes of action.

Genesis Bryant tallied 21 points and was active both inside and outside the arc. Bryant made three 3-pointers and converted all five of her 2-point attempts, and she added five assists and five rebounds.

Adalia McKenzie scored eight of her 12 points in the first quarter, and she notched four rebounds, two assists, and a team-high two steals.

Kendall Bostic recorded six points and five rebounds in 20 minutes of play. Jada Peebles knocked down one 3-pointer and grabbed four rebounds.

Nine different Illini registered at least two points, including five points from Samantha Dewey, four points apiece from Aicha Ndour and Kam’Ren Rhodes, and two points from Geovana Lopes.

After Rutgers opened the scoring, Illinois immediately responded. A McKenzie jumper, Bryant 3-pointer, and Bostic putback layup fueled a 7-0 Illini run over the span of just 83 seconds. Bryant knocked down her second triple of the night, while McKenzie accounted for six of the team’s final eight points of the first quarter to give Illinois a 16-10 lead through 10 minutes.

The Scarlet Knights cut their deficit to two points early in the second quarter before an 11-0 Illini run extended Illinois’ lead to double digits. Four Illini scored during that stretch to put Illinois ahead by 13 halfway through the frame. Cook registered 10 points over the final five minutes of the first half, including a 3-pointer to close out the period.

Illinois took a 41-27 lead into halftime, highlighted by double-digit scoring performances from Cook, Bryant, and McKenzie. The Illini shot 58.6% from the field and 50% from deep in the opening 20 minutes. 

The Illini used several short runs throughout the third quarter to extend their lead. After Bryant scored seven straight Illinois points, Cook knocked down her fourth triple of the night. Bryant and Bostic both notched at least 10 points in the frame as Illinois outscored Rutgers by 12 points in the quarter to take a 26-point lead into the final frame.

Illinois used the fourth quarter to give minutes to several bench players, with Dewey knocking down her second 3-pointer of the season. The Illini used a 7-0 run to push their advantage to a game-high 31 points late in the frame.

Moving onto the quarterfinals, Illinois takes on No. 3-seed Maryland in the final game of the Friday slate.

Quotes

Shauna Green

Opening statement:

“Just really proud of these guys and how we came out and really executed the game plan from the start. I thought that that was key.

“I think it was an advantage playing them just a few days ago. We made a couple adjustments in how we’re going to guard, but they did another great job of execution.

“We talk right now in March, it’s about execution. It’s about effort. I thought we were elite in both of those.

“Then these two right here, when they’re shooting like that, it makes my job a lot easier, and it makes us a lot better team. So just really proud of the confidence that they played with, our entire team. So offensively, we got moving, but that starts with our defense and our rebounding, and then we got in a flow offensively.”

On the balance between celebrating a win and focusing on the next game:

“I think that we did a great job of that. It was, yeah, great job, but it’s not like we’re acting like we won anything. We won one game, and now we focus in on tomorrow.

“So for us, it’s always — that’s how it’s been in the regular season too. Enjoy the win or look at the loss, whatever it is, and then tomorrow’s a new day. In a tournament setting, you’ve just got to flip the script a little bit quicker.

“When we leave this building, this game’s over, and now we’re on to Maryland and focusing in on the game plan for that.”

Makira Cook

On her improved defense, especially after drawing two charges:

“I would say that I think that, when I’m locked in, I’m a really great defender. I just have to continue to lock myself in to a point of where I’m defending at a high level all 40.”

Genesis Bryant

On playing against the zone:

“I feel like confidence. I feel like we were just ready to shoot, ready to let it fly. Sometimes we overthink the zone sometimes. And I feel like we had a lot of reps in practice, just working our plays. We were just confident in the zone.”

Postgame Notes

Player Notes:

  • Genesis Bryant recorded her seventh 20-point game of the season, finishing with 21 points



  • Adalia McKenzie finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.



  • Makira Cook recorded her 14th 20-point game of the season, finishing with 24 points.


    • Led all scorers at the half with 14 points and 5 assists.

    • Cook’s 24 points is tied for fifth among highest scoring performances for an Illini in a Big Ten Tournament game. 

Team Notes:

  • Illinois defeated Rutgers 81-55 for a 26-point margin of victory. The Illini posted the best win-margin, in fact none of the previous five games played in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament had been won by more than five points. 

  • Illinois shot a season-high 59.6 percent from the field. The Illini shot 70+ percent from the field in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters — 75 percent in the 2nd and 75.0 (9-12) and 73.3 in the 3rd (11-15). 

  • Illinois produced an 11-0 second quarter run to go up 29-16 with 5:45 left in the frame.

  • Illinois hit six consecutive field goals, and 8-of-9, in the 2nd quarter. During the second stanza, Illinois shot 75 percent (9-of-12) and was perfect from three on 3-of-3 shooting. 

  • Through the first 3:46 of the third quarter, Illinois was a perfect 5-of-5 in field goals (2-of-2 3PT), and 2-of-2 in free throws for 14 points. 

  • Illinois took its largest lead of the game with 31 at the 3:32 mark of the 4th quarter (77-46).

  • With the win, Illinois has defeated Rutgers three times this season. The last time Illinois beat the same team 3 times in one season was in the 2005-06 season with the Illini defeated Northwestern 64-55 at home on 1/8/06, 60-59 at Northwestern on 2/16/06 and 60-49 in the Big Ten Tournament on 3/2/06

  • This is the first win for the Illini in a non-first round game since 2010-11. That season, Illinois advanced to the semifinals.

  • Rutgers was held at 15 points or below in all four quarters, the third time this season Illinois has held down an opponent to such.

  • For the first time in school history, Illinois has defeated the same team in back-to-back games of a season. 


    • The Illini played the same opponent, Iowa, in 2013-14, but those were losses. 

  • In her Big Ten Tournament debut, first-year Illini head coach Shauna Green now owns the program’s largest margin of victory in the Big Ten Tournament (26 points) and the program’s largest postseason victory since 1981 with tonight’s 81-55 victory over Rutgers.

  • Illinois has now won 15 more games than it did one year ago, the third-best turnaround in Big Ten history and a new Illini women’s basketball program record.

  • Rutgers won the tip and would score first for its only lead of the game (2-0).

  • First two players off the bench for the Illini were freshmen Samantha Dewey and Kam’Ren Rhodes.

  • Every player that saw court time grabbed a rebound in the win.

Misc Notes:

Score after 1st Quarter: 18-12

Score at Halftime: 41-27 (23-15)

Score after 3rd Quarter: 68-42 (27-15)

Final score: 81-55 (13-13)

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