UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Five Illini scorers finished in double figures as Illinois took down Penn State, 86-71, away from home at Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday night.
Leading by as many as 20 and holding an advantage for the final 16:21, the Orange and Blue secured their third conference road victory with four regular-season games to play.
Adalia McKenzie recorded a team-high 18 points after totaling 10 points at the halftime intermission, and she has now finished in double figures in all but one Illini road game this season. Starting 4-for-4 from the field, McKenzie shot 72.7% from the field while also accumulating three rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Kendall Bostic secured her eighth double-double of the campaign, ending her night with 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, all of which came on the defensive end of the floor. Bostic shot 70% from the field, knocked down all three of her free throws, dished out one assist, and registered a steal for the seventh straight game.
Makira Cook, making her 100th appearance at the collegiate level, poured in 16 points, marking the ninth time in her last 10 games she has reached double figures. Cook led all scorers at the break with 11 first-half points, and she also collected two rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Genesis Bryant scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half, and she tallied three 3-pointers for the eighth time this season. Bryant led the way with a team-high five assists, which tied her highest mark in a road game, and she grabbed one rebound.
Gretchen Dolan equaled her career-high scoring tally with 11 points, while her career-best three 3-pointers marked the first time in her college career that she made multiple triples in a game. Dolan also amassed four rebounds and four assists, both of which set new career-high marks, and she tacked on one steal.
Camille Hobby notched seven of her nine points in the fourth quarter, and she rounded out her strong showing with six rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
The Illini went 18-for-20 from the free-throw line, scored 20 points off 17 forced turnovers, and pieced together 19 fast-break points.
The Illini's first four points of the night came via Bostic, though the Nittany Lions led by as many as four through the opening five minutes of the frame. Dolan knocked down two 3-pointers in the span of 22 seconds to account for all six points during the Orange and Blue's 6-0 run to retake the lead. Penn State used a 10-2 scoring stretch to go ahead by as many as five in the first quarter, though Illinois closed the period with four consecutive points to cut the host's lead to 22-21 through 10 minutes.
McKenzie scored the final bucket of the first quarter, which came on the fast break following a steal. She then tallied the Illini's first five points of the second period, including an and-1 layup to put the visitors back in front just over two minutes into the frame.
Cook and McKenzie combined for two and-1 opportunities over a three-minute stretch that saw the Illini go on a 10-0 run, with the pair recording all 10 points during that span. Holding the Nittany Lions scoreless for over four minutes, the Illini took a nine-point edge, 36-27, with 3:40 to play in the opening half.
Penn State went on an 8-2 run to close the first half, which saw Illinois take a 38-35 advantage into the break. Cook and McKenzie both reached double figures through the opening 20 minutes, while McKenzie started 4-for-4 from the field prior to the intermission.
The Nittany Lions retook the lead after scoring the first four points of the second half, but the Illini did not trail for long. A jumper from Bostic put the visitors back in front before a steal and a fast-break layup from McKenzie extended the Illini's lead to three. Penn State tied the game at 42 before a 6-0 Illinois run the away side ahead for good. McKenzie scored the first four points of that stretch before Shay Bollin grabbed an offensive rebound and made the second-chance effort.
Holding a six-point advantage halfway through the third quarter, the Illini continued to apply the pressure, even after Penn State cut its deficit to two points. Bryant rattled in her second triple before Dolan converted her third 3-pointer less than one minute later. Cook's two free throws capped off an 8-0 run for the Orange and Blue to give the Illini a double-digit lead with less than two minutes to play in the frame.
Bostic's jumper brought her scoring total into double digits before Bryant tallied the final four points of the third period to bring her into double figures. Outscoring the Nittany Lions in the third quarter, 24-16, Illinois held a 62-51 edge with 10 minutes to play.
Bryant connected from 3-point range for the third time to extend the Illini edge to 14 points less than 30 seconds into the fourth quarter. After Illinois' lead shrunk to 10 points with 7:50 remaining, the Illini went on a 13-3 run to put the Orange and Blue comfortably in front. Bostic scored seven points during that five-minute stretch that pushed the away side's advantage to 20 points, 78-58, with three minutes left on the clock.
Hobby scored five points late in the game and Dolan's two free throws with 41 seconds to play brought her into double figures and helped her tie her career-best scoring mark. The Illini's lead never dropped belowdouble digits in the fourth quarter, and some late free throws helped the visitors close out the road victory.
Illinois (12-12, 6-8 B1G) returns to State Farm Center for a meeting with No. 14/12 Indiana on Monday afternoon. The Presidents' Day matinee is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will air nationally on Fox.
POSTGAME NOTES
Player Notes:
- Genesis Bryant recorded 13 points, a team-high five assists, and one rebound.
- Bryant's five assists equaled her highest total in an Illini road game this season.
- She has now totaled at least five assists in eight games this season.
- Scored in double figures for the 16th time this season.
- Recorded three 3-pointers, her eighth game with at least three triples.
- Shot 50% from the field, her best shooting percentage in a true road game this season.
- Bryant's five assists equaled her highest total in an Illini road game this season.
- Makira Cook scored 16 points, dished out two assists, grabbed two rebounds, and made one steal.
- Made her 100th appearance at the collegiate level.
- Recorded double figures for the ninth time in her last 10 games and for the 17th time this season.
- Secured double-digit points with 3:40 to play in the first half and had a team-high 11 points at the break.
- Went 8-for-9 from the free-throw line.
- Made at least eight free throws for the second time this season and for the second time in her last three appearances.
- Registered a steal for the sixth consecutive game.
- Adalia McKenzie poured in a game-high 18 points, and she totaled three rebounds, three assists, and a team-high three steals.
- Has hit double figures in five straight games.
- Reached the double-digit scoring mark with 6:34 to go in the first half.
- Started the game by going 4-for-4 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
- Went 8-for-11 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
- Her eight field goals equaled her season-best tally.
- She has gone 11-for-12 from the charity stripe over her last five games.
- Has now registered at least three steals in six games this season.
- Has multiple steals in three consecutive games for the second time in her career.
- Has hit double figures in five straight games.
- Camille Hobby added nine points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
- Has a steal in three straight games for the second time this season.
- Tied her career-best assist mark, the 10th time she has registered multiple helpers in a game over the course of her five-year college career.
- Kendall Bostic recorded the 26th double-double of her career, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
- Secured her eighth double-double of the season.
- Moved into a tie for seventh place all-time in career double-doubles (26).
- Tallied a double-digit scoring effort for the 18th time this season.
- Has made a steal in seven consecutive contests.
- The longest streak of her career.
- Secured her eighth double-double of the season.
- Gretchen Dolan tied her season-best scoring mark with 11 points off the bench and amassed four rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
- Was the first Illini off the bench, entering the game for the first time with 5:09 to play in the first quarter.
- Scored six points and added two rebounds and two assists in the first quarter.
- Registered a career-high three 3-pointers, marking the first game of her collegiate career with multiple triples in a game.
- Grabbed a career-high four rebounds, securing her fourth board with 42 seconds to play.
- Dished out a career-best four assists, surpassing her previous career-high mark late in the third quarter.
- Made three free throws, her third game this season with at least three makes from the charity stripe.
- Was the first Illini off the bench, entering the game for the first time with 5:09 to play in the first quarter.
Team Notes:
- Illinois won the tip, and the Illini opened the scoring 23 seconds into the game with a layup from Bostic on an assist from Cook .
- The Illini had five players score in double figures (McKenzie, Bostic, Cook, Bryant, Dolan).
- Illinois held Penn State to 13 points in the second quarter, marking the 49th time the Illini have held their opponent at/under 15 points in a period this season.
- The Illini used a 10-0 run from 6:49 to 3:09 in the second quarter to turn a one-point deficit into a nine-point lead.
- Illinois held Penn State scoreless for over four minutes (0-for-6) and forced two turnovers during that stretch.
- McKenzie and Cook combined for all 10 points during that span.
- Illinois went on a 14-4 run over the span of nearly five minutes in the third quarter (6:21 to 1:31) to take a 10-point advantage.
- McKenzie scored the first four points of that stretch before Bryant and Dolan both converted from 3-point range.
- The Illini took a game-high 20-point lead after going on a 13-3 run from 7:27 to 2:55 in the fourth quarter.
- Bostic accounted for seven points during this stretch, a span that saw the Orange and Blue go 4-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
- Illinois' 86 points marked its most against Penn State since the Illini scored 91 on Jan. 4, 2015.
- That game also marked the program's last away win over the Nittany Lions prior to tonight.
- The Illini's 15-point margin of victory in a road win over the Nittany Lions ties their largest difference in series history (91-76 W on 1/4/2015).
- Illinois secured back-to-back wins over Penn State for the first time since 2009.
- The Illini have won consecutive games over the Nittany Lions by double digits for the first timesince 1997-98.
- The Orange and Blue gave the Nittany Lions just their third home loss of the campaign (now sit at 11-3 at Bryce Jordan Center).
- The Illini shot 54.4% from the field, their best mark in conference play this season.
- 54.4% from the field is their highest field-goal percentage in a road game since shooting 56.4% on Feb. 26, 2023, at Rutgers
- Illinois shot 18-for-20 from the free-throw line, their third-best mark of the campaign.
- The team's 18 free throws were their second-most in a road game this season.
- The Illini scored 20 points off 17 forced turnovers.
- Illinois tallied 13 bench points (Dolan: 11, Bollin: 2).
- The Illini recorded 19 fast-break points, outscoring the Nittany Lions in transition, 19-8.
Misc. Notes:
- Starters: Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant, Adalia McKenzie, Kendall Bostic, Camille Hobby
- This lineup is now 7-5 on the season.
- Shauna Green is now:
- 34-22 at Illinois
- 161-72 as a Division-I coach
- 190-97 overall
- Illinois vs. Penn State: 18-39 (57th meeting)
- Shauna Green coaching record vs. Penn State: 2-0
- Illinois is now 4-2 when wearing blue uniforms this season.
- UI is now 3-5 in true road games this season.
- The Illini are now 7-3 in games starting after 5 p.m. CT this season.
- The Illini are now 2-2 in February.
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