By IlliniGuys Staff

December 2, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Adalia McKenzie posted her eighth career double-double and first of the season as 21st ranked Illinois held off a determined Canisius team to post a 68-55 victory Monday evening.

The trip served as a homecoming for Illini head coach Shauna Green, who is in the Canisius Sports Hall of Fame after a stellar career that saw her set the school scoring record and finish second all-time in rebounding.

Buffalo native Gretchen Dolan did not see action as she did not dress due to an undisclosed injury.

McKenzie put up 15 points and 10 rebounds to help Illinois (7-1) stay on top throughout in their first action since suffering their first loss of the season to #14 Kentucky last Wednesday night in Nashville. That game saw the Illini hit just 1-of-16 shots from beyond the three-point arc and they were just as frigid in snow-covered western New York. Illinois managed to sink just 2-of-11 three-point attempts.

After hitting 33.7 percent from the arc in their previous four games (30-of-89), the Illini are shooting just 9 percent in their last two contests (3-of-27).

Kendall Bostic scored a game-high 16 points while Jasmine Brown-Hagger returned to action after missing the Kentucky loss and scored 13.

Canisius pulled with 56-50 with 7:51 to go, but the Illinois defense allowed just one field goal the rest of the way while McKenzie and Brown-Hagger combined for ten points to seal the win.

The Illini again relied on just six players for the majority of the game for the second game in a row as they all played at least 27 minutes in this one.

"We get a couple of days rest, get some players healthy - get Gretchen back - and then several days of really serious practice to (get ready for Ohio State)", Green said in her postgame interview on WDWS.

Graduate guard Makira Cook said it wasn't pretty, but was proud of the way the team stuck together.

"I felt we weren't completely focused as a team until the second half, but I do think we stayed together and found a way which is really important, because it's hard to win on the road", said Cook, who scored eight points and dished out five assists.

She now returns to her home state on Sunday as Illinois faces 12th ranked Ohio State (3pm, BTN). The Buckeyes are 7-0 on the season and are beating foes by an average of 35 points per game. But they have yet to face a ranked team or a team from a power conference this season.

Jaela Johnson led Canisius (1-6) with 10 points.