(From Illinois Sports Information Office)

#25/RV Illinois at #3/3 UCLA

Head Coach Shauna Green

Career Record: 218-105 (.675), 11th season
Division I Record: 189-80 (.703), Ninth season
At Illinois: 62-30 (.674), Third season
Big Ten Record: 30-21 (.588), Third season

OPENING TIP

The 51st campaign of Fighting Illini women's basketball continues on Thursday night, when No. 25 Illinois travels to the West Coast to take on No. 3 UCLA at 8:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network. Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM). Streaming, audio, and stats links are also available at FightingIllini.com/wbb.

• Illinois won 10 games before Christmas (Dec. 25) for the first time since 2022-23 and for the second time since 2006-07.
• Illinois has earned a win over a ranked opponent for the third consecutive season and is up to five under Green.
• Head coach Shauna Green earned her 200th win as a head coach on Nov. 14, 2024 vs. Eastern Illinois.
• The Fighting Illini have now been ranked in the Top 25 in all three seasons under Green.
• Illinois faced a ranked team in its Big Ten opener for the third straight season (#12/7 Ohio State, --/25 Michigan, #5/4 Indiana).
• Illinois returned four 1,000-career point scorers, tied for the most in the NCAA with Baylor, Notre Dame, and Kansas State.
• Illinois has won multiple Top-25 games in the same season for the first time since 2014-15.
• Illinois has won three Top-25 games in the same season for the first time since 1999-2000.
• The Fighting Illini's eight-game Big Ten winning streak (as of Feb. 19, 2025), is a new program record.
• Needing just 25 games to reach a 20-win season, the 2024-25 Illini squad matched the program record for quickest to 20 victories.
• Illinois' four team turnovers in its 67-55 win over Penn State (2/13/25), set a new program single-game record.
• Illinois' seniors (Cook, Bryant, McKenzie, Shoup-Hill, Bostic) have a combined 466 career starts (440 at Illinois) and played a combined 608 games (480 at Illinois).
• Kendall Bostic's 1,346 career rebounds rank second of all active NCAA D1 players and is the active Big Ten-leading mark.
• On Jan. 27, 2025, Kendall Bostic grabbed the 1,218th rebound of her Illinois career and broke Jenna Smith's all-time Illinois record of 1,217 boards.
• Also on Jan. 27, 2025, Bostic moved into third place on the Big Ten's career rebounding list, surpassing Indiana's Denise Jackson (1981-84) at 1,273 rebounds.
• Kendall Bostic owns 51 double-doubles across her Illinois career, ranking second in school history behind Jenna Smith's 53.
• Illinois' free throws made per game mark of 15.65 ranks 15th in the NCAA.
• Illinois' 12.0 turnovers per game rank 12th in the NCAA.
• Illinois' free throw percentage of 79.8% ranks 6th in the NCAA and leads the Big Ten.
• The Fighting Illini are second in the Big Ten with a 27.8% 3-point defensive rate, which ranks 46th in the NCAA.
• Eight different Illini scorers have posted double-digit points in a game this season: Bostic, Bryant, Brown-Hagger, Cook, Dolan, McKenzie, Shoup-Hill, Wallace.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

UCLA, boasting a 24-1 record and a 12-1 mark in Big Ten play, has been ranked among the top teams in the nation all season long. After starting the 2024-25 campaign ranked No. 5, the Bruins spent 12 weeks as the No. 1 team in the AP Top-25 Poll, though a road loss to No. 6 USC last week dropped UCLA down to No. 3 heading into Thursday's matchup at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins began their season with 23-consecutive wins, including seven ranked victories: No. 1 South Carolina, No. 8 Maryland, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 17 Louisville, No. 22 Michigan State, No. 24 Michigan, and No. 25 Baylor.

UCLA holds the longest active home winning streak in the Big Ten with 17-consecutive home wins, with the Bruins posting an 11-0 mark at Pauley Pavilion this season entering this week's contest. Thursday's hosts also lead the Big Ten in points allowed per game (55.9 PPG).

ALL-TIME SERIES INFORMATION

Heading into the fifth all-time meeting between Illinois and UCLA, the Illini hold the 3-1 edge in the series, which dates back to 1985. Though this marks the Orange and Blue's first trip to Los Angeles for a Big Ten matchup with the Bruins, Illinois is 1-1 in games played away from home against UCLA.

The Fighting Illini won the most recent matchup between the sides, 78-63, on Dec. 19, 2004, when the teams met in Champaign. This Thursday's contest will be the Illini's first trip to Los Angeles to take on UCLA since Nov. 24, 2003.

RANKED ILLINI

For the third straight season under head coach Shauna Green, Fighting Illini women's basketball is ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll, coming in at No. 25 in the Feb. 18 poll. On an eight-game winning streak, the Fighting Illini hold a 21-5 record overall and an 11-4 mark in Big Ten play.

The Illini have been ranked in 10 combined AP polls under head coach Shauna Green. In 2022-23, the Orange and Blue appeared in four Top-25 polls, followed by the preseason rankings in 2023-24, the Week 2-5 polls in 2024-25, and this week's poll.

Green joins Naismith Hall of Famer Theresa Grentz as the only coaches in program history to lead their teams to AP Top-25 ranking appearances in three straight seasons. The last time Illinois was ranked in three straight seasons was a five-season span from 1996-97 through 2000-01.

ILLINOIS SETS PROGRAM RECORD WITH EIGHTH-STRAIGHT B1G WIN

For the first time in program history, Illinois has won eight Big Ten games in a row, which the Illini achieved with their 77-68 win over Nebraska on Feb. 16. Breaking the previous mark of seven-consecutive conference victories, the Orange and Blue have won four road games and four home contests en route to the new program record.

During this historic stretch, Illinois has outscored opponents by an average of 15.4 points; shot 44.3% from the field, 42.0% from 3-point range, and 81.9% from the free throw line as a team; and averaged 17 assists and 11.6 forced turnovers per game. Four players have averaged over 10 points per game during the eight-game winning streak, with Genesis Bryant leading the way with 16.9 points per game.

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois used a dominant second half to defeat Nebraska, 77-68, at State Farm Center on Sunday evening.

With four scorers in double figures, the Fighting Illini clinched their eighth Big Ten win in a row, the longest streak in program history, to improve to 21-5 overall and 11-4 in conference play.

Playing all 40 minutes, Adalia McKenzie led the way offensively with 23 points after scoring 17 points on 60% shooting in the second half. McKenzie also tallied eight rebounds, seven assists, and a season-most four steals.

Kendall Bostic secured her career-best 17th double-double of the season, with the Illini fifth year posting 19 points and 11 rebounds. She also notched an assist and a block.

Berry Wallace recorded a team-high 10 points in the first half before finishing with 15 points. Going 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from deep, Wallace also collected three rebounds and an assist.

Genesis Bryant logged 12 points, four assists, three rebounds, and a steal while going 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

Brynn Shoup-Hill closed the evening with eight points, six rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal.

Bostic, Bryant, McKenzie, Shoup-Hill, and Wallace all played the entirety of the second half, with the Orange and Blue outscoring the Huskers across the final 20 minutes, 47-37.