By IlliniGuys Staff

February 16, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - This quartet of Illini women's players who have resurrected this dormant program continue to rewrite the record books.

Kendall Bostic scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Illinois defeated Nebraska 77-68 for their program record eighth straight Big Ten win Sunday afternoon.

The victory came despite losing another player to injury. Jasmine Brown-Hagger limped off the court after grabbing a defensive rebound at the 9:13 mark in the second quarter and did not return.

That left the Illini with a six-player rotation and they answered the call. Adalia McKenzie scored 17 of her team-high 23 points in the second half as Illinois rallied from a one-point deficit to a lead that reached nine points. The senior, who broke into the starting lineup as a freshman under former head coach Nancy Fahey, also had eight rebounds, seven assists, and four steals.

Bostic's double-double was the 51st of her career, good for third best among active players and just two shy of the school record of 53 set by Jenna Smith.

Berry Wallace scored 15 points off the bench and Genesis Bryant scored 12 in her next to last home game.

Bostic and McKenzie are the lone holdovers from that 2021-22 team that won just seven games. Bryant and Brynn Shoup-Hill, who scored eight points and collected six rebounds in the win, transferred in along with the injured Makira Cook that next summer and have been the cornerstones of a group that has rewritten the Illini women's basketball record book.

They've now won 11 Big Ten regular season games, the second highest total in school history. Illinois (21-5, 11-4 in Big Ten) has won 12 conference games three times, the last under Theresa Grentz in 1998. The victory is also the 62nd in Shauna Green's third season, putting her in fifth place on the all-time Illini women's coaches list.

They're getting it done without sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan and without Cook, the all-Big Ten guard who has been out for most of the season. Illinois has managed to go 14-3 without her.

The Illini had already set a program record with the fastest to reach 20 wins in a season (25 games) and Green's victory total is the most for a third year Illinois women's coach.

Alex Markowski led Nebraska (17-9, 8-7) with 28 points and eight rebounds.

Illinois will next fly to Los Angeles to face top-ranked UCLA on Thursday. That's an 8:30pm CST tipoff on Big Ten Network.

Stay with IlliniGuys.com for more postgame coverage.