Illinois Athletics
March 24, 2024
Adalia McKenzie courtesy Illinois Athletics
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois never trailed en route to a dominant 79-62 win over Stony Brook in the second round of the WBIT at State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon.
Three Illini scorers finished in double figures, while 10 players saw the court in the team's final home game of the 2023-24 season.
Adalia McKenzie poured in a career-high 28 points, her second consecutive 20-point performance. Missing only one shot across the first three quarters, McKenzie went 12-for-16 from the field, marking the first game of her career with double-digit field goals. She also totaled seven rebounds, including four boards on the offensive glass, along with three assists and one steal.
Kendall Bostic secured her seventh double-double in her last eight games, totaling 19 points and 17 rebounds. Reaching the double-double mark with three minutes remaining in the second quarter, Bostic went 9-for-11 from the field after going a perfect 5-for-5 in the first half. She also amassed one assist and one steal.
Makira Cook also clinched her second double-double of the season with 14 points and a season-best 10 assists, with her double-digit helpers setting a new single-game postseason program record. She also grabbed five rebounds and made one block.
Camille Hobby amassed four points and six rebounds, while Gretchen Dolan added seven points off the bench.
The Illini opened the game on a 6-2 run, though the Seawolves battled back to reduce their deficit to a single point four minutes into the contest. Illinois then pieced together a 5-0 run to move its advantage up to six points before McKenzie tallied her first points, which meant all five starters registered a basket within the first five-and-a-half minutes of action. Stony Brook got hot from 3-point range, making four in the span of three minutes, but Illinois closed the frame on a 10-0 run to take a double-digit lead, 27-16, through 10 minutes.
Starting the second quarter on a 5-0 run, the Illini extended their advantage up to 16 within the first three minutes of the frame. The Seawolves ended a scoreless drought of nearly six minutes soon after, though the Orange and Blue's edge ballooned up to 17 with three minutes to go in the first half. A 6-0 Illinois run brought the home side's advantage past the 20-point mark before going into the break with a 45-26 lead.
McKenzie led the way with a team-high 12 points in the first half, while Bostic secured a double-double with 10 points and a team-most 12 rebounds through the opening 20 minutes. Holding the Seawolves to just 28.2% shooting, the Illini dominated in points in the paint, 24-14, and on the glass, 29-15, across the first two quarters.
Stony Brook cut its deficit to 13 points following a 7-0 run just over two minutes into the second half. Illinois responded with a 14-2 run, which extended the home side's advantage up to 60-35. Scoring the final seven points of that run, McKenzie reached the 20-point mark for the second consecutive game and for the fourth time overall this season. The Seawolves used an 11-4 run over the next three minutes to reduce the Illini's edge to 18 points, but the Orange and Blue closed the frame with a 6-2 run, bringing the hosts' lead up to 70-48 with 10 minutes remaining.
Bostic scored the Illini's first four points of the final frame before Stony Brook went on a 9-0 run over the next 90 seconds to cut Illinois' lead down to 14. McKenzie then accounted for the Orange and Blue's next three points, which helped her clinch a career-best scoring output. The Illini closed out the win to secure a spot in the quarterfinal round.
With its 18-point win, Illinois will hit the road for its WBIT quarterfinals appearance to take on [3] Tulsa away from home on Thursday.
Player Notes:
Team Notes:
Miscellaneous Notes:
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