It was a great performance by the women’s Illinois basketball team on Saturday night.
The Illini entered the first round of the NCAA tournament with high hopes of winning at least the first-round game. Creighton wasn’t an easy opponent, as they are a great shooting squad.
Illinois met the challenge, though. The Bluejays gave us everything they had, but the Illini managed to fight through it all. Despite some pushes, Illinois fended off Creighton and won the game, 66-57.
Here are five big observations from the Illinois basketball win over the Creighton Bluejays
1. Illinois did a great job on the perimeter
Shauna Green and the Illinois basketball team knew what we were up against on Saturday night. This wasn’t an ordinary team. Creighton was one of the best three-point shooting programs in the country.
Coming into the game, the Bluejays were converting their three-pointers at a clip of 36.7%, which ranked No. 17 in the country. They also shot from distance at a high rate, taking 24.9 three-point attempts per contest, which ranked No. 32 in the nation.
Illinois accepted the challenge. We went up against one of the best three-point shooting programs in the country and shut them down. Creighton was 6-of-22, 27.3%, from three-point range on Saturday night. They couldn’t get anything going consistently, and it had a lot to do with Illinois playing some suffocating defense on the perimeter.
Jasmine Brown-Hagger was great off the bench defensively. She really helped Illinois when we needed it. Adalia McKenzie brought a ton of energy defensively as well. It was a great team effort on the perimeter, and it won the game for us against Creighton.
2. Another freshman stepped up for the Illini
Illinois basketball is less than 24 hours removed from the men’s program having freshman Will Riley hitting big shots and helping that team advance to the Round of 32. Riley, a freshman, came up big for the Illini.
The women’s program also had a freshman step up in a big way. Berry Wallace, a former five-star like Riley, was thrown into the mix early on in her freshman season, and she is giving the Illini huge minutes on the court in the NCAA tournament.
Wallace played 31 minutes for Illinois on Saturday night and finished the game with 11 points, five rebounds, and one assist. She also shot 4-of-8 from the field and was the only player on the Illinois roster who didn’t have a turnover in the game.
In the game against Creighton, Wallace played well all around. But there was one specific time that sticks out to me. The Bluejays continued to make a push. They got the deficit down to 58-54 with less than two minutes to go in the game. Genesis Bryant steps up to the free throw line and misses both. So, the momentum continued in Creighton’s favor. But on that second missed free throw, Wallace fought for the rebound. She pulled down the board and put it back up for two points.
That hustle and drive helped secure the victory in the first round. I don’t know where the Illini would be today without Wallace. We went through some massive injuries, and as a freshman, Wallace filled the voids and has helped get this program the first NCAA tournament win since 2000.
3. The second half was a struggle from 3-point range
For pretty much the entire game, Creighton hung around and gave Illinois a scare. This wasn’t a blowout at any time. The Illini did play much better in the first half, though.
Illinois’ defense was the story of the night, as it helped secure the win. The Illini defense also helped cover up the fact we shot poorly in the second half.
In the first 20 minutes of action, Illinois played pretty well offensively. We hit 13-of-27 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range. Illinois was clicking on that end of the court, but halftime cooled us off.
The Illini struggled to find any rhythm in the final 20 minutes of the game. We had to lean on our defense a lot more, as we only shot 12-of-29 from the field and 3-of-12 from three-point range. Usually, shooting 25% from deep kills a program, but our defense was able to lock up Creighton, and our offense found other ways to score.
Illinois will have to find more consistency from three-point range against Texas. Thankfully, we don’t lean on that part of our game, and we know when to drive to the basket and when to shoot from deep.
4. Kendall Bostic isn’t finishing career without a fight
When it is all said and done, Kendall Bostic is likely to go down as one of the best Illinois basketball players of all time.
Bostic has averaged a double-double in the last three seasons combined. She has now made it to two NCAA tournaments and won an NCAA tournament game after the program was in basketball purgatory for over a decade.
This wasn’t an easy win for Bostic and the Illini on Saturday night either. Creighton gave us all they had, and it was a close game throughout. But Bostic wasn’t going down without a fight.
Bostic had another huge game of 12 points, 17 rebounds, two blocks, two assists, and one steal while going 6-of-14 from the field. When Illinois needed her to come through, she was always there. Even toward the end of the game, Bostic didn’t have to hit the floor, but she wanted to secure the victory. This hustle and effort resulted in a jump ball and possession to Illinois in a six-point game.
Illinois is now on to the Round of 32 where we will play Texas, a No. 1 seed. Bostic is going to continue fighting. Every game could be her last. But her impact on Illinois is greater than just her numbers. She is an example for the rest of the team, especially the younger players like Berry Wallace. Her legacy will be felt for years to come.
5. Rounding battle was clearly won by Illinois
This section kind of touches on the previous section about Kendall Bostic. Illinois had to have the defense come through, as the offense was struggling. A big part of not allowing Creighton to score is securing rebounds.
Illinois has been a middle-of-the-pack pack rebounding team this season. We pull down 36.8 rebounds per game, which ranks No. 161 in the nation. To beat a team like Creighton, Illinois was going to have to dominate the glass. We needed a big team effort to secure rebounds.
The Illini did end up winning the rebounding battle. Illinois pulled down 42 rebounds compared to Creighton’s 32 rebounds. That is a +10 rebounding margin, which is a number any team would want in any game.
Bostic was the main rebounder for Illinois. Her 17 rebounds paced the Illini, and it was nine rebounds more than anyone for either team. The Illini did have three other players have at least five rebounds in the game, though.
Here is the thing. If Illinois can win the rebounding battle by 10 rebounds against Texas, we have a legitimate shot to knock off a No. 1 seed. Illinois managed to do it once, so why not do it again?
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