AUSTIN, TX – [8] Illinois earned its first NCAA Tournament win since 2000, battling to a 66-57 first-round victory over [9] No. 23 Creighton at Moody Center on Saturday night.
The Fighting Illini led for the final 34 minutes, registering their fourth ranked triumph of the season with the nine-point win over the Bluejays.
Genesis Bryant registered double-digit points for the 13th game in a row, leading the Orange and Blue in scoring with 17 points while knocking down two 3-pointers. Bryant made six clutch free throws down the stretch to seal the victory, and she also added four assists and a rebound.
Kendall Bostic became the program's all-time double-doubles leader with the 54th such performance of her career. Grabbing a season-high 17 rebounds, the most by an Illini in an NCAA Tournament ever, Bostic also collected 12 points, two assists, two blocks, and a steal.
Adalia McKenzie poured in 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out two assists, and corralled one steal.
Berry Wallace marked her NCAA Tournament debut with 11 points while going 4-for-8 from the field. She also corralled five rebounds and tallied one assist.
Brynn Shoup-Hill logged nine points, while both of her rebounds came on the offensive glass. Making two 3-pointers in the third quarter that swung the momentum back into the Illini's faor, Shoup-Hill also tacked on an assist and a block.
The Illini took an early lead following a Bryant 3-pointer before the Bluejays briefly went ahead via a 6-0 run. The Orange and Blue countered with a 7-0 scoring stretch to jump back in front, 10-6, with that three-minute stretch featuring three different scorers.
After Creighton cut its deficit in half, Illinois used an 8-2 run across the final four-and-a-half minutes of the frame to take an 18-10 lead through the opening 10 minutes of play.
That advantage climbed into double digits for the first time with 8:30 remaining in the second quarter, with Bryant's layup moving her into double figures. Back-to-back buckets from McKenzie helped the Illini maintain that 12-point edge, but a 7-0 Bluejay run over a nearly five-minute span cut Creighton's deficit down to 26-21. A 3-point play from Shoup-Hill ended the Illini's lengthy scoring drought, extending Illinois' lead up to eight points.
Illinois eventually entered the intermission with a 31-26 edge after shooting 48% from the field across the opening 20 minutes of action. Bryant led all scorers at the break with 11 first-half points while going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
A 5-2 Creighton run to start the second half cut the Bluejays' deficit down to two, but corner treys from Shoup-Hill on consecutive possessions fueled a 6-0 run to give Illinois a 41-33 edge. After Creighton reduced the Illini lead back down to two, Illinois closed the frame with a 6-2 stretch to hold a 47-41 advantage with 10 minutes left to play.
Already in double figures, McKenzie grabbed a steal early in the fourth quarter and went coast-to-coast for the transition layup. Bostic then made a basket of her own to lengthen the Illini lead back up to double digits, 51-41, with 8:44 to go.
A 6-2 Bluejay run trimmed the Orange and Blue's edge down to six, but Jasmine Brown-Hagger drained her first 3-pointer of the night to push that advantage back up to nine with just under six minutes remaining.
Creighton continued to battle, posting a 4-0 run to reduce its deficit to four. Bostic's layup moved the Illini lead back to six before the Bluejays made a layup to cut the Orange and Blue advantage back down to four. After the Illini missed a free throw, Wallace grabbed the offensive rebound before making the putback to help Illinois retake a six-point edge, 60-54, with 1:39 to play.
Bryant made six late free throws to put the game out of reach, clinching the Illini victory.
With the win, [8] Illinois advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday, with the Illini set to take on [1] No. 5 Texas.
