EAST LANSING, Mich. — A tough ranked matchup in hostile territory.
Following a huge ranked win against No. 7 Maryland just three days ago, Illinois traveled to East Lansing in an evenly expected matchup
Sunday morning, taking on No. 24 Michigan State.
Illinois was looking to get back-to-back ranked Big Ten wins, but the test proved to be a little too big as the Illini lost 81-75, which ended the longest win streak in the Big Ten at 11. Even with the loss, the Illini certainly proved that they belong with the better teams in the conference and have made a huge argument for being in the top 25 themselves by the time the next AP Poll comes around on Monday.
Early on, Illinois (13-2) was able to match some of the Spartans’ early runs to keep the game tight. Berry Wallace, as she often does, set the tone early in the first quarter by knocking down two deep threes and a couple of layups. On the other end, Rashunda Jones knocked down a pair of corner threes to keep the Spartans ahead just slightly. After 10 minutes, Illinois found themselves trailing 23-18.
As the clock wound down closer to halftime, it became clear that the Spartans planned to blitz Illinois in a full-court press to try to force turnovers. This plan seemed to be the right one, as it forced Illinois into six early turnovers before it was even halftime, which was very unlike them, as they are currently fourth in the Big Ten in fewest turnovers per game. These turnovers allowed Michigan State to build a 10-0 advantage in the points off of turnover category. Along with the turnovers, down the stretch, Illinois struggled to contain Grace Van Slooten as she erupted, nearly tallying a double-double in the first half with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Going into the half, it seemed like Illinois had no answers as they entered the break down 12.
On the first play of the second half, Illinois turned the ball over once again, and it seemed like the game was going to be the first half all over again. Unfortunately for the Spartans, their best player to that point, Van Slooten, appeared to go down with an apparent shoulder injury that would take her out of the game. This wound up being a difference maker for the Illini, as they cut their largest deficit of the season, which was 15, all the way back down to four. This cut in the difference came with many timely shots from the very reliable Berry Wallace, as she continued to knock down the three-ball and facilitate the offense. The Spartans then knocked down a couple of timely baskets to stretch the lead back to 8 going into the last quarter.
In the fourth, it was all Maddie Webber. She came in off the bench and gave Illinois a huge spark as she knocked down 14 of her 22 points on the night. Webber knocked down crucial deep threes that appeared to be Illinois only hope of staying in the game down the stretch. Ultimately, Illinois was only able to cut the lead to as low as 5 before Kennedy Blair essentially iced the game with timely defense and some clutch free throws. Illinois faced an uphill battle for most of the game and was never able to get back over the hump. The tight press forcing turnovers seemed to be the deciding factor in an Illinois loss as they dropped to 3-1 in conference play.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Gretchen Dolan knocks down an early three to match a Spartans run.
Berry Wallace banks in her fourth triple of the game as Illinois starts to make a late push.
Maddie Webber with 3 of her 14 fourth quarter points to trim the lead all the way back down to 3.
STAT STUFFERS
- Illinois shot a scorching 43% from three-point range
- The Illini had 22 fastbreak points
- Illinois lost the points in the paint battle 42-22
UP NEXT
Illinois will return home for its third straight game against a top-25 Big Ten opponent as it takes on No. 19 Ohio State.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday and will air on B1G+.
