CHAMPAIGN, Il. — The Illini were about to experience a night to remember.
On Thursday night, Illinois welcomed No. 12 Ohio State, a team fresh off an exciting overtime upset victory over then-No. 2 Iowa.
The Illinois offense found Genesis Bryant for a failed three-point attempt with just seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, extending Ohio State’s lead to four points. Rather, the shot effectively ended the game and sealed a hard-fought 67-59 defeat, sucking the life out of State Farm Center.
Especially on the defensive end of the ball as both teams struggled to score early in the game, Illinois (8-10, 2-6 Big Ten) came out firing in the opening minutes of the game.
It appeared early on that the Illini would secure their historic victory.
With 12 rebounds in the first half, Kendall Bostic helped the Illini outscore the Buckeyes 20–4 in the second quarter. They led 33–22 going into the locker room.
The Illini put on a strong defensive display, limiting the Buckeyes to just 22 points in the first half. Prior to the game, the Buckeyes (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten) had an average of 82.6 points per contest.
The Illini defense drove OSU into four turnovers in the second quarter alone, setting the stage for the Buckeyes to go without a point for nearly seven minutes.
That is what we carry out. Head coach Shauna Green stated, “I thought we did it (on defense) very consistently. It’s our identity and what we’ve always done.”
Even though the outcome of the game appeared to be similar to Iowa’s upset victory from the previous season, the Illini were completely outclassed as soon as they left the locker room.
The Illini turned the ball over ten times in the third quarter alone, which gave Ohio State time to settle into a rhythm. The Buckeyes answered with a 20-point quarter of their own. Guard Jacy Sheldon of the Buckeyes finished the game with 25 points after having an incredible second half.
