Illinois' Adalia McKenzie fires a shot above Truman State's Emma Bulman. McKenzie finished the team's only exhibition game of the season with nine points and was 3-for-3 from the free throw line on October 30.
Photo: University of Illinois Athletics/Eleanor Guinan
CHAMPAIGN - Every player on the Illinois women's basketball team saw at least two minutes of playing time in the Illini's opening exhibition match against Truman State. Eight players finished the night in double figures for the #23 ranked that rolled over the visiting Bulldogs 121-60 on Monday. Genesis Bryant led the Illini's offensive effort with a team-high 18 points. Jada Peebles entered the game to drop 15 points on TSU, while Kendall Bostic, who hauled down ten rebounds, contributed another 14 points. "Overall, it was a good outing. Obviously, we shot the ball really well, but on defense, we need to be sharper," said second-year Illinois head coach Shauna Green. "We need to be able to string more possessions together. That's a work in progress. We will continue to get better, but there were too many times where we got beat off the bounce way too easily." The Illini snagged 11 steals and made 21 out of 27 free throws. From beyond the arc, Illinois drained 54% of their shots, making 14 out of 26 attempts. Eight of 14 3-pointers found their way through the net in the first quarter. "It makes us really hard to guard when everyone is shooting threes and knocking them down," Bryant said. "If we could shoot like that all the time, we would be very hard to beat. It's just fun, especially when teammates are knocking them down." Truman State was paced by freshman Molly Joyce, who came off the bench to score 18 in her college debut. Teammate Lexie White kicked in another 14 points, and Madison Niemeier, a 6-2 junior, added another seven to round out the top scorers for the Bulldogs. St. Joseph-Ogden product Ella Armstrong saw eight and a half minutes of playing time under the dome against the Illini. The Truman State sophomore hit a field goal against the Big Ten host.
Upcoming Illinios Womens Basketball Schedule
Home games listed in bold
TUESDAY NOV. 7
MOREHEAD STATE STATE FARM CENTER 6 PM Saturday Nov. 11
at Marquette Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center) 2 PM WEDNESDAY NOV. 15
SAINT PETER’S STATE FARM CENTER 11 AM Saturday Nov. 18
vs. Notre Dame # Washington, D.C. SUNDAY NOV. 26
CANISIUS STATE FARM CENTER 1 PM WEDNESDAY NOV. 29
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE STATE FARM CENTER 6 PM
MOREHEAD STATE STATE FARM CENTER 6 PM Saturday Nov. 11
at Marquette Milwaukee, Wis. (Al McGuire Center) 2 PM WEDNESDAY NOV. 15
SAINT PETER’S STATE FARM CENTER 11 AM Saturday Nov. 18
vs. Notre Dame # Washington, D.C. SUNDAY NOV. 26
CANISIUS STATE FARM CENTER 1 PM WEDNESDAY NOV. 29
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE STATE FARM CENTER 6 PM
