Bostic delivers career night, propelling No. 22 Illinois in victory over Oregon State

Photo: Illinois Sports Information

CHAMPAIGN - Kendall Bostic delivered a historic performance Friday night, leading No. 22/23 Illinois to a commanding 85-66 victory over Oregon State at State Farm Center. Showcasing their dominance against a fellow Power 5 program, the Fighting Illini closed their five-game homestand with a perfect 5-0 record.

Bostic stole the spotlight with a career-high 31 points, shooting an ultra-efficient 15-for-18 from the field, and grabbing eight rebounds. In the process, she reached two monumental career milestones: surpassing 1,000 points at Illinois and becoming just the fourth player in program history to amass 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Her seventh rebound of the night pushed her past Karisma Penn into second place on Illinois’ all-time rebounding list with 1,044 boards.

"I've been working on that mid-range part of my game and they sunk so far off it was like I didn't really have a choice but to shoot," Bostic said. "Luckily, everything was falling for me tonight."

The senior forward's 31 points marked her first career 30-point outing and her second-consecutive 20-point game this season. Her offensive efficiency—an 83.3% shooting clip—stands as one of the best performances of her Illini career.

Illinois dominated the game from the outset. Makira Cook set the tone early, scoring the team’s first six points on consecutive three-pointers within the first two minutes. An ensuing 9-2 run stretched Illinois’ lead to 17-6 just six minutes into the contest. By the end of the first quarter, Illinois held a 21-13 advantage, with Cook leading the way with eight points.

"I'm really happy how we played," said head coach Shauna Green. "We are really playing well together. I love how we are sharing the ball. Seventeen assists again tonight. (We're) playing with at great deal of connectiveness and confidence."

The Illini never let up, outscoring Oregon State 21-15 in the second quarter to take a 42-28 lead into halftime. Bostic reached double figures with 3:42 left in the half, underscoring her relentless scoring effort.

Cook finished with 20 points, tying her season high, along with eight assists, two steals, and three rebounds. Genesis Bryant came alive in the second half, scoring all 12 of her points after the break and becoming the second Illini player of the night to hit the 1,000-point career mark. Contributions from Brynn Shoup-Hill (eight points, seven rebounds) and Adalia McKenzie (eight points, four rebounds) rounded out Illinois’ balanced attack.

Defensively, Illinois held Oregon State to 37.9% shooting and forced 16 turnovers, translating to 21 points off those opportunities. The Beavers, known for their stingy defense under long-tenured head coach Scott Rueck, allowed their second-highest non-conference scoring total since 2004-05 as the Illini shattered their season average of 59.3 points allowed per game.

The win extends Illinois’ active winning streak to an impressive 10 games, the second-longest in the country.

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