No. 23 Iowa (12-4, 2-3) played right on the heels of Illinois (12-4, 2-3) on Thursday night, even taking the lead early on. The Hawkeyes outperformed the Illini in rebounds, three-pointers and fast break points. Illinois came out on top as Iowa failed to shut down the home team in key areas of second-chance points and points off turnovers.
At the start of the game, it seemed the Hawkeyes would pull away as they were more consistent at converting shots. However, the Illini adapted throughout the game by cutting down on turnovers and knocking down shots when it mattered.
Aggressive pace of play
The Hawkeyes proved more quick-footed than the Illini early on. Redshirt senior guard Kylie Feuerbach covered Illini fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant from the beginning of the game. The Hawkeyes met the guard up high, forcing the Illini to get rid of the ball quickly and stopping them from setting up longer plays.
This pace threw Illinois off, and Iowa opened the game with the first six points. The Illini changed their tactics to finish the opening quarter tied.
Bryant used her short stature well in this game. During quick transition plays, she read the offense and jumped passing lanes for a season-high four steals. Her aggression and agility were displayed as usual, shaking off defenders and driving to the basket.
However, her height also made this game more challenging against the much taller Hawkeyes. Bryant can usually maneuver herself through the paint to attack the rim but couldn’t against players like senior guard Lucy Olsen and Feuerbach, who were tasked with shutting her down. Olsen and Feuerbach stand four to six inches taller than Bryant and used their physicality against her.
Iowa trumped Illinois in the fast break department, 9-2. The Hawkeyes were much better at moving the ball up the court and having players ready to receive the ball, turn and score. Illinois tried to gain some ground on fast breaks but soon switched to slowing down the game. Head coach Shauna Green worked to set up more structured plays instead of succumbing to Iowa’s style.
A fight in mid-range
The game was mostly fought using mid-range jumpers from both sides. While each team utilized the mid-range, Iowa was better than Illinois in getting those jumpers to fall consistently at the start.
Although Bryant set up plays and jumped into the defensive mix, she made little statistical impact in the first half. She took nine shots through the first 20 minutes, but only her last-second jumper to close the half fell.
Most of the fifth-year senior’s points came in the final quarter. She did not attempt any field goals in the third quarter but sank two from the charity stripe. Then, in the final minutes, she clutched two jumpers and another two points from the line.
Senior guard Adalia McKenzie was another Illini who struggled early on but showed up in the end. Her jumpers and layups were noticeably heavy-handed in the first half. She rushed her shots and forced herself into tougher areas instead of driving toward the basket. By the third quarter, she settled into a rhythm and was significantly more consistent and settled. She even shot two three-pointers, sinking one.
Iowa controlled the 3-point game
Iowa capitalized on the three-point game from the jump, effortlessly creating space by driving to the baseline and kicking it back to reliable open shooters. Olsen and junior guard Taylor McCabe were beneficiaries, each sinking two triples.
Olsen was a do-it-all kind of player for Iowa. Despite heavy contesting from the defense, she converted seven shots, two from the arc. She had two steals in the second quarter, one of which she fed to Iowa’s leading scorer, junior forward Hannah Stuelke, for a quick and easy layup.
Bryant has led the Illini more than once from beyond the arc, and she did it again against the Hawkeyes. It was her third conference game with three or more made triples. She has taken and converted the most three-pointers for the Illini. In this game, she struggled to get open for those long shots, but she pulled up when possible.
Every Illini but fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic and sophomore guard Cori Allen attempted a three. Only freshman forward Berry Wallace and McKenzie could make something of their attempts, both having one of their shots fall in.
Taking and making more three-pointers could have pushed the Illini to a more significant lead. The hosts were fortunate that it was a low conversion night for the Hawkeyes, who average 6.9 per game compared to the Illini’s 4.9. But while Iowa shot more threes, the ball wouldn’t fall when the team needed it most, allowing Illinois to grab the victory.
Playing until the end
It was a tight game at the end of each quarter. Falling behind early has been a killer for Illinois, but it avoided that trend on Thursday. At halftime, it only trailed by two, which helped the second-half effort.
Despite the win, the loss of starting fifth-year guard Makira Cook and bench sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan has left the Illini learning how to push through exhaustion. Bryant can certainly be credited with carrying her team in all the areas that mattered.
With 18 seconds on the clock, Iowa’s McCabe tried to clinch a game-tying three. Despite the shot falling, the referees ruled her out of bounds, and the game remained in favor of Illinois. This was a big blow for Iowa since Illinois could now play the free throw game. Where Iowa trumped Illinois in three-pointers, Illinois cleaned up at the stripe.
The difference was stark: As Illinois shot a perfect 8-8 at the line, Iowa could only convert 8-17. In the end, Olsen sent Bryant to the line with 11 seconds left, giving Illinois an almost guaranteed additional two points. With such little time left in a then two-possession game, Iowa had no chance of coming back against the aggressive Illinois defenders.
Bostic shut down Iowa’s last-ditch effort. The Hawkeyes’ point leader, Stuelke, had beaten Bostic throughout the game. In the end, the Illinois forward managed to force her matchup into shooting a contested three for a game-ending airball.
A slim roster has prepared Illinois for these long games and helped it figure out its limits before facing strong teams like Iowa. This paid off as Illinois secured its second Big Ten win of the season and fourth ranked win under Green.
bdirl2@dailyillini.com
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