Story Links
Illinois Starters Last Game
Pos.
No.
Name
Ht.
Yr.
PPG
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
Season Note
G
1
Genesis Bryant
5-6
5th
12.8
3.2
2.9
1.1
0.1
Became the 34th player in program history to score 1,000 points as an Illini
G
8
Jasmine Brown-Hagger
5-9
So.
10.2
2.3
2.0
1.2
0.0
Has started four-consecutive games, the first starts of her collegiate career
G
24
Adalia McKenzie
5-10
Sr.
13.1
5.1
2.7
1.2
0.2
Posted her first double-double of the season at Canisius on Dec. 2
F
23
Brynn Shoup-Hill
6-3
Sr.
5.2
7.5
0.9
0.5
1.1
Equaled her career-best mark with three blocks vs. Southern Indiana on Dec. 15
F
44
Kendall Bostic
6-2
5th
16.0
11.2
1.2
0.5
0.8
Ranks second in program history in career double-doubles and rebounds
Head Coach Shauna Green
Career Record: 208-102 (.671), 11th season
Division I Record: 179-77 (.699), Ninth season
At Illinois: 52-27 (.658), Third season
Big Ten Record: 20-18 (.526), Third season
ILLINI ON TV
Illinois will play its third game on national television when Washington makes the trip to Champaign on Tuesday afternoon, with first tip slated for 12 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network. The contest will be the third of eight nationally televised games that the Illini are currently set to play during the 2024-25 regular season:
» Nov. 7, 7 p.m. CT, vs. Marquette – Big Ten Network
» Dec. 8, 3 p.m. CT, at Ohio State – Big Ten Network
» Dec. 31, 12 p.m. CT vs. Washington – Big Ten Network
» Jan. 23, 7 p.m. CT, at Northwestern – Big Ten Network
» Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m. CT, vs. Purdue – Big Ten Network
» Feb. 16, 4 p.m. CT, vs. Nebraska – Big Ten Network
» Feb. 20, 8:30 p.m. CT, at UCLA – Big Ten Network
» Feb. 23, 3 p.m. CT, at USC – Fox Sports 1
OPENING TIP
The 51st campaign of Fighting Illini women’s basketball continues with the team’s final game of the 2024 calendar year, which is set for Tuesday at 12 p.m. CT when Illinois hosts Big Ten newcomer Washington at State Farm Center. Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM / 93.9 FM). Audio and stats links are also available at FightingIllini.com/wbb.
Illinois won 10 games before Christmas (Dec. 25) for the first time since 2022-23 and for the second time since 2006-07.
Illinois has earned a win over a ranked opponent for the third consecutive season under Green.
Head coach Shauna Green earned her 200th win as a head coach on Nov. 14, 2024 vs. Eastern Illinois.
The Fighting Illini have now been ranked in the Top 25 in all three seasons under Green.
Illinois faced a ranked team in its Big Ten opener for the third straight season (#12/7 Ohio State, –/25 Michigan, #5/4 Indiana).
Illinois returned four 1,000-career point scorers, tied for the most in the NCAA with Baylor, Notre Dame, and Kansas State.
Illinois’ seniors (Cook, Bryant, McKenzie, Shoup-Hill, Bostic) have a combined 409 career starts (383 at Illinois) and played a combined 551 games (423 at Illinois).
Kendall Bostic’s 1,203 career rebounds rank second of all active NCAA D1 players.
Illinois’ free throws made per game mark of 17.46 ranks 7th in the NCAA.
Illinois’ 12.7 turnovers per game rank 20th in the NCAA (165 turnovers through 13 games).
The Illini have held opponents at/below 15 points in 32 of 52 regulation periods.
Eight different Illini scorers have posted double-digit points in a game this season: Bostic, Bryant, Brown-Hagger, Cook, Dolan, McKenzie, Shoup-Hill, Wallace.
Six Illini players are averaging double-digit points this season – the most on a team in the Big Ten.
The Fighting Illini return eight players from last year’s WBIT Championship team while adding six newcomers – four freshmen and two transfers – into the mix.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Washington will play its first game at State Farm Center in program history in the team’s first season as a member of the Big Ten. The Huskies arrive in Champaign with a 10-4 record, including a 1-1 mark in conference play, while Tuesday’s visitors are riding a three-game winning streak.
Earning its first-ever Big Ten win on Saturday in a 90-71 road victory over Northwestern, Washington is 1-1 in true road games this season, with the lone loss coming against Montana on Nov. 17. The Huskies are 1-3 against Power 4 programs this season, which includes their most recent win over the Wildcats and losses to No. 1 UCLA, No. 7 LSU, and Utah.
Heading into Tuesday’s game, the Fighting Illini and the Huskies have played one common opponent: Southern, with Washington securing a 61-43 neutral-site win and Illinois posting a 69-57 victory at State Farm Center on Dec. 20.
ALL-TIME SERIES INFORMATION
Illinois and Washington will meet as Big Ten opponents for the first time in series history, with the Fighting Illini winning the lone other contest between the sides. That game took place over 26 years ago, when the Orange and Blue claimed an 85-73 victory at the Honda Elite IV Classic in Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 6, 1998.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois remained perfect on its home court this season with a 64-59 victory over Oregon on Saturday afternoon in the Fighting Illini’s Big Ten home opener. Four scorers finished in double figures as the Orange and Blue won its 13th-consecutive game at State Farm Center.
Scoring in double figures for the fifth-straight game, Genesis Bryant registered a game-high 23 points while going 16-for-17 from the free-throw line. Tying the program’s single-game record for most made free throws, Bryant also totaled a season-high seven rebounds and made one assist. Gretchen Dolan marked her return following a five-game absence with 13 points on a 5-for-9 shooting mark. Dolan, who recorded a team-best +13 when she was on the floor, made three 3-pointers, grabbed five rebounds, and tallied a steal.
Kendall Bostic secured her fifth-consecutive double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and she also added a block and a steal. Adalia McKenzie poured in 10 points while making eight free throws. She also hauled in seven rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block.
GREEN CONTINUES TO CLIMB PROGRAM’S ALL-TIME WIN LIST
Third-year head coach Shauna Green continues to move up the program’s all-time wins list. After the Fighting Illini defeated Oregon on Dec. 28, Green posted her 52nd win at the helm of the program, which currently ranks as the sixth-most victories by an Illinois women’s basketball head coach.
T1. 77 games: Shauna Green
T1. 77 games: Theresa Grentz
3. 83 games: Laura Golden
4. 94 games: Jane Schroeder
5. 102 games: Matt Bollant
6. 103 games: Jolette Law
7. 132 games: Kathy Lindsey
ILLINOIS FINISHES NONCONFERENCE SLATE WITH 10 WINS
For just the fourth time in program history, Illinois registered 10 wins in nonconference play, equaling the program’s all-time record. The Fighting Illini last achieved the feat during the 2022-23 campaign in head coach Shauna Green’s first season at the helm.
The Orange and Blue secured a 10-1 record against nonconference opponents, a stretch that included eight victories at home. Illinois opened its 2024-25 slate with a five-game homestand that featured three teams that played in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Opening the season with a statement win over No. 19 Florida State, the Illini also earned triumphs against Marquette, Eastern Illinois, Le Moyne, and Oregon State in the team’s 5-0 start.
After going 1-1 at the Music City Classic with a victory over UMES and a loss to No. 14 Kentucky, Illinois closed its nonconference schedule without five more triumphs, a stretch that began with a road win over Canisius. Returning to State Farm Center, the Orange and Blue rattled off wins over Bradley, Southern Indiana, and Southern to move to 10-1 in nonconference play.
BOSTIC RANKS AMONG BEST IN THE NCAA
Fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic ranks in the top 10 in the NCAA in four statistical categories – double-doubles, defensive rebounding average, rebounding average, and total rebounds – in addition to being in the top 35 in field goals and field-goal percentage.
BOSTIC RANKS AMONG BEST IN THE NCAA
Stat Category
NCAA Rank
B1G Rank
Value
Double-doubles
4th
1st
9
Defensive Rebounds Per Game
7th
2nd
8.7
Rebounds Per Game
7th
2nd
11.2
Rebounds
5th
2nd
145
Field Goals
29th
6th
93
Field Goal Percentage
35th
6th
56.7
