CHAMPAIGN — The last time Illinois beat Indiana in women's basketball, the Harlem Shake trended on social media, Vine was the top platform for content creators and the State Farm Center was called Assembly Hall.
No. 14 Indiana suffered an 86-66 loss to Illinois at the State Farm Center on Monday, its first since Feb. 23, 2013.
“We’re disappointed,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. “I felt like we got bullied all afternoon.”
Indiana beat Illinois three times previously in the Shauna Green era but now, the longest winning streak by one Big Ten program against another is no more. Before Monday, Indiana had won 16 games in a row against Illinois.
The Fighting Illini outworked the Hoosiers in many categories. Illinois outrebounded Indiana 30-26, outscored the Hoosiers in the paint (42 to 36), in bench scoring (11-2) and points off turnovers (16-9).
Illinois outshot Indiana from the field and 3-point range. Illinois shot 52.5% from the field and 44.4% from the field. Indiana, on the other hand, shot 47.3% from the field and 30% from outside the arc.
“We knew it was going to be a really tight game, they’re so hard to prepare for,” Green said. “I’m proud of how we came out and executed our game plan.”
Indiana graduate student forward Mackenzie Holmes led Indiana with 24 points and two rebounds while shooting 10-for-14 from the field.
Sophomore guard Yarden Garzon had 17 points, three rebounds and two assists but shot 3-for-8 from outside the arc. Indiana senior guard Sara Scalia shot 2-for-8 from 3-point range with 10 points and senior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil had seven points, two rebounds and three assists.
Indiana senior guard Sydney Parrish made her first appearance in seven games off the bench. She had one rebound and one turnover.
Illinois played just six players in the game and each one scored in double figures. Senior guard Makira Cook led the effort. Cook had 22 points and she shot 6-for-15 from the field and 2-for-3 from behind the arc. Senior guard Genesis Bryant had 15 points and four rebounds. Junior guard Adalia McKenzie had 14 points.
Illini senior forward Kendall Bostic and fifth-year center Camille Hobby each had 12 points. Freshman guard Gretchen Dolan had 11 points while shooting 5-for-7 from the field.
During the first quarter, Holmes scored Indiana’s first eight points. Garzon made Indiana's only 3-pointer of the quarter as she scored five points of her own.
Illinois was able to combat that effort with 10 points in the paint. Cook had seven points, Bryant had five and Hobby had four points as Illinois held a 19-18 lead going into the second quarter.
As Indiana struggled in the second quarter, Illinois thrived. Indiana had 11 points with Holmes shooting a quarter-best 2-for-3 from the field for seven points. However, Indiana didn't make any threes and finished the quarter 3-for-12 from the field.
The Fighting Illini had a 26-point quarter with 22 paint points, which set the tone for the rest of the game.
In the third quarter, the Hoosiers outscored their opponent 19-17, won the rebounding battle 8-7, and outscored Illinois in the paint 18-10. Garzon and Moore-McNeil both had five points and Holmes had four points. However, the Fighting Illini rolled into the fourth quarter with a 61-47 lead.
In the fourth quarter, the supporting cast for Illinois provided more than Indiana’s did. Bryant and Bostic both had six points and Hobby had four. For Indiana, Scalia and Holmes had five points with two points from sophomore forward Lilly Meister. Indiana ultimately lost 86-66.
Indiana will host No. 4 Iowa for an 8 p.m. ET game on Thursday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. It will be streamed on Peacock.
