Through losses, injuries, and all of the things in between, the Illini continued to persevere with the mindset of building something stronger for tomorrow. They completed step one in the process on Wednesday when they clinched the inaugural WBIT championship. The Illini defeated Villanova with a 71-57 victory.
For Kendall Bostic, a senior forward who has been through three seasons of the program’s upward trajectory, the title is a stepping stone toward something greater:
“I think it just sets us up for next season. This is just an important step for us and it put us in some adverse situations. … I think it’s just really good and setting us up for success next year.”
Illini Forward Kendall Bostic
But to appreciate where they are today, one has to understand where they were before. Their Big Ten season was derailed through December. The team lost six out of seven and finished ninth in the conference standings. Reflecting on the team’s midseason struggles, junior Genesis Bryant believes you couldn’t have asked for a better turnaround:
“We had hit a rough patch in the middle of the season but to know that it would end in a championship, you couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Illini Guard Genesis Bryant
That turnaround began with a title game defensive assignment by Adalia McKenzie. She earned the job of covering the Big East’s leading scorer in Villanova’s Lucy Olsen. Olsen came into the game leading the team in scoring. She was also sitting at No. 3 in the nation in terms of points per game with 23.3. McKenzie reflected on the importance of defense to her personally:
“I take pride in defense. When Coach (Green) puts me on the best player, I want to be my best and lock their best player up. I take a lot of pride in that so I just stayed focused and did the best I could. She’s a really good player and I just wanted to be in her space the whole
Illini Guard Adalia McKenzie
time.”
Makira Cook took over for the Illini in the WBIT Championship game
Olsen finished with a team-high 22 points. However, she was held to just six in the second half while finishing the game shooting 32% shooting from the field. While McKenzie’s defense was pivotal for the win, so too was the offense of Makira Cook. Cook helped propel them to a 42-point second half. This included back-to-back 3s to start the third as she poured in 22 of her game-high 27 points in the final two quarters.
“It felt pretty good. I just wanted to do whatever it took to win and we have the ultimate green light when we have open shots. We know, that if you catch it, you’re open, let it fly. That’s the confidence she (Shauna Green) instills in us so it just translates,”
Illini Guard Makira Cook on her second half takeover vs. Villanova in WBIT Championship game
Bryant and Bostic each contributed offensively with 17 and 15 points respectively. Head coach Shauna Green reflected on what it means for her team to finish the season on a high note while alluding to goals for the future.
“Anytime you can compete for a championship or win a championship, it’s special. I want this to propel us into making NCAA tournaments and hopefully, I want to cut down nets at some point for a Big Ten championship and you can call me crazy and that’s okay but eventually for a national championship. That’s our goals, that’s our vision and you’ve got to take steps like this to get to the next steps.
Illini HC Shauna Green
The win by the Illini gives hopes to make it to the NCAAW tournament come next season. We’ll see how Green and her squad will fare.
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