CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In front of the largest women’s basketball crowd to fill State Farm Center in over 20 seasons, Illinois delivered a 100-38 win over McNeese State on Wednesday. The annual Field Trip Day promotion brought in the 11th-largest crowd in program history with 8,141 fans. All 13 players on the Illini roster scored in the win.
With the triumph over the Cowgirls, the Fighting Illini improved to 3-0 on the year, the 14th time in program history the squad has achieved such a mark. The visiting Cowgirls dropped to 1-2 during their 2022-23 campaign.
Illinois scored the opening points of the game for the third-straight contest, taking a quick 3-0 lead over McNeese State. The Cowgirls would knot the score at 3-3 – the Illini’s first time tied of the season – before the Orange and Blue turned out a 13-0 run. After the opening period, Illinois led 22-7 with Adalia McKenzie scoring eight points.
Second-quarter action saw the Illini put up their largest scoring margin in a quarter on the season, winning the frame 30-5. Illinois ended the half on a 22-4 run to own a 52-12 lead at the break. In the first half, Illinois outscored McNeese State in the paint, 15-0 and shot 50 percent from the field, compared to the Cowgirls’ 16 percent.
Illinois came out of the break with its strongest third quarter showing of the season, opening with an 11-0 run and ultimately winning the frame 23-13. McNeese State was held without a field goal for a nine minute span, going 0-14 and scoring 10 of their 13 third quarter points off free throws.
The Orange and Blue shot 50 percent from and field during the final frame, outscoring the Cowgirls 25-13 to close out the victory. Geovana Lopes scored nine of her 13 points during the period, going 4-of-8 from the field. Camille Jackson scored the Illini’s final point of the victory, sinking a shot from the charity stripe to securing the programs’s 16th-ever 100 point game.
Shauna Green
Opening Statement:
“This was a great team win today. We had everyone in the game, and we had everyone score a basket. That’s something that doesn’t happen a lot. Obviously being able to score 100 points for the kids, they weren’t going to be happy if we didn’t, so luckily Camille got that free throw in. Also, being able to hold a team to 38 points is great. Again, we hang our hat on our…
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