In its last game at State Farm Center for the season, the Illinois women’s basketball team (19-10, 9-9) got outplayed by No. 22 Minnesota (22-7, 13-6) losing 78-73.
Takeaways
Illinois: The Illini struggled to defend the paint and get a rebound, allowing Minnesota to get out to an early 11-point lead. Illinois was out-hustled in the first quarter as Minnesota got eight offensive rebounds and seven more points for the Gophers.
Freshman forward Cearah Parchment tried to jump for a rebound but landed hard on her left knee. She was subbed out and taken back to the locker room. Parchment eventually came back out but struggled against Minnesota’s interior defense.
As the first half came to a close, Illinois strung together a few scoring possessions in a row, but still trailed by seven heading into halftime.
Coming out of the break, Illinois continued to struggle making shots — while also making it tough for Minnesota to score. Even though they were trailing, the Illini played a much better second half, scoring 11 points to get within two points of the Gophers.
Illinois went into the final quarter with momentum, but Minnesota held off their comeback attempt and forced Illinois into contested shots. As the clock wound down, Illinois went into a full-court press to put pressure on the guards again.
Illinois eventually tied the game back up heading into the final minute of the game. But they were unable to get another point.
Minnesota: From the jump, Minnesota dominated Illinois in the paint, with all of its points coming from under the basket. The Gophers kept the aggression in its defense, making it tough for Illinois to get to the basket.
Minnesota out-rebounded Illinois 22 to 11, but towards the end of the first half, Minnesota let Illinois get control of the glass, giving them the momentum heading into halftime.
In the second half, Minnesota’s offense slowed down as it was difficult for them to get the ball in the paint. Illinois’ put up a stronger defense against Minnesota’s guards and earned multiple turnovers to get back into the game.
A few layups gave Minnesota an eight-point cushion by the end of the third quarter. Illinois’ full-court pressure forced Minnesota to continue turning the ball over. Entering the final minute, Minnesota was tied with Illinois after being up by 15. The Gophers took advantage of Illinois’ aggressive defense and got to the free-throw line to close out the game.
Up Next
The Fighting Illini women’s basketball team now prepares for the Big Ten Tournament taking place in Indiana from March 4th to 8th.