by CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Kendall Bostic capped her second-career double-double with one of the all-time rebounding performances in Illinois program history, while Aaliyah Nye (Gun Lake/Pottawatomi) tied her career high with five three-pointers, to spark the Fighting Illini (4-4) in a 71-57 victory over Eastern Kentucky (2-4) on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Center.
Bostic, in addition to 12 points, two steals and two blocks, pulled down 22 rebounds, the third-most in a single-game in Illinois women’s basketball history. Her 22-rebound performance marked the most by an Illini player in almost 42 seasons dating back to Martha Hutchinson’s 23-rebound game vs Indiana State on Jan. 24, 1980.
Nye finished as the team’s leading scorer, pouring in 15 of her 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc, while knocking down one of her two free-throw attempts. Jada Peebles added 12 points of her own with four three-pointers, while Geovana Lopes tallied a season-high 10 points and while chipping in with four rebounds.
Eastern Kentucky opened the game 7-0, and led 23-17 after the first quarter. But the Illini defense held the Colonels scoreless for the for the first 7:14 of the second period and the Illini offense exploded for a 17-0 run to gain a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
The Orange and Blue combined to outscore EKU 45-20 in the second (22-9) and third (23-11) quarters, before eventually pushing the lead to more than 20 points midway through the fourth.
Jayla Johnson (20 points) and Ariel Kirkwood (10) led the EKU offense. The duo also pulled down seven rebounds each, one behind Bria Bass for the team lead
