by CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women’s basketball team tested No. 15/14-ranked ranked Indiana on Sunday afternoon, but the Fighting Illini’s second-half surge fell just short in the annual Play for Kay Pink Game at State Farm Center, 58-50.
Illinois (3-13, 1-12 B1G) was paced by the guard duo of Jada Peebles (13 points) and Aaliyah Nye (12 points) who led a second-half comeback that saw the Illini nearly erase an 18-point deficit and pull to within one point of the Hoosiers in the games’ final three minutes.
Sophomore forward Kennedi Myles also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds, helping the Illini to a 45-36 edge on the glass.
The Illini battled throughout the first half and stayed within striking distance at the break, 34-21, despite 16 first-half turnovers and a 20-4 advantage at the free-throw line for the for the visiting Hoosiers (13-4, 11-2 B1G).
After some halftime adjustments, Illinois found its offensive stride in the third and outscored the Hoosiers 16-10 in the quarter. Nye sparked the Illini offense at the end of the period, splashing a contested three-pointer that closed out the stanza with the Illini on a 12-2 scoring run that cut the deficit to 44-37.
In the final period, the Illini continued to chip away at the Hoosiers’ lead. Another Nye triple at the 9:00 mark pulled the Illini within two possessions, 45-40. UI’s Aleksa Gulbe answered with four straight, but Illinois responded with an 8-0 scoring run that include four points from Peebles, whose layup at the 2:39 mark brought the Illini to within one, 51-50. The experienced Hoosiers, however, closed out the game on a 7-0 run to escape with the road win.
Indiana was led by senior guard Ali Patberg, who scored 16 points. She was joined in double-figures scoring by Nicole Cardano-Hillary and Grace Berger, who finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Aaliyah Nye (Potawatomi//Gun Lake Tribe) contributed 12 points, 10 in the second half, and a pulled down a career-high seven rebounds. It marks Nye’s third double-digit scoring game of the season, and her first since a career-high 15 vs. Nebraska on Jan. 25.
