Illini Women’s Basketball clinches first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years

Illini Women’s basketball won their first round matchup in the 2025 NCAA Tournament over the Creighton Bluejays 66-57. It was a remarkable win for Shauna Green and her team as their win was the first NCAA tournament win for the Illini program since the 1999-2000 season. The Illini have now won 22 games this season and will now await the one-seeded Texas Longhorns on Monday 1pm CST. Genesis Bryant led the way for the team with 17 points, including two clutch free-throws to seal the game. Additionally, Adalia McKenzie contributed 14 points and 7 rebounds, and Kendall Bostic had a monster double-double with 12 points and 17 rebounds.

One of the keys to the victory was certainly the Illini defense. They held the Creighton Bluejays to 6 of 22 from the three-point line and dominated the bluejays on the glass.

Words from the players and Coach Green

Fifth year guard Genesis Bryant is in her final stretch of games as an Illini. This NCAA Tournament win means a lot to Bryant, especially after her free throws clinched a historic win. Bryant said to the media afterward, “It’s a great feeling. I’m just so blessed to be able to be that team that did it after so long and just how we did it, how we’ve been doing it all year. “

Kendall Bostic, also a fifth year player, was apart of a team that won 7 games total during her sophomore year. She said “I think it’s just the work, and obviously, I transferred in my sophomore year, and we weren’t very good, but I wanted to – I saw potential in this program, and I had the resources, the people, the support, so we could turn this program around. We got Coach Green in here and it happened a lot faster than I think anybody thought.”

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