DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – Freshman guard Adalia McKenzie earned the first start of her Illini career and led the team in scoring in a 62-52 loss to Middle Tennessee in the Fighting Illini's final game of the Daytona Beach Invitational at the Ocean Center on Saturday afternoon.
McKenzie finished as the only Illini to reach double-figures scoring, tallying 11 points in a defensive battle vs. the Blue Raiders. She also added five rebounds and a pair of assists in 23 minutes of action.
Sophomore forward Kendall Bostic narrowly missed her second double-double of the season, posting nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while also dishing out a pair of assists.
Aaliyah Nye and Jada Peebles, who typically start for the Illini, were each battling cold symptoms but came off the bench to provide an offensive spark. Nye finished with nine points, hitting 2-of-3 attempts from three-point range, while Peebles added eight points, and connected on the Illini's only other triple of the game.
Middle Tennessee hoisted up 41 three-point attempts, the second most by an Illini opponent in program history. However, the Blue Raiders only connected on eight of those attempts. Courtney Whitson did the bulk of the damage for the Blue Raiders from beyond the arc, and finished with a game-high 17 points while knocking down three from distance. Whitson also led Middle Tennessee with 10 boards. Saar Dor added 10 points and a game-high five assists.
The Illini trailed 12-6 after one, and fell behind by as many as 13 in the second quarter before closing the half on an 8-2 run. The Orange and Blue then scored the first four points out of halftime to pull within four points, 26-22 at the 8:02 mark of the third quarter.
Middle Tennessee responded with a 10-0 run to push the lead back to double-digits. And despite a 21-14 Illinois edge in the fourth quarter, the Illini were unable to climb any closer than eight for the remainder of the contest.
Illinois returns to action Thursday at State Farm Center, hosting the No. 17/22-ranked Florida State Seminoles as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
TEAM NOTES
- The Fighting Illini moved to 3-3 overall and 0-1 all-time in the series vs. Middle Tennessee.
- Middle Tennessee attempted 41 three-pointers, the second-most by an Illini opponent in program history.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Freshman G Adalia McKenzie started the first game of her collegiate career, and finished with a team-high 11 points. She also added five rebounds and two assists.
- Sophomore F Kendall Bostic narrowly missed her second double-double of the season, tallying a game-high 11 rebounds and adding nine points. It marked the fifth time she has led the team in rebounding in her first six games as an Illini.
- Sophomore G Aaliyah Nye connected on 2-of-3 attempts from three-point range. It marks the 13th time in her career that she has hit multiple threes in the game.
HIGHLIGHTS
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November 28, 2021 at 03:32AM
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