CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a thrilling matchup, Adalia McKenzie and Makira Cook each contributed 20 points, while Kendall Bostic made a significant impact by scoring 14 of her 18 points in the first half. This strong performance propelled Illinois to a victory over No. 19 Florida State with a final score of 83-74 on Thursday night.

Florida State struggled to find their rhythm early on, hitting only 3 of their first 16 shot attempts and committing six turnovers, allowing Illinois to establish a 16-6 advantage. Bostic was particularly impressive in the first half, shooting a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, enabling Illinois to build a lead as large as 17 points before heading into halftime with a score of 43-34.

As the game progressed, Makayla Timpson’s jumper narrowed the gap for Florida State to just five points with under six minutes remaining. However, Cook quickly responded with a layup, and McKenzie followed suit with a crucial offensive rebound and putback, extending the Illinois lead to 74-55 with 4:33 left in the game. From that point, Florida State was unable to close the gap.

For Florida State, Ta’Niya Latson led the way with 27 points, while Timpson added a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds. The team had shown remarkable scoring prowess in their opener against North Florida, recording a program-record 119 points in that game. O’Mariah Gordon also contributed to the team’s effort with 14 points, despite struggling with her shooting at 6-of-22. Sydney Bowles, a recent transfer from Texas A&M, was an instrumental part of the team and had previously been awarded honors for her performance with the Aggies.

McKenzie and Bostic’s outstanding teamwork was evident as they shot a combined 16-of-21 from the floor, along with securing 13 rebounds. Additionally, Gretchen Dolan also made her mark for Illinois, scoring 11 points.

Illinois, following their victory in last season’s WBIT championship against Villanova, has retained four of their five starters, including Cook, Genesis Bryant, McKenzie, and Bostic. They also welcomed Brynn Shoup-Hill back, along with highly touted freshman Berry Wallace, who made her collegiate debut during the game. Although Shoup-Hill registered ten rebounds alongside five points and two blocks, Wallace played three minutes but did not record any statistics.

Florida State, which ended the previous season with a 23-11 record and a 12-6 tally in ACC play, brought back a substantial majority of their scoring and rebounding production, boasting returns of 75% and 82%, respectively.