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Illini keeping 'perspective' despite 5-4 start, home loss to rival Missouri

joe vozzelli, the news-gazette, champaign-urbana, ill.
·4 min read

Dec. 17—CHAMPAIGN — Shauna Green didn't sound concerned by the time Sunday evening rolled around.

Even after her Illinois women's basketball team lost 69-66 to Missouri on Sunday afternoon in front of 4,790 fans at State Farm Center who watched the Illini and Tigers during the latest Braggin' Rights matchup.

Green, the second-year Illini coach, projected a positive big-picture outlook after Illinois lost its second straight home game. A lot of what Green expressed Sunday followed a difficult week for Illinois. An embarrassing 84-48 Big Ten-opening loss to Michigan seven days earlier forced the Illini, who returned the bulk of their roster from last season's 22-10 NCAA tournament team, to do some serious soul searching.

What came out of that was what Green thought was an improved Illinois team.

"Overall, from where we were at a week ago, I feel really good about where we are as team," Green said. "I feel really good about who we are and our character and our resiliency and our mentality and our mindset. I feel a hell of a lot better."

Genesis Bryant scored 20 points to lead the Illini and Kendall Bostic finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, making 8 of 9 shots from the field, but Illinois (5-4) couldn't close out Missouri (8-4) down the stretch.

"We still won in a lot of areas (Sunday) and I know we're going to continue to get better because of this week," Green said. "This week is going to make us better here on out."

Whether Illinois shows Green is correct in that assessment will be determined by the next two-plus months. But Sunday's game with Missouri saw the Tigers — and not the Illini — make the key plays at important moments.

Missouri point guard Mama Dembele hit a driving layup through contact from Adalia McKenzie and completed the three-point play at the free-throw line to move the Tigers back ahead 61-59 with three minutes, 52 seconds, left in a fourth quarter that had seven lead changes. But after Dembele's three-point play, the Tigers never trailed again.

A Bryant heater in the fourth quarter, including four straight three-pointers , got Illinois back into the game before Missouri outscored the Illini 11-7 to close out the win.

Still, Bryant and Bostic both used the word "perspective" to describe how Illinois would balance the disappointment of losing a winnable game with how much the Illini think they grew this past week as a team.

"Definitely wanted to win this one, especially since it's the Braggin' Rights game," Bostic said. "But I mean, be disappointed and let that fuel us going into next week but also keeping it in perspective of ... everything we did this (past) week is going to carry over but also keeping this game in the back of our mind of we can't fall again. Just have to get it back (next) game."

That next game arrives quickly after a rather light opening to December with Illinois playing just three games in 17 games to start the month. The Illini flew to Florida's Gulf Coast on Monday afternoon before playing both Arkansas (9-3) and UTEP (4-6) on back-to-back days at Massimino Court on the Keiser University campus in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Razorbacks are first up at 10 a.m. on Wednesday before the Illini play the Miners at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday.

Playing Arkansas offers another opportunity for Illinois to deliver what would be its most significant win in a while. The Illini are 0-4 against major-conference teams so far this season after losses at Marquette, to then-No. 16 Notre Dame in Washington, D.C, Michigan and now Missouri.

"Sometimes, you have to get your butt kicked really bad to get the attention of them," Green said. "I really know that Michigan is going to help us. It got our attention, and I'm telling you, we got a lot better. It was a tough week, but we got more connected. We're together. When you go through some of that stuff, we had a conversation. We were very vulnerable and honest with one another and we're way more connected than what we were a week ago, and when you're connected and you play as one, good things are going to happen."

They need to start happening soon, though. After this week in Florida, only Big Ten games fill the remainder of the Illinois schedule starting on New Year's Eve at reigning Big Ten champions Indiana.

"We're OK, and we're going to be OK, and we're going to keep fighting," Green said. "We're going to keep getting better and we'll keep competing because that's what we do."