ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Despite a third-quarter push, the Illini fall short against Michigan.
It was never going to be easy visited No. 8 Michigan, and the Wolverines proved their ranking Thursday night.
After a tune-up win on Sunday, the Illini headed on the road on a mission to get their second AP Top 10 win of the year.
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Illinois fell behind early, with some foul trouble from Maddie Webber and Cearah Parchment. The hill would ultimately be too high to climb, as Illinois fell 85-69.
You take the first quarter out of the mix, and the Illini (14-4) played well, but facing a 14-point deficit to start the second quarter on the road is never going to be a recipe for success.
The orange and blue showed they can handle a little adversity, though. Midway through the third quarter, when all hope seemed to be lost, the team went on a run.
A huge three from Aaliyah Guyton cut the Wolverine (15-2) lead to five, to cap off a stretch that saw the Illini go on a 15-4 run.
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That five-point deficit would be short-lived, however, as Michigan would fire back with a run of its own, going a 13-0 run.
From there, the maize and blue wouldn’t look back, despite the effort from the Illini.
You need to show up for all 40 minutes when you go on the road against a top 10 team, and Illinois only showed its best ball in the last 30.
If you’re Shauna Green, you will be able to take a lot of positives away from Thursday’s contest, but also a sour taste when you know the team didn’t play to their full abilities.
Moments that Mattered
Michigan closed out Illinois when it mattered.
This highlight perfectly encapsulates how the first quarter went for Michigan.
Gotta hand it to Michigan, most teams wouldn’t be able to fire back after a big run from Illinois.
What’s next?
It’s the best time of the year: the bulk of Big Ten basketball. So the Illini can’t keep their heads down for long.
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The Orange and Blue will have another opportunity come Sunday, when a familiar in-state opponent comes to the State Farm Center.
Illinois will play Northwestern on Sunday at 2 p.m.
