The University of Illinois (9-16, 3-9 Big Ten) women’s basketball team handed No. 11 Ohio State (21-3, 8-3 Big Ten) its third loss of the season Thursday night.
OSU junior guard Tayler Hill sank a shot with 16 seconds left to give the Buckeyes a one-point lead. But in the following possession, Illinois forward Alexis Burke hit a jump shot with no time left on the clock to defeat OSU, 66-65.
The Buckeyes were down, 34-29, going into the half, but came out scoring and took a 56-46 lead with 7:48 left in the game. The Illini responded on a 10-0 run to knot the score at 56. After trading buckets, OSU senior guard Samantha Prahalis sank a three to give the Buckeyes the lead. In the next possession, the Illini missed a three before Prahalis hit a layup to give the Buckeyes a five-point cushion with 2:28 left. It wasn’t enough as the Illini scored on their next three shots to seal the victory.
Hill lead OSU in scoring with her 20 points and five assists. She was followed by sophomore center Ashley Adams who tallied 18 points and eight rebounds. Prahalis had 15 points after her career high 34 points just three days prior.
The Fighting Illini were lead by junior guard Adrienne Godbold and Burke, who had 15 and 16 points, respectively.
OSU defeated the Illini, 96-84, on Jan. 22, but this night saw the Buckeyes only make half their shots. They were 27-54 from field goal range and 6-12 from behind the arc. In all three losses, the Buckeyes have shot 50 percent or less.
The Illini were 27-61 from field goal range and 2-9 for three pointers, but they out-rebounded the Buckeyes, 37-27.
The Buckeyes return home Sunday against the No. 17 Purdue Boilermakers (19-5, 9-2). Sunday’s game might decide who holds the top spot in the Big Ten conference. Tip is at 5 p.m.
