No. 25 Illini Women Push No. 3 UCLA Before Running Out of Steam

Adalia McKenzie cut up the Bruins to lead a second-half run, but the Illini ultimately couldn't match UCLA's size

Feb 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Adalia McKenzie (24) tries to score past UCLA Bruins forward Angela Dugalic (32) during the firsts quarter at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The bar has been set.

Illinois women's basketball has been all but cut off at the knees by injuries this season – including another blow in last Sunday's win over Nebraska – but the Illini keep willing themselves to unimaginable heights, like a No. 25 ranking in the latest AP poll.

But to entertain the idea that Illinois, essentially down to six rotation players, could make a cross-country trip to Los Angeles, enter storied Pauley Pavilion and compete with recently deposed No. 1 (and now rankled) UCLA in their own building seemed to defy belief.

And although the Illini (21-6, 11-5 Big Ten) fell short Thursday, running out of lift late in a 70-55 defeat, they again demonstrated why they may be the best pound-for-pound scrapper in women's college basketball this season.

It was the tallest of challenges. After starting the the season on a 23-game winning streak and holding the No. 1 spot in the AP poll for 12 straight weeks, UCLA ran into a buzzsaw named Juju Watkins and then-No. 6 USC, its cross-town rival, last week. Following up with a so-so 75-69 win over No. 22 Michigan State, the Bruins had every right to enter the Illini game looking for a wounded fringe Big Ten contender on which to take out their frustrations.

But that's not what they found in Illinois. After allowing UCLA (25-1, 13-1) a 10-2 run to start the game and struggling to muster any kind of offense against the Bruins' size and athleticism, the Illini found themselves down 32-18 at half.

The knifing drives of Adalia McKenzie finally started paying off, though, as the senior guard scored 10 points in the third quarter and freshman center Hayven Smith tipped in a putback at the buzzer to close the margin to four.

A three-pointer from Kiki Rice (16 points) and a layup from Lauren Betts (a game-high 22 points) put the Illini back on their heels, but a layup and three from fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant with 6:55 remaining put Illinois in prime position for an upset, down just 48-44.

The 6-foot-7 Betts and 6-foot-4 Angela Dugalić were simply too much inside for the Illini. They seemed to get their hands into every lane, shut off every shot path to the basket and hoover up every loose ball and rebound down the stretch. McKenzie's 18 points, Bryant's eight assists and Kendall Bostic's 11 rebounds weren't enough to offset the size differential.

The Illini will be up against similar challenges the rest of the way – USC, now No. 4, and Watkins loom Sunday at the Galen Center (3 p.m. CT, on FS1) – but they've demonstrated that, even when overwhelmingly shorthanded, they have the ability to elevate beyond all reasonable expectations.

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