Illini Fall Short in Final Minute Loss

0:00On March 2, Illinois women's basketball wrapped up his regular season with a tough 78-73 loss to number 22, Minnesota on Sunday. The Alini finish 19 wins and 10 losses overall, 9-9 in the Big Ten. They trail by as many as 15 points, but fought back to tie it late at 70 all, only to fall short in the end. Minnesota controlled the boards in a big way, grabbing 39 rebounds to Illinois's 25, including 12 on the offensive end. They gave them extra shots and trips to the free-throw line, where they went 20 out of 24. Those second chances kept the pressure on and swung the game's rhythm. The Alini showed plenty of fight would balance scoring across the board. Barry Wallace led with 15 points. Aliyah Gaiden had 14, Sierra Parchment and Destiny Jackson each scored 13 and reserved Maddie. Weber added 14 on perfect 6 for 6 shooting, including two threes. They hit 10 of 19 from deep, which made the loss even tougher to swallow.

1:00For the second game in a row, Illinois couldn't seal the deal in the final minute. After tying it up, they struggled with clean execution on key possessions while Minnesota hit timely shots and freeze to pull ahead. Now the focus shifts to the Big Ten tournament, where the Alini need to sharpen those closing moments to turn close calls into victories.