Illini Women Blow Out Rutgers
Petra Holešínská shoots over two Rutgers defenders in a 78-41 win. Cary Frye / University of Illinois
The Illinois women's basketball team topped Rutgers 78-41 Saturday at State Farm Center in Champaign, the Illini's second largest ever margin of victory in a Big Ten game. Freshman Petra Holešínská led Illinois with a career-high 21 points.
Illinois led throughout, building a 22-12 lead after one quarter, behind three Holešínská three-pointers. The Illini took a 30-16 lead into halftime, then put Rutgers away by outscoring them 25-8 in the third quarter for a 55-24 advantage.
"I'm really happy for our team," head coach Matt Bollant said. "They work really hard and don't always see that kind of result. Today was a special game with a special result."
Holešínská hit 7-10 from the field for the game, including 5-6 from three-point range.
"I thought Petra {Holešínska} really got us going in the first half, she scored 17 and was really good," Bollant said. "Throughout the game everyone stepped up and did a good job of finding their shooters and rebounding."
Fellow freshmen Brandi Beasley and Ali Andrews also scored in double figures for the Illini, with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Beasley also led Illinois with 9 assists.
The Illini held Rutgers to just 26% shooting from the field, including 1-15 from three-point range.
Next up for Illinois is a trip to Iowa on Wednesday. The Illini beat Iowa in the Big Ten opener 70-65 on December 28.
The only larger margin of victory for Illinois in a Big Ten game came in 1998 in a 98-51 win over Michigan.