Byrd is the word: Illinois wrestler wins national championship!

Balanced offense carrying Illini

Can the Illini hold onto a fourth-quarter lead? If they do, the Illinois women’s basketball team will win its first NCAA tournament game in 25 years.

Illinois leads Creighton 47-41 after three quarters as 12 points from Adalia McKenzie, 11 points from Genesis Bryant and nine points apiece from Berry Wallace and Brynn Shoup-Hill has the eighth-seeded Illini just 10 minutes away from a second-round game on Monday at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Kendall Bostic has added six points and an Illinois single-game NCAA tournament record 15 rebounds as well. 

Parkland leads early

The Parkland men’s basketball team holds a 15-10 lead against Kirkwood (Iowa) with 12:51 remaining in the first half of the NJCAA Division II national title game in Danville.

JaMonte Williams has five points so far to lead the Cobras as they try to win their first national title since 1986. 

Illini keeping Bluejays at bay

The Illinois women’s basketball team leads Creighton 41-33 with 6:21 left in the third quarter.

And Brynn Shoup-Hill is a big reason why. The senior forward is up to nine points after she made back-to-back three-pointers once Creighton pulled within 35-33 with 7:13 remaining in the quarter. 

The Illini are shooting 50 percent from the field (17 of 34) and are just as efficient behind the three-point line, making 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. 

Illini up at halftime against Bluejays

The Illinois women’s basketball team holds a 31-26 halftime lead against Creighton in a first-round NCAA tournament game at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Genesis Bryant leads all scorers with 11 points as the Illini senior guard has made 2 of 3 three-pointers and is 4 of 6 from the field. Fellow seniors Adalia McKenzie (eight points, four rebounds) and Kendall Bostic (four points, 12 rebounds) have also provided steady contributions as the Illini try to earn their first NCAA tournament win since 2000.

Berry Wallace has also made the most of her opportunities, with the Illini freshman scoring five points in the first half and making both of her shots from the field, including a three-pointer.

Illinois held Creighton to just 35.5 percent shooting in the first half, but the Bluejays did force the Illini into eight first-half turnovers.

Byrd wins national title

Lucas Byrd is an NCAA champion.

The fifth-year senior on the Illinois wrestling team defeated Drake Ayala of Iowa by a 3-2 decision on tiebreakers in the 133-pound national championship match on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, becoming the first Illini to win a national title since Isaiah Martinez in 2016. 

In the third matchup between Byrd and Ayala this season, Byrd prevailed after winning a Big Ten championship two weeks ago in his matchup against Ayala. This one, he’ll remember for some time, too.

After a scoreless first period, Byrd took a 1-0 lead in the second period on an escape before Ayala tied the match at 1 in the third period before it headed to overtime. 

Byrd finishes his final season at Illinois with a 23-1 record and becomes the 24th national champion in Illinois history.

Seniors sparking Illini

Genesis Bryant came to play tonight. The fifth-year Illinois senior guard is carrying the Illini offense as Illinois leads Creighton 26-21 with 2:50 left in the second quarter. 

Bryant is up to 11 points and has made 4 of 6 shots from the field, including 2 of 3 from three-point range. The Bluejays, however, are on a 7-0 run and have trimmed the Illini lead from 26-14 to the five-point margin it’s at now in the last five minutes. Illinois last scored when Adalia McKenzie made a jumper with 7:09 remaining in the quarter.

Fellow seniors McKenzie and Kendall Bostic are proving they don’t want this first-round NCAA tournament game to be the last time they wear an Illini uniform either. McKenzie has eight points on 4 of 6 shooting to go with four rebounds, while Bostic has four points and has already hauled in 12 rebounds. 

Illini lead Bluejays after first quarter

Illinois takes an 18-10 lead into the second quarter after efficient offense and superb defense in the first quarter of its first-round NCAA tournament game against Creighton in Austin, Texas.

Genesis Bryant is carrying the Illini so far with nine points and has made 2 of 3 three-pointers. A three-pointer from Berry Wallace for her first NCAA tournament points increased the Illini lead to 16-10 with 3:22 left in the first quarter.

Illinois shot 7 of 14 from the field in the opening 10 minutes, including 3 of 5 from three-point range, while holding Creighton to just 22.2 percent shooting (4 of 18) from the field. 

Kendall Bostic also had a solid first quarter for Illinois and appears like she’s on track for another double-double with four points and eight rebounds so far.

Bryant keys fast start for Illini

The Illinois women’s basketball team leads Creighton 10-8 with 4:21 left in the first quarter at the first media timeout of the game.

Genesis Bryant has six points to pace the eighth-seeded Illini in their first-round NCAA tournament matchup at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, while fellow seniors Kendall Bostic and Adalia McKenzie have two points apiece. The Illini defense has been solid so far, forcing the ninth-seeded Bluejays into just 25 percent shooting (3 of 12) from the field.

Big night for Illini, Cobras

A chance to have an Illinois wrestler win a national title.

A chance for Illinois women’s basketball to earn its first NCAA tournament win in 25 years.

And a chance for the Parkland men’s basketball team to win a national title.

All of the above is happening tonight.

Illini fifth-year senior Lucas Byrd will wrestle for the national title at 133 pounds against Drake Ayala of Iowa at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, attempting to become the first Illini to win a national title since Isaiah Martinez in 2016.

The Illini women’s basketball team tips off against Creighton at 6:15 p.m. at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, in a first-round NCAA tournament game. Illinois (21-9) is looking for its first win in a month, trying to snap a four-game losing streak and give coach Shauna Green her first NCAA tournament win in charge of the Illini.

The Parkland men’s basketball team will make the short drive back from Danville to Champaign tonight with either an NJCAA Division II national championship trophy or national runner-up trophy. The Cobras (33-2) play Kirkwood (Iowa) (31-3) at 7 p.m. at Mary Miller Gym on the Danville Area Community College campus.

Follow along for updates all night involving those three area college programs.