Too much Texas: Illini see season end in NCAA tournament

AUSTIN, Texas — The end was going to happen at some point for the Illinois women’s basketball team in the next two weeks.

It just happened to arrive on Monday afternoon at the Moody Center.

Playing in the program’s first second-round NCAA tournament game since 2000, the eighth-seeded Illini hung with top-seeded Texas for the opening quarter before the Longhorns used their athleticism and superb defense to defeat Illinois 65-48.

The Illini (22-10) led on three separate occasions early against the Longhorns (33-3), and enjoyed a 12-10 lead with 2:14 left in the first quarter after Jasmine Brown-Hagger made one of two free throws.

But Texas ended the quarter on a 6-0 run to go ahead 16-12 and kept up the pressure in the game-changing second quarter.

After Berry Wallace trimmed the Illini deficit to 21-16 with 6:43 to play in the first half on a layup, Texas answered with a 13-0 run and carried a 34-18 lead into halftime.

Illinois never cut its deficit within single digits the rest of the way. Adalia McKenzie scored a team-high 13 points for the Illini, while Wallace joined her in double figures with 12 points. Genesis Bryant and Kendall Bostic each added eight points.

Madison Booker paced the Longhorns with a game-high 20 points as Texas forced Illinois into 19 turnovers.