Indiana Knocks Off Illinois on the Road

Wednesday, February 10

Champaign, Ill.

8 pm

Indiana University

at Illinois

2/10/2016 11:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Five Hoosiers scored in double figures as Indiana knocked off Illinois on Wednesday night inside the State Farm Center, 80-68. The road triumph gave IU its eighth win in Big Ten play this season, the program's most conference victories in a single year since 2008-09.

Tyra Buss led the Hoosiers with 21 points. Amanda Cahill and Kym Royster both finished with double-doubles as Cahill tallied 15 points with 12 rebounds with Royster notching 10 points and 10 boards off the bench. Four times this year, IU has had a pair of players achieve double-doubles in the same game.

Alexis Gassion and Karlee McBride also added 10 points each. Gassion just missed a double-double performance as she skied for nine rebounds.

Illinois (8-16, 1-12) came out firing, building a 7-0 lead in the game's first 2:48. Indiana responded using a 9-0 first quarter spurt and eventually a 13-2 overall run to build a 15-11 advantage. After starting the opening period missing its first four shots, IU ended the quarter hitting 9-of-12 field goals to take a 25-18 advantage to begin the second period.

Indiana (16-9, 8-5) would build its lead to 36-23 in the second quarter before the Illini strung together an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to five. Buss ended that run with back-to-back layups before Karlee McBride nailed a pair of free throws. Buss would make it an 8-0 Hoosier run with two more free throws to match Indiana's biggest lead of the half at 13, 44-31.

Kyley Simmons ended the half with a 3-point field goal for Illinois to make it a 44-34 halftime score in favor of Indiana.

Indiana came out stale to start the second half, missing its first six field goals with three turnovers in the first three minutes as the Illini pulled within five, 44-39. Jess Walter ended the slow Hoosier stretch with a jumper and Cahill followed with a layup.

Royster then went to work for the Hoosiers as the freshman scored 10 of IU's 18 points in the third period as Indiana led 62-54 heading to the fourth.

Illinois would cut the lead to six before Buss nailed a trey to begin a 7-0 Hoosier run to build the lead to 13 points with 5:56 to play.

A Cahill jumper with 3:13 remaining capped a 14-3 Hoosier spurt that gave Indiana its biggest lead of the contest, 76-59. IU would cruise the rest of the way.

Indiana outrebounded the Illini, 49-33, to improve to 11-1 when outrebounding opponents this season. IU controlled the offensive boards winning the that battle, 18-8, while outscoring Illinois in second-chance points, 17-2.

Cahill's double-double gives her eight on the year and 14 in her career. Her eight double-doubles are the most for an Indiana player in a single year since 2008-09.

Buss shot 7-of-14 for the game, scoring 15 of her 21 points in the first half. She has tallied double figure points in every game this season and in 29 consecutive games dating back to last year.

Royster achieved her first career double-double as her 10 rebounds are a new career high total.

Indiana will return home to take on Wisconsin inside of Assembly Hall on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 2 p.m. ET.