Patberg leads No. 7 Indiana to 93-61 rout of Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Ali Patberg scored a season-high 26 points to lead No. 7 Indiana to a 93-61 win over Illinois on Wednesday night.

The Hoosiers hit six of their first seven shots, and Patberg opened the game on a tear, hitting a jumper and a layup early. She nailed a second-chance 3 with 2:30 to go in the opening quarter as the Hoosiers raced out to a 24-6 lead.

After Patberg hit another 3 to open the second quarter, Kaitlin Peterson seized an offensive rebound, then stepped back and hit a 3 to put the Hoosiers up 34-8 with 8:36 left in the half.

Patberg went 4 of 6 in the second quarter, scoring 12 points to power the Hoosiers (17-3, 9-1 Big Ten) to a 54-24 halftime advantage.

Forward Aleksa Gulbe reached double figures for the third-straight game, finishing with 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

Adalia McKenzie led Illinois (6-13, 1-7) with 14 points off the bench while Jayla Oden added 13 points.

The result marked Indiana’s largest margin of victory this season, surpassing a 31-point win over Fairfield on Dec. 9.

The Hoosiers have now won 13 games in a row over the Illini, dating back to 2013.

BIG PICTURE

Indiana: The Hoosiers are proving they can win without Holmes. Sophomore forward Kiandra Browne won’t replace Holmes’ scoring, but she looks comfortable on the defensive end. The Hoosiers’ replacement-by-committee approach seems to be paying off with Gulbe and Berger crashing the boards hard.

Illinois: Without significant improvement on the defensive end, it’ll be difficult for the Illini to earn conference wins down the stretch. Illinois has allowed 70-plus points in seven of its last eight games, losing each time. The Illini’s last victory — a 68-47 win over Wisconsin on Jan. 9 — was the last time they held a Big Ten opponent under the mark.

UP NEXT

Indiana: hosts Michigan State on Saturday.

Illinois: hosts Nebraska on Saturday.