Women's basketball Game 13 preview: Oregon at Illinois, 2 p.m., Saturday

Lineups Illinois (10-2, 0-1 Big Ten) Starters P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown G Makira Cook Sr.

5-6 11.9 Cincinnati G Genesis Bryant Sr.

5-6 12.0 Jonesboro, Ga.

G Adalia McKenzie Sr.

5-10 13.3 Brooklyn Park, Minn.

F Brynn Shoup-Hill Sr.

6-3 5.4 Goshen, Ind.

F Kendall Bostic Sr.

6-2 16.5 Kokomo, Ind.

FYI: The playing status of Cook and Gretchen Dolan is unknown ahead of Saturdays early-afternoon tip against Oregon.

On Friday morning, Illini coach Shauna Green said Cook and Dolan are still considered day-to-day.

Cook has missed her teams last three games, while Dolan has been out since the start of this month with an injury.

They have pretty much been out (of practice), Green said of Cook and Dolan.

Illinois had two practices on Thursday in its first day since returning from the Christmas holiday and had a morning practice on Friday at State Farm Center.

Gretchens practiced a little bit.

Off the bench P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown G Gretchen Dolan So.

5-11 10.1 Buffalo, N.Y.

G Jasmine Brown-Hagger So.

5-9 10.7 Shorewood F Berry Wallace Fr.

6-1 6.8 Pickerington, Ohio Oregon (9-3, 0-1 Big Ten) Starters P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown G Deja Kelly Gr.

5-8 10.5 Duncanville, Texas G Peyton Scott Gr.

5-8 11.0 Lynchburg, Ohio G Elisa Mevius Jr.

5-10 7.5 Rendsburg, Germany F Amina Muhammad Jr.

6-4 9.2 DeSoto, Texas C Phillipina Kyei Sr.

6-8 5.8 Calgary, Alberta FYI: Scott and Kelly both rank in Top 10 among the NCAAs active scoring leaders in Division I after starting their careers elsewhere.

Scott, who missed all but one game of last season with a knee injury after transferring from Miami (Ohio), surpassed 2,000 career points with a nine-point effort in the Ducks 71-43 home win against UC Irvine on Dec.

19 in their nonconference finale.

Kelly, meanwhile, transferred in from North Carolina this past offseason and is 16 points shy of 2,000 after scoring 1,984 points in four seasons with the Tar Heels, plus 12 games at Oregon.

Off the bench P Name Yr.

Ht.

PPG Hometown F Sarah Rambus So.

6-3 4.9 Flint, Mich.

F Alexis Whitfield Gr.

6-2 6.1 West Hills, Calif.

G Nani Falatea R-Jr.

5-9 6.1 Salt Lake City Details Site: State Farm Center (15,544); Champaign.

Streaming: BTN plus (subscription) Radio: Mike Koon will have the call on WDWS 1400-AM, WDWS 93.9-FM.

Series: Oregon leads 2-1.

Last meeting: Illinois won 80-62 on Dec.

12, 2012, in Champaign.

FYI: The home team has won all three games in the very brief series between these two now-Big Ten opponents.

The Illinis 2012 win against the Ducks at State Farm Center saw Karisma Penn deliver 17 points and 12 rebounds to pace Illinois, while Ivory Crawford added 16 points.

Beat writer Joe Vozzellis storylines Bostics unbelievable trait Kendall Bostic has seen it all from a basketball perspective.

That comes with her status as fifth-year senior.

But the veteran Illinois forward has still watched opponents approach her differently through the first 12 games of her final college season.

Thats all been down to how the 6-foot-2 forwards game has evolved.

Bostics ability to hit a mid-range jumper consistently and even flash a three-point shot (although Bostic is 2 for 10 from beyond the arc) has changed the way shes been guarded.

I feel like theyre a lot tighter to me, Bostic said.

I feel like in years past they kind of sunk off a bit, especially from three they hadnt really come out to guard me.

Now, theyre a lot closer, which again opens everything up and then the guards get downhill more.

I feel like, too, Im able to take them off the bounce to do a one-dribble pull-up if I need it.

Its been kind of nice to create those mismatches when I see them.

The best version of Bostic has been on display through the opening two months of the season.

As a scorer and rebounder.

That Bostic is averaging a career-high 16.5 points while shooting 57.4 percent from the floor is significant.

As is her 11.3 rebounds per game.

You know what youre going to get from K.B.

every single day, Illinois coach Shauna Green said.

Its what I appreciate most about her.

...

She has a lot going on in her life.

I mean, she pretty much works a job (as a student teacher) and comes here, but you would never know it.

That is such an unbelievable trait.

A semester of experience Berry Wallaces first foray into what Big Ten play was largely a successful one.

The five-star 6-foot-1 freshman forward, after all, finished with eight points and three rebounds in 20 minutes, an 83-74 loss at Ohio State on Dec.

8 in Illinois Big Ten opener.

That was impressive enough considering the opponent with the Buckeyes a Top 15 team.

But that Ohio State game was also the Pickerington, Ohio, natives first game back from missing a full month with a broken right hand.

Since then, Wallaces presence has been key for a short-handed Illini team.

Through five games, Wallace has a .526/.364/.909 shooting slash as one of the first players off the bench for Green now that the third-year Illinois coach has had to alter her rotations, especially at guard, with Makira Cook and Gretchen Dolan both out and Jasmine Brown-Hagger starting in place of Cook.

I would say probably that its OK for change, Wallace said of the adjustment period from her first semester of college with the Illini set to resume Big Ten play against Oregon on Saturday.

I learned its OK, even with the coaches and stuff, like its OK Im a freshman.

I dont have to know everything.

Its OK to make mistakes.

It was hard to get used to that at first, because coming out of high school, youre kind of like the best player on your team.

Youre used to that.

You know your system really well.

Then, you come to college and its completely different.

So, just giving myself grace in that ...

and knowing that its OK to mess up.

Diving back into Big Ten play Its all Big Ten all the time, at least for the next two-plus month for Green and Co.

But its also all basketball at least for the time being with school out for the next three weeks before classes resume on Jan.

21.

An important stretch for Illinois not just from a standpoint of improving through the extra practice time afforded at this time of year.

But one where the Illini will play six games between now and Martin Luther King Jr.

Day, with four of those at State Farm Center.

It all starts, however, with Oregon on Saturday.

A Ducks team with a skilled 6-foot-8 center in Phillipina Kyei and an experienced backcourt duo of Deja Kelly and Peyton Scott.

Theres a lot of new kids, Green said of the roster longtime Oregon coach Kelly Graves assembled in the offseason.

The Ducks were coming off an 11-21 season last winter, where Oregon lost its final 14 games.

So, I still think theyre trying to figure themselves out, the Illini coach continued.

They play a lot of players.

Theyre very deep, where were not very deep.

They have (Kyei) who could be a dominant low-block player, and they have really good guards surrounding her.

...

I just think with them you have to try to neutralize Deja Kelly because she just sets the table for so much and then they have Peyton Scott.

All of their guards are three-level scorers.

So, I just think us settling in and not getting so caught up in what are they running? Are they in man (defense) or zone (defense)? We just have to play with a lot of poise with a team like this.

The News-Gazettes Pick Illinois 75, Oregon 71 On paper, there isnt much separating these two teams with the Ducks and Illini in the lower half of the Big Ten in scoring offense and both holding opponents under 60 points a game.

What could make the difference Saturday is that Illinois is at home with Oregon making the long trip down from the Pacific Northwest.

Its something the Illini have to take advantage of, as Shauna Greens team looks to even up its Big Ten record.

(News-Gazette prediction record: 10-2).

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