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Nebraska Women's Basketball Knocks Off Illinois in Big Ten Tournament Second Round

The Huskers advance to the Big Ten quarterfinals Friday against 2-seed UCLA.
Kaleb Henry|
Nebraska guard Callin Hake (14) chases a loss ball during a 74-70 win over Illinois in the second round of the 2025 Big Ten Conference Tournament.
Nebraska guard Callin Hake (14) chases a loss ball during a 74-70 win over Illinois in the second round of the 2025 Big Ten Conference Tournament. | Nebraska Athletics

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Nebraska CornhuskersIllinois Fighting Illini

Nebraska women's basketball's Big Ten Conference Tournament run continues.

10-seed Nebraska beat 7-seed Illinois in the second round Thursday in Indianapolis, 74-70. The Huskers improve to 21-10 on the year while the Illini fall to 21-9.

Nebraska advances to the quarterfinal round Friday against 2-seed UCLA. Illinois is projected to be in the NCAA Tournament but will find out for sure on Sunday.

Illinois started hot but Nebraska closed hot. The Illini began the game on a 9-0 run while the Huskers didn't make a shot for the first 5:09.

Nebraska kept the game close, though the deficit was eight points early in the fourth quarter. NU then ran off a 7-0 run and would take the lead a couple minutes later.

The Big Red closed the game on a 13-5 run.

The Huskers shot 49.1% for the game, including 8-of-16 on 3s. The Illini made 45.6% of their shots, going 5-of-14 from deep.

Nebraska's underclassmen carried the load offensively, with freshman Britt Prince scoring a team-high 17 points to go with five assists.

Sophomores Jessica Petrie and Logan Nissley scored 11 and eight points, respectively. Freshman Petra Bozan chipped in 11 points, just one off of her career high.

Nebraska's quarterfinal game against UCLA is set for 5:30 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Box score

Elsewhere at the Big Ten Conference Tournament

9-seed Indiana beat 8-seed Oregon, 78-62. The Hoosiers will take on top-seeded USC Friday at 11 a.m. CST. 5-seed Michigan outlasted 12-seed Washington, 66-58. The Wolverines will take on 4-seed Maryland Friday, 25 minutes after the Hoosiers and Trojans.

6-seed Michigan State and 11-seed Iowa are currently in action. The winner will play 3-seed Ohio State Friday, 25 minutes after the Huskers/Illini and Bruins.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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