Nye, Bostic Garner All-Big Ten Honorable Mention

Nye, Bostic Garner All-Big Ten Honorable Mention

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Fighting Illini sophomore duo of Aaliyah Nye and Kendall Bostic were honored among the top players in the conference when the league announced its the 2022 All-Big Ten Awards Tuesday on Big Ten Network’s “B1G Today” show.

Nye was tabbed as an All-Big Ten honorable mention performer in separate votes by both the Big Ten media members and the league’s 14 head coaches. Bostic also earned All-Big Ten honorable mention accolades from the media voters, and was tabbed as the Illini’s recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Nye leads the Illini and ranks 19^th in the Big Ten at 12.12 points per game. She ranks sixth in the Big Ten, averaging 2.48 three-pointers per game, while shooting better than 35 percent from beyond the arc. In Illinois’ Jan. 9 win over Wisconsin, Nye scored a game-high 21 points on 7-for-14 shooting from three-point range, tying the program record for three-pointers in a Big Ten game. Nye reached double-figures scoring in nine of Illinois’ 14 conference games, including back-to-back career scoring nights with 23 vs. Nebraska (Feb. 12) and 25 vs. then-No. 18 Ohio State (Feb. 14). Nye’s 62 three-pointers on the season rank 11^th in program history and she enters play at the Big Ten Tournament needing just three triples to crack the top-10.

Bostic has led the Big Ten in rebounding throughout the 2021-22 season and enters postseason play averaging 11.44 rebounds per game, the 12^th best mark in the nation. in her first season with the Illini after spending her freshman year at Michigan State, Bostic stormed out of the gate with 17 rebounds in a double-double effort in her Orange & Blue debut vs. N.C. Central, and she never looked back. In December, Bostic pulled down 22 rebounds in Illinois’ win over Eastern Kentucky, notching the third-highest single-game total in program history. Entering the Big Ten Tournament, Bostic has led the Illini in rebounding in 21 consecutive games and 24 of 25 regular-season games overall. Her 286 rebounds on the season rank sixth in the program’s record book.

This marks the first season that two Illini have earned All-Big Ten honors since 2017 when Brandi Beasley and Alex Wittinger also brought home honorable mention nods for the Orange and Blue.

The 14^th-seeded Illini open the Big Ten Women’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, facing No. 11-seeded Wisconsin in the second game of Round 1. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. CT from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.