Prince hit consecutive jumpers to tie the game
at 65 with 2:23 to play and Jessica Petrie drilled a 3-pointer
to give the Cornhuskers the lead, their first of the fourth
quarter, at 1:40.
After two Illini free throws, Nebraska had a three-shot
possession, getting a clutch layup from Petrie on an inbounds
pass from Prince. Callin Hake and Prince followed with two free
throws each to make it 74-67. The Illini then got three free
throws with 3.9 seconds.
The Cornhuskers outscored the Illini 25-14 in the fourth to pick
up their fifth win after trailing by 10-plus points.
The Cornhuskers face second-seeded and fourth-ranked UCLA in the
quarterfinals on Friday. The Bruins won the regular-season
meeting 91-54 in a conference opener in December.
Petrie and Petra Bozan both had 11 points for Nebraska (21-11),
which had all nine players score.
Genesis Bryant led Illinois (21-9) with 20 points with Kendall
Bostic adding 19 and Adalia McKenzie scoring 16 with 10 assists.
Illinois jumped out to a 9-0 lead and led 32-30 at the half with
Bostic scoring 16 points.
Prince hit a 3-pointer early in the second half to give Nebraska
its first lead, 38-37, but after six lead changes Illinois took
a 56-49 lead into the fourth.
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