By: Behind another big double-double from Hannah McGinnis (22 points, 17 rebounds), the Lady Blues held on late to down Fontbonne and move to 2-0.
Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Riding hot starts to each half, the Illinois College women's basketball team improved to 2-0 on the young season on Wednesday night in the home opener against visiting Fontbonne with a 73-70 win.
Hannah McGinnis had game highs in both points and rebounds, putting up another impressive double-double with 22 points and 17 boards to lead the Lady Blues.
Illinois College never trailed in the contest, but it was far from an easy win. Early on, the Lady Blues were on fire from downtown, hitting their first three from beyond the arc and taking a 23-6 lead with just over six minutes gone. The Griffins would storm back however, turning up the defensive pressure and forcing IC into a number of turnovers. A 17-1 run ensued, bringing Fontbonne within a point at 24-23 with less than seven minutes remaining until the break.
The game would eventually be tied at 27-27, but to their credit, the Lady Blues picked up where they left off early in the game and reestablished an eight-point lead at 37-29. The lead would be trimmed to three by the break, with IC holding a 39-36 advantage.
Starting off in the second half, Illinois College ripped off another big 14-4 run highlighted by
Jill Friedrich's steal and coast-to-coast layup, as well as a step-back corner jumper from
Kate Russow to put the Lady Blues up, 53-40. The lead hovered near double-digits for most of the half, but Fontbonne did just enough to stay in it until cranking up the pressure yet again in the final three minutes.
Two free throws by Erika Kuhn made it a 72-63 game with 2:22 remaining. Over the next minute, she would make three more trips to the line, hitting five out of six attempts to pull the Griffins within four. A layup by Chelsy Gibson with 44 seconds remaining made it 72-70. Following an IC turnover, Fontbonne had a chance to tie the game with less than 20 seconds to go, but Nicole Joerger's layup fell off the rim and was rebounded by
Ashley Hoegger. Going down to shoot two on the other end, Hoegger was able to knock down the second of the double bonus to extend the Lady Blues out to a three-point cushion. A desperation three-point attempt by DeAmbra Pilkinton in the final seconds was off the mark and IC was able to escape with the victory.
McGinnis' 22 points made her just one of five IC players who scored in double-figures on the night. Hoegger had 11 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Maddy Keith chipped in 10 points and eight rebounds.
Melissa Solorio added 10 points as well. Off the bench, Friedrich scored 11 points and had six steals, tying for fifth all-time on the single-game steals chart in program history.
After shutting down MacMurray in the opener, the IC defense did another good job of denying chances to the Griffins. Fontbonne ended the night shooting 34 percent from the field and just 1-of-10 from three-point range. Illinois College shot 50 percent from the floor as a team.
Illinois College remains at home next week with the opener to the Midwest Conference season. The Lady Blues welcome in the Cornell Rams for a 5 p.m. tip-off on Nov. 25.
