By: Struggles with turnovers and at the free throw line doomed IC to an 82-53 loss on Saturday afternoon.
Box Score WAUKESHA, Wis. – Utilizing a 32-13 edge in points off turnovers, Carroll University pulled away in the second half for an 82-53 win over the visiting Illinois College women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon at Carroll's Van Male Fieldhouse.
Ashley Hoegger scored a game-high 16 points and added six rebounds, but it wasn't enough to help the Lady Blues overcome 32 turnovers in the contest. IC falls to 6-5 (3-3 Midwest Conference) with the loss, while the Pioneers improve to 7-3 (4-1 MWC).
It was a fairly even start to the game, with neither team ahead by more than two points until a sudden 13-0 run from Carroll gave the Pioneers a 21-9 advantage with 8:30 remaining in the first half. Little by little, Illinois College began to chip away thanks to the team's dominance on the glass. The Lady Blues held a 26-14 edge in rebounds at halftime, with
Hannah McGinnis grabbing 11 in the opening 20 minutes alone.
Benefitting from those extra looks were
Jill Friedrich,
Alyssa Garde and Hoegger. Each of the three hit at least one three-pointer in the first half, bringing Illinois College back into the game. Garde established a new career high with nine points by halftime. A lead that had peaked at 12 after that early run was a more manageable seven-point deficit, 34-27, for IC at the break.
Illinois College needed to hold onto that momentum from late in the first half, but instead, Carroll came out in the second half as the aggressors. After scoring the final two points in the first half, the Pioneers expanded it to a 10-0 run to take a 42-27 lead after only two minutes had elapsed since halftime. With turnovers mounting for the Lady Blues, the team would get no closer than 12 points the rest of the way.
It was a difficult day for IC both with foul trouble – McGinnis and
Melissa Solorio would each foul out – as well as at the line. The Lady Blues shot only 8-of-22 as a team from the charity stripe, while Carroll knocked down 19-of-26 attempts.
Hoegger was 5-of-10 from the floor and the most efficient IC player from the free throw line, making 5-of-6. Friedrich was the other Lady Blues player to score in double-figures, netting 11 points. McGinnis ended the game with 15 rebounds but was limited to eight points.
Illinois College will try to get back in the win column when it returns home to face Monmouth College on Jan. 7. The Lady Blues and the Scots will get underway at 5 p.m. from Sherman Gymnasium.
