By: Hannah McGinnis came into the night needing 17 rebounds to break the all-time school record in the category. She ended with 20 and added 14 points in IC’s 76-49 win over Beloit.
Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Wednesday night's victory for the Illinois College women's basketball team was significant for a couple of reasons. On an individual level, senior
Hannah McGinnis staked her claim as the all-time leading rebounder in school history. On the big picture level, IC's 76-49 win over Beloit College was an important step in the quest for a Midwest Conference Tournament bid. With the win, Illinois College upped its record to 12-7 (9-5 MWC) and moved into a three-way tie with Cornell and Lake Forest for the final two spots in the four-bid tournament.
The game was an all-around team win for the Lady Blues. All eight players who entered the game scored for Illinois College, and five of them ended the night in double-figures. McGinnis,
Ashley Hoegger and
Maddy Keith all tied for game-high honors with 14 points each.
Alyssa Garde and
Melissa Solorio chipped in with 11 also.
Needing 17 rebounds in the game to break the all-time Illinois College rebounding record held by Carol Johnson (927, 1983-86), McGinnis had secured nine by halftime. She added five more in the opening minutes of the second half, all but assuring her the record before the game ended. The rebound that broke the record came as so many of them have in McGinnis' career; on a hustle play that Beloit had no answer for. Keith missed a jumper with just less than 10 minutes to play in the second half, but McGinnis was there for the offensive board. She then tried a layup and missed, but got the follow and scored on the putback, increasing IC's lead to 53-32.
A slow start from Illinois College made for some nervous moments early on, as Beloit got out to a 9-4 lead with more than five minutes gone in the game. After McGinnis grabbed the board on a missed Buccaneer jumper, she assisted on Hoegger's three-pointer to bring the Lady Blues back within two. Garde followed with the first of her three three-pointers on the night to put IC up, 10-9.
Beloit took the lead back on its next possession, but
Kate Russow hit a jumper the next time down the floor to start an 8-0 run that gave Illinois College the lead for good. The advantage expanded throughout the remainder of the first half and the Lady Blues went into halftime ahead, 34-21, after Russow converted an and-one in the final minute.
Picking up right where they left off in the second half, Hoegger buried a corner triple within 10 seconds of the restart to give IC a 37-21 lead. With the lead hovering in the upper teens and into the twenties throughout the second half, the biggest drama mostly involved if McGinnis would end up with the record by the end of the night. Of course, her dominance of the paint made that a moot point pretty early on and the Lady Blues got to enjoy the final minutes with a sizable advantage.
It was a night for everyone to get in on the act.
Amy Bergstrom swished in a three-pointer on her way to five points.
Emily Pacini also came off the bench for two steals and her first two points of the season.
Illinois College will look to build on tonight's win and move closer to clinching a spot in the MWC Tournament on Saturday with a road trip to Lawrence University. The Vikings are winless on the season at 0-18 (0-14 MWC). Tip-off in Appleton, Wis. is scheduled for 1 p.m.
