By: Monmouth was down 46-38 late in the third quarter but scored 24 unanswered points to down Illinois College, 68-54.
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College women's basketball team looked to be in a position to pull away, but a huge Monmouth College run in the third and fourth quarters changed the game dramatically as the Scots pulled away for a 68-54 win. The Lady Blues were up by eight points in the third quarter, but went ice cold for a long stretch of time and Monmouth put together a 24-0 run. IC is now 11-11 (8-9 Midwest Conference).
After a handful of empty possessions both ways, the scoring was started by a three-pointer from Monmouth's Rebecca Gallis but answered soon after by a
Brielle Greenleaf three-pointer on a kick-out pass from
Mickalah York. York picked up a pair of fouls soon after that however, and Monmouth went on top, 7-3. With the Scots already up, 10-9, the Lady Blues went cold in the final stages of the quarter and Monmouth used a 7-0 run to take a 17-9 advantage.
Grace Yaunches got Illinois College back in the scoring column with a pair of free throws to start the second quarter and
Shannen Quehl later tacked on a three-point play to make it a 19-14 contest. Monmouth would take its largest lead at 25-16 on a driving shot off glass by Jeni Crain. Unlike in the first quarter, Monmouth was the team to struggle down the stretch leading into halftime and Illinois College took advantage, coming back to take a 28-27 lead on a Quehl layup before the Scots managed a one-point halftime lead thanks to a pair of free throws in the final seconds.
The third quarter started well for Illinois College, but Monmouth stormed back in the final minutes. Quehl rattled in a shot to start the second half and put the Lady Blues back on top, 30-29. With the score tied at 33-33, a 9-1 run by IC all on three-pointers from
Jaicie Halleman and Greenleaf made it a 42-34 lead for the Lady Blues. The lead was still eight, 46-38, after a fast break layup by
McKenzie Skaggs, but the Scots closed on a 10-0 run to take a 48-46 edge in the final quarter.
The Monmouth run continued into the fourth quarter as Illinois College wouldn't score for more than seven minutes. The Scots turned a 10-0 run into a 24-0 run, scoring the first 14 points of the fourth quarter. It wasn't until Greenleaf hit a three-pointer with 2:24 remaining that the Lady Blues finally got back on the board. Greenleaf and Halleman each had a three with under a minute left, but by that point the clock was firmly in favor of Monmouth.
Greenleaf ended with a game-high 22 points for IC. Quehl added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Illinois College will end its season on Feb. 18 with a road matchup at Grinnell College. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
