By: Illinois College shot 20-of-22 at the charity stripe, but only 12-of-42 from the field, losing to Ripon College by a score of 74-49.
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College women's basketball team excelled at the free-throw line on Saturday afternoon, but couldn't get much going anywhere else on the court in a 74-49 loss to Ripon College. The Lady Blues shot 20-of-22 from the line in the game, but only 12-of-42 from the field. The Red Hawks hold onto their lead in the Midwest Conference, improving to 13-5 (10-1 MWC). IC is now 6-13 (4-6 MWC) on the season.
The form that had Illinois College up by 19 over Lake Forest in the first half three nights ago was evident in the first quarter as the Lady Blues opened up a 10-4 lead halfway through the first 10 minutes of the game. Four free throws from
Brielle Greenleaf sandwiched buckets from
Sydney Lett and
Shannon Propst as part of an 8-0 run to put IC on top by six.
Ripon rallied with a 6-0 run, tying the game at 10-10 on a three-point play from Eleanore Mueller. Greenleaf answered back with four straight points to get Illinois College ahead, 14-10, with 2:22 left in the quarter. The offense dried up after that however, with the Red Hawks scoring the final 10 points of the first quarter and then adding six straight in the second quarter before
Shannen Quehl finally got IC going after a five-minute scoreless streak.
Quehl's layup got the Lady Blues back within 10 at 26-16, but Emma McDonald was a one-woman wrecking machine for Ripon in the first half, scoring 20 points in the first 20 minutes, including 12 in the second quarter alone. Her hot hand stretched the Red Hawk lead to 20 points at the break, 45-25.
Illinois College started the second half nicely, getting on the board on a pair of free throws from Quehl and then pulling within 16, 46-30, on a
Grace Yaunches three-ball. The Lady Blues matched Ripon shot for shot in the quarter, but could get no closer than 15 points, which came in the last two minutes when Yaunches was fouled and connected on two from the charity stripe to make it 55-40.
The lead was back to 18 by the end of the third quarter and eventually expanded to 30 points in the fourth quarter until two free throws from Yaunches and a late
McKenzie Skaggs three-pointer provided the final margin for Illinois College.
Greenleaf hit all 10 of her free throws and ended with 15 points on the day. Yaunches was 7-of-8 at the line and had 13 points. McDonald was held in check in the second half, but ended with a game-high 22 for the Red Hawks. Maggie Oimoen had 12 and Alyassa Burgess added 10.
Illinois College heads away from home on Jan. 30, taking on Knox College in Galesburg, Ill. at 7:30 p.m.
