Box Score
BELOIT, Wis.- Brielle Greenleaf scored 19 points, helping Illinois College cruise to the Midwest Conference win over Beloit College, 60-43. IC improves to 4-9 (3-2 MWC) on the year, while Beloit falls to 3-9 (1-4 MWC).
Greenleaf kicked off the scoring in the first, snatching a steal and taking it down the court for a layup, putting Illinois College up, 2-0. Candace Cunningham equalized the score, 2-2, three minutes into the quarter with a 15-foot jumper.
Starting with a Grace Yanches layup, Illinois College constructed a 10-2 run, capped by a Greenleaf jumper. The run gave the Lady Blues a nine-point advantage, 19-10, with just under a minute left to play in the first quarter.
Beloit College would inch closer as the quarter came to a close. Melissa McLean hit a jumper with two seconds left, ending the quarter with Illinois College leading, 19-12.
Beloit continued to shrink the deficit in the first minute of the second quarter. McLean converted a layup, and Danielle Strejc drilled a three-pointer to pull the Buccaneers within two, 19-17. After
Sydney Lett put the Illinois College back up by four, 21-17, a technical was assessed on IC, and Strejc hit both shots from the charity stripe to keep the Lady Blues only ahead by two, 21-19.
Illinois College began to distance itself from Beloit, starting with Megan Price. The freshman hit a three to give the Lady Blues a six-point lead, 29-23. That was followed by a Yaunches jumper to end the half in favor of IC, 31-23.
Illinois College started the second half strong, scoring the first five points. Greenleaf's free throw gave the Lady Blues a 36-23 lead, the team's largest of the game. The lead was cut down to eight, 36-28, as Shelby Kline drilled a triple from the corner with three-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter.
Following a Himmelman layup, Price hit another three-pointer to push Illinois College's lead back out to 13 points, 41-28, with one minute left in the third. Kline sunk a three with 40 seconds left to pull Beloit within 10, where the score would stand at the conclusion of the period, with IC up, 41-31.
McLean scored first in the fourth quarter, pulling Beloit within eight, 41-33. However, Illinois College went on a 15-1 run, started by a
McKenzie Skaggs triple, and finished by a Lett jumper. Following the run, the Lady Blues had a commanding lead, 56-34.
Beloit was left little time to counter the large run, but Jaylan Dunn hit a jumper to bring the game to a 15-point margin, 58-43. It was too late, however, as
Darian Sessions delivered a dagger; a two-point shot with a minute remaining to seal the game for Illinois College, securing the 60-43 win.
Behind Greenleaf's 19-point performance, Lett finished with nine points and four steals. Price tallied eight points, as well as another three steals to the team's total. As a whole, the Lady Blues forced 31 turnovers. McLean finished the contest with 14 points for Beloit. Kline added 10 points, and Cunningham scored nine, while also collecting 13 rebounds.
Illinois College returns to action on its home floor, where the Lady Blues are set to face Lawrence University on Jan. 13 in Jacksonville. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m.
