REDLANDS, Calif. – The Illinois College women's basketball team took a lead after one quarter of play in the season opener for the Lady Blues on Friday night, but Chapman University rode strong second and third quarters to a large lead that held up in an 82-70 victory for the Panthers.
Brielle Greenleaf led IC on the night with 23 points, surpassing the 1,000-point mark for her career.
Following an opening three-pointer from Chapman, Illinois College went on a 7-0 run to take its largest lead early in the contest.
McKenzie Skaggs supplied the Lady Blues with their first five points before a
Carly Cameron layup.
Megan Price also accounted for five straight points later in the quarter as IC maintained its four-point lead, 22-18, going into the second quarter of play.
Lucy Criswell connected on a three-pointer to start the second quarter, cutting Chapman's deficit to one. Later on, she tied the score at 25-25 and then gave the Panthers the lead for good on a three-pointer, making it 28-25. The Lady Blues hung with Chapman throughout the quarter and a
Sydney Lett layup made it 36-35 with just over two minutes to play until halftime. The momentum of the game swung in the final minutes of the half, however, when the Panthers scored seven points in the final 51 seconds to take a 43-35 lead into the break.
The 7-0 run turned into an 11-0 run as Chapman came out in the third quarter and extended its lead to 47-35. Four straight points from Greenleaf brought Illinois College back within eight until Jaryn Fajardo and Criswell each made three-pointers as part of an 8-0 run to give Chapman a 55-39 edge. The Panther lead peaked at 22 points at the tail end of the quarter before IC began to come back.
Price, Greenleaf and Lett all scored as part of an 8-0 run to begin the fourth quarter for Illinois College, shrinking the deficit to 68-55 with seven minutes to play. In need of a bucket, Chapman turned to Criswell. The All-American candidate for the Panthers ended with a game-high 32 points and she helped stem the tide with a layup to push it back to a 15-point game. Despite her basket, IC didn't quit, getting as close as seven points late in the game when
Kendra Bass scored three straight points. With the score 73-66 and two minutes to play, Chapman made enough plays down the stretch to hold off the Lady Blues and get the win.
Greenleaf's 23 made her one of three scorers in double-figures for the Lady Blues.
Grace Yaunches ended with 12 points and Lett scored 11 on the night along with five assists. Price came off the bench for nine points and Cameron ended with a team-best seven rebounds.
Illinois College wraps up the Redlands Tip-Off Classic tomorrow night against the host school, the University of Redlands. Tip-off in California is scheduled for 9 p.m. (CST).
