By: Despite a 76-49 loss on the road to Ripon College on Saturday, a Lake Forest College loss kept the Lady Blues alive with two games left in the regular season.
Box Score
RIPON, Wis. – Though the Illinois College women's basketball team was harmed by a 76-49 loss to Ripon College on Saturday afternoon, the Lady Blues remain alive in the Midwest Conference Tournament race after Lake Forest College lost to Cornell College later in the day. IC falls to 8-15 (6-8 MWC) on the season, while Ripon remains in a tie with Cornell for first place in the conference at 15-7 (12-2 MWC).
After trailing 9-4, Ripon raced out to a 22-12 lead at the end of the first quarter and then dominated play in the second quarter to go to the break with a 51-21 advantage.
Brielle Greenleaf had eight points and
Shannen Quehl had seven in the first half for the Lady Blues, but the Red Hawks put three players in double-figures, led by Emma McDonald's 14 points. The Red Hawks shot 58 percent in the first half and had a 14-0 run bridging the first and second quarters as well as a half-ending 7-0 run to take the insurmountable lead.
Illinois College outscored the Red Hawks, 16-10, in the third quarter, getting within 21 on a
Grace Yaunches three-pointer, but the home side recovered and went to the final quarter on top, 61-37. The Lady Blues couldn't get closer than 23 points in the last 10 minutes of the contest.
Greenleaf and Quehl each closed the day out with 11 points, while Yaunches added 10 points.
Sydney Himmelman didn't score, but led the Lady Blues with nine rebounds. Maggie Oimoen led Ripon with 19 points, while McDonald ended with 15.
Illinois College will have a chance to get within one game of Lake Forest in the standings on Feb. 13, taking on Monmouth College at 7:30 p.m. in Monmouth.
