Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois College women's basketball team looked primed for a blowout victory early on in the first quarter on Tuesday night, but a double-digit lead in the opening 10 minutes fell away as the game progressed and Monmouth College came away with a 78-69 victory. IC drops to 8-8 (4-5 Midwest Conference) with the loss, while the Fighting Scots solidify their position in second place at 12-4 (7-2 MWC).
On a night in which she scored a career-high 25 points,
Grace Yaunches got it going early, scoring the opening bucket of the game.
Lilly Pepper added a jumper from the elbow on the next possession to put Illinois College ahead, 4-0, in the opening minute. Leading by a score of 7-6, the Lady Blues went on a 15-0 run that stretched more than seven minutes before Tarae Warner was able to hit two free throws just before the quarter ended for Monmouth. IC took a 22-8 advantage into the second quarter.
The second quarter was lower-scoring for both sides, but the Fighting Scots began to inch closer. Monmouth had the first five points of the frame and later added three points in the final minute before halftime to cut it to 31-22.
A Pepper jumper and a three-pointer from
Megan Price started the second half for Illinois College and re-established a comfortable margin, but Monmouth refused to go away. Warner ended with a career-high 19 for the Fighting Scots and her bank shot in the closing seconds of the third cut the IC lead to 52-46 heading into the final quarter.
The Fighting Scots made it all the way back and took their first lead on a triple from Yvonne Ornelas to make it 57-56 with 6:31 to go. Illinois College responded, taking the lead back on a three-ball from
Junie Zirkelbach and then making it 63-60 on Yaunches' final points of the night with 4:13 remaining. A 7-0 run then ensued for Monmouth, giving the Fighting Scots a four-point lead. Though Pepper laid one in on the next IC possession, that two-point gap would be the closest it would be the rest of the way. Monmouth scored 11 points in the final 90 seconds, seven of which came at the line to wrap up the win.
Besides Yaunches' 25 points and seven assists, IC received 14 points and 10 rebounds from Pepper, as well as 10 points and seven rebounds from
Carly Cameron.
Illinois College begins a four-game road trip this weekend, taking on Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa on Saturday at 5 p.m.
