MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Illinois College battled throughout but came up just short Wednesday night, falling 64-57 to Cornell College in a Midwest Conference match up at the Small Athletic and Wellness Center.
With the loss, the Lady Blues move to 8-9 overall and 4-4 in conference play, while Cornell improves to 10-5 overall and 4-3 in the MWC.
Illinois College set the tone early, building a seven-point lead midway through the first quarter and taking a slim 13-12 advantage into the second. The Lady Blues continued to control the tempo in the first half and pushed their lead to as many as 11 points in the second quarter before Cornell used a late surge to take a 30-28 lead into halftime.
The Lady Blues responded out of the break, holding Cornell to just 10 points in the third quarter and regaining the lead behind strong defensive play. Illinois College entered the final period trailing by just two, but Cornell opened the fourth quarter with an 11–3 run and sealed the game at the free-throw line down the stretch.
Jayln Patterson led Illinois College with 17 points and 10 rebounds, recording a double-double to pace the Lady Blues. Cora DeSutter added 10 points and four rebounds, while Raegen Stringer also finished in double figures with 10 points. McKenna Christiansen provided a spark off the bench, knocking down three triples and scoring 10 points in limited minutes.
Illinois College finished the night shooting 34 percent from the field and forced 21 Cornell turnovers, turning them into 18 points. The Lady Blues held a slight edge in second-chance points but were outscored 24-15 in the fourth quarter as Cornell closed out the win.
Up Next
The Lady Blues return to action on Saturday, January 24th as they welcome Lawrence University for another Midwest Conference matchup scheduled for 3:00pm.
