COLUMBUS, Ohio – Freshman Brandi Beasley led the Illini with 17 points and sophomore Alex Wittinger earned her seventh double-double of the season at No. 16 Ohio State on Sunday, in an 88-64 Illini loss. The freshman class had quite the night, netting 50 of Illinois' points. With the loss, the Orange and Blue fall to 8-12 on the season and 3-4 in Big Ten play.
"I felt like we didn't guard well today," head coach Matt Bollant said. "I give credit to Ohio State. They are really good offensively, and once they got going, we just didn't take enough things away. You have to do that against a ranked team. It was good to see Courtney (Joens) score 11 points and play with some confidence in the second half and make some shots. She had a really good look in the first half and it just didn't go in. I thought her and Ali (Andrews) battled and gave us a lift off of the bench."
Freshmen Ali Andrews and Courtney Joens scored 24 points for the Illini bench on Sunday. Joens tallied 11 points, marking her fifth game in double-digits this year. Illinois was perfect from the foul line (8-for-8) for the second time this season.
Beasley got off to a fast start for the Illini, knocking down three consecutive shots to score Illinois' first six points of the game. Illinois held the Buckeyes scoreless for the first two minutes of play, but Ohio State used a 15-0 run to take the advantage in the game. Andrews knocked down two big three-pointers for Illinois in the final minute of the opening period to bring the Illini within six heading into the second quarter. Illinois outrebounded the Buckeyes 12-11 to open the game.
The Orange and Blue outscored Ohio State 11-5 to start the second quarter and tie the game at 25. Beasley and freshman Petra Holešínská combined for nine of those points, while redshirt sophomore Kennedy Cattenhead tied the game from the charity stripe. The Buckeyes closed the half on a 16-4 run, however, to take the 41-29 lead into the locker room at the half. Ohio State netted three consecutive triples to end the half, heading into the locker room on 9-of-18 shooting from distance. The Illini freshman class contributed 23 of Illinois' 29 first-half points, led by Beasley's 13. Seven of eight Illini on the court contributed at least one rebound before the break, led by Wittinger who grabbed seven. Illinois went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the first half.
The Illini and the Buckeyes traded baskets coming out of halftime, but Ohio State outscored Illinois 29-10 in the quarter to maintain its lead.
Illinois worked to cut into Ohio State's lead in the final frame, as Joens, Holešínská and Andrews netted consecutive three-pointers for the Orange and Blue. Andrews knocked down her third trey of the game in the third quarter, joining Beasley and Wittinger in double-figure scoring numbers. She finished with 13 points overall, her third double-digit scoring game of the year. As a team, Illinois posted five of its three-pointers in the fourth quarter, and the freshman class contributed 21 of Illinois' 25 points to close the game.
Illinois returns to the State Farm Center on Thursday, Jan. 26, hosting third-ranked Maryland in a 7 p.m. matchup. Fans who show their ticket stubs from the Jan. 25 Illinois' men's basketball game against Iowa will receive free admission to Thursday's contest.
Team Notes
• The Fighting Illini moved to 8-12 overall and 3-4 in Big Ten play after Sunday's 88-64 loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. Illinois trails the all-time series with Ohio State, 20-49.
• Four Illini scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season.
• The Illinois freshman class scored 50 out of the Illini's 64 total points.
Individual Notes
- Freshman Brandi Beasley recorded her 12th double-digit scoring game with 17 points on Sunday.
-With four assists, Beasley earned her 19th multi-assist game of the season.
- Freshman Ali Andrews hit three three-pointers on Sunday, good for the 6th time in the last seven games the freshman has hit multiple three-pointers.
-Andrews scored in double-digits for the third time this season with 13 points.
- Sophomore Alex Wittinger recorded her 7th double-double of the season and 11th of her career with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
- Freshman Courtney Joens hit a career-high three three-pointers.
