ALBUQUERQUE – Fighting Illini women's basketball opened play at the UNM Thanksgiving Tournament with a 65-59 win over UC Irvine. Sophomore Brandi Beasley led Illinois with a season-high 16 points and eight assists, and junior Alex Wittinger posted her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 boards. The Illini improve to 4-2 on the season and will continue play at the UNM Thanksgiving Tournament tomorrow against Wichita State.
"I thought we started putting together 40 minutes," head coach Nancy Fahey said. "We talked a lot at halftime about coming out in the third quarter and playing some solid defense."
Redshirt senior Kennedy Cattenhead put the Illini on the board first Friday afternoon, making three consecutive free throws for an early Illini lead. UC Irvine started their scoring with two foul shots of their own, but made consecutive buckets to take a first-quarter lead over the Orange and Blue. The two teams traded baskets throughout the first period, going into the second quarter knotted up at 12.
The Illini used a 10-0 run in the second quarter to pull ahead of the Anteaters. Sophomore Courtney Joens knocked down back-to-back three-pointers during that run, leading Illinois with six points in the second frame. The Illini held UC Irvine without a basket for 5:23 in the second quarter, but a stretch of three consecutive Anteater three-pointers cut Illinois' lead to one before halftime. Beasley made a last-minute layup to keep Illinois on top, but UC Irvine took a 28-27 lead into the locker room at the half thanks to two last-second free throws in the period.
The Orange and Blue came out of the break on a hot streak, using a 9-0 run to take back the lead in the game and pull away from UC Irvine. Junior Jaleyne Kirkpatrick knocked down consecutive shots for five-straight points in that Illini run. Wittinger posted six points in the period, earning her sixth consecutive double-figure scoring game this season.
The Illini continued to capitalize from the free throw line, making 6-of-6 shots from the stripe in the fourth quarter. The Anteaters made it a one-possession game with free throws of their own midway through the final frame, but Beasley knocked down seven-consecutive points for the Illini to pull away.
Cattenhead contributed nine points and four rebounds for the Illini on Friday, and sophomore Ali Andrews added eight points, two blocks and two steals. Illinois held UC Irvine to 28-percent shooting on the day, the lowest for an Illini opponent this season.
Illinois is set to take on Wichita State tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT and will close tournament play against New Mexico on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT.
Stay tuned to FightingIllini.com for the latest on Illinois women's basketball.
Team Notes
- Illinois won the first matchup in program history between Illinois and UC Irvine, 65-59. The Anteaters are one of two opponents on Illinois' schedule that the Illini have never faced.
- Illinois held UC Irvine to 28 points in the first half, the fewest for the Anteaters this season.
- UI made a season-best 16 free throws on 76-percent shooting from the foul line.
- The Illini dished a season-high 15 assists.
Individual Notes
- Sophomore G Brandi Beasley dished a season-high eight assists.
- Beasley matched her season-high point total with 16.
- Sophomore G Courtney Joens has hit multiple three-point field goals in two-straight games.
- Junior F Alex Wittinger recorded her third double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
- The double-double is the 17th of Wittinger's career.
- Wittinger has scored in double-figures in all six games this season.
