Oct. 30, 2005

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Champaign, Ill. - Audrey Tabon tallied 12 points, six rebounds and three steals, but the Illini lost a close one to their all-male scout team, 74-71, in the Orange and Blue Scrimmage Sunday at the Assembly Hall.

The scout team took an early lead, but the Illini fought back to draw even for a 38-38 halftime tie. Illinois then opened the second half with a 15-3 run that opened up a 53-41 lead, but the men clawed back with a 15-0 run of their own to take a 56-53 lead.

The two squads played back-and-forth the rest of the way, with the second half marked by 10 lead changes and seven ties. Down 74-71 with less than a minute, the Illini had two good looks from outside the arc to tie, but neither fell and the scout team took the win.

Janelle Hughes was Illinois other double-digit scorer, tallying 11 points, including a perfect 4-4 from the charity stripe. Maggie Acuna provided a workman-like effort, scoring seven points, dishing three assists and pulling down five rebounds. Freshman Lacey Simpson notched seven points, grabbed four rebounds and had four steals for the Illini, while freshman Lori Bjork had a solid outing with nine points and five rebounds.

This year's Orange and Blue had a scrimmage had a twist as hundreds of youngsters, students and adults came in costume as part of the Halloween Masquerade Party, which included contests, games, prizes and an autograph session after the game.

Illinois heads back to the practice court before returning to the Assembly Hall floor Nov. 7 for an exhibition against the OGBR All-Stars at 7 p.m.