University of Illinois
7-1
Central Michigan
4-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Michigan | 10 | 15 | 17 | 27 | 69 |
| Illinois | 19 | 23 | 16 | 16 | 74 |
Bollant Earns 50th Win in 74-69 Defeat of CMU
December 12, 2015 | Women's Basketball
Chatrice White and Alex Wittinger both earned double-doubles in the contest.
Champaign, Ill. - Fighting Illini women's basketball handed head coach Matt Bollant his 50th victory at Illinois on Sunday, using an unselfish style of play to overcome Central Michigan, 74-69. Illinois improves to 7-1 on the year, continuing the best start for an Illinois team since the 2009-10 season. The underclassmen were the story on Saturday as freshman Alex Wittinger and sophomore Chatrice White both recorded double-doubles in the contest. Illinois' freshmen accounted for 32 of UI's total points.
"That was a good victory for our team," head coach Matt Bollant said. "I thought we played really well in that first half, we built a 17-point lead on them, which we didn't expect because they're a quality team. We defended well in that first half and we did a good job taking care of the ball throughout the game. I didn't really like how we finished the game, I didn't think we really pursued excellence down the stretch, defensively. We have to be able to guard for 40 minutes. But overall, we're really pleased to be 7-1 and off to the best start since I've been here."
The Illini saw six players find the net in the game, while four put up double-digit scoring numbers. Once again, redshirt senior Kyley Simmons was hot from downtown as she knocked down five triples on 5-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Illinois assisted on 22 of 28 field goals in the game, led by Simmons who dished five. Seven Illini recorded two or more assists on the day.
The Orange and Blue came out with energy on Saturday, starting the game with a 5-0 run to take an initial lead over Central Michigan. The Illini scored nine first-quarter points off of seven Central Michigan turnovers and ended the period on an 11-4 run. With a nine-point lead heading into the second period, UI saw White put up six points to lead the team in the period, but five other Illini got on the board in the opening quarter.
The Illini kept their distance in the second quarter to take a 42-25 lead at half. White continued to lead the Illini as she had put up 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. She was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe as well. Simmons was also on her way to another high-scoring game as she hit three treys in the first half, 3-for-5 from distance.
The Illini continued to capitalize on CMU turnovers, tallying 23 points off turnovers in the first half, while allowing none for the Chippewas. Illinois forced 14 CMU turnovers while committing just two of their own before the break.
Coming out of the halftime break, Central Michigan worked hard to cut the Illini lead. The Chippewas scored 17 third-quarter points, but it wasn't enough to break UI's momentum. Simmons hit two three-pointers in the quarter, while freshman Alex Wittinger had put up 12 points and 10 rebounds to earn her second-career double-double heading into the final period of play.
CMU played with a sense of urgency to close out the game, putting up 27 points in the final quarter. Illinois scored 16 of its own, helping to maintain the advantage through to the final buzzer. The Illini never trailed in the game, leading for almost 38 minutes.
Illinois will focus on academics this week as the semester wraps up, before heading to Memphis for a matchup against the Tigers on Dec. 19. Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest on Illinois women's basketball.
Notes
-Illinois improves to 7-1 on the season, continuing the best start under head coach Matt Bollant. Illinois has not seen a 7-1 record to start the year since the 2009-10 campaign.
-Saturday's victory marks head coach Matt Bollant's 50th victory at the helm of Illinois Basketball.
-Chatrice White recorded six blocks in the game, a new season best and just one away from her career and school single-game record of seven. White's blocks total for the day equaled Central Michigan's team total.
-Sophomore Chatrice White finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, marking her seventh game scoring in double-digits and her fourth double-double this year.
-Freshman Alex Wittinger put up 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on Saturday, good for her second double-double of the season. She grabbed seven offensive rebounds, half of Illinois' 14 total.
-The last time Illinois saw two players record double-doubles in the same game was on Feb. 10, 2013. Both Karisma Penn and Adrienne GodBold recorded double-doubles in the win over Minnesota.
-Illinois freshmen accounted for 18 of Illinois' 42 first-half points. They combined for 32 points in the game.
-The Illini scored 23 points off of CMU turnovers in the first half, forcing 14 Chippewa turnovers and committing just two. The Illini totaled 30 points off of turnovers on the day.
-Illinois is 6-0 on the season in games where Kyley Simmons and Chatrice White both score in double-figures.
-Redshirt senior Kyley Simmons knocked down five three-pointers on the day. She has made five treys in three games this season.
-Illinois made 10 three-pointers as a team on Saturday. The Orange and Blue have knocked down eight or more triples in six of eight games this season.
