@IlliniWBB Drops Heartbreaker at Indiana, 68-66

Bloomington, Ind. - Fighting Illini Women's Basketball battled to hold the lead over the Indiana Hoosiers for much of the game on Weds., Jan. 20, but a late run gave Indiana a one-possession victory in the end. Illinois saw five players score in double-figures in the game, including sophomore Brooke Kissinger who matched her career-best with 12 total. Redshirt senior Kyley Simmons led the Illini with 16 total points, she was 4-for-6 from three overall, including a blazing 3-for-3 from distance in the first half. Illinois falls to 8-10 on the season and 1-6 in Big Ten play with the 68-66 loss at Indiana.

"We were up 10 in the fourth quarter and played our hearts out to get to that point," head coach Matt Bollant said of the game. "We struggled a little bit with the guard penetration, but I give Indiana credit, they did a good job of putting their heads down and getting to the rim late in the game. I'm really proud of our players tonight, they really left it all out on the floor." 

The Illini knew they would need a fast start on Wednesday evening, coming out strong right out of the gates. Illinois and Indiana traded the lead several times in the first period, with the Hoosiers taking a four-point lead at the quarter-break. Both Simmons and Kennedy Cattenhead put up five points in the period to lead Illinois, while Chatrice White contributed four of her own. The Illini out-rebounded the Hoosiers 10-5 in the period, grabbing four offensive boards to Indiana's one. 

The Orange and Blue stayed tough in the second quarter, chipping away at the Indiana lead. The Illini took a four-point lead before the media timeout, but the Hoosiers tied things up after the break. Alex Wittinger sunk a layup to keep UI on top, but the Hoosiers wouldn't go away. The two teams once again traded the lead, but Illinois pulled ahead to a 36-35 advantage at the half. Simmons led all scorers with 11 points at the break, she was 3-for-3 from distance and 4-for-5 from the field in the first half. The Illini stayed ahead on the boards, leading 18-14 at the half. The Hoosiers committed just three first-half fouls, while the Illini had recorded seven of their own. 

The Orange and Blue stayed hot out of the break, starting the half with a 9-0 run. White knocked down five of those points for the Illini. The Hoosiers pulled within five, but a Cattenhead jumper and another Simmons trey helped Illinois keep its distance. Indiana continued to work to cut the Illini lead, but the Orange and Blue were hot from beyond the arc. Illinois hit four treys in the third quarter, and closed the period shooting 4-for-5 from deep. Three Illini reached double-figure scoring numbers in the third quarter, including Kissinger who hit two clutch treys in the quarter. All seven Illini on the court had put up at least two points. 

Indiana worked on a 5-0 run in the second half to cut the Illini lead, but Simmons didn't let that stick, knocking down a fast break layup to end that streak. The Hoosiers held on, however, using a 9-0 run to close the quarter and take a one-possession lead to end the game. 

"I thought Kennedy {Cattenhead} had some great takes and rebounded the ball really well for us tonight," Bollant said. "We had 11 offensive rebounds and put ourselves in a good situation. I'm really proud of our players, they played really hard and left it all out on the court tonight, which is what we asked them to do. It wasn't quite good enough for a win, but I'll take their effort and their attitude."

Illinois and Indiana both grabbed 34 rebounds on the night, and UI capitalized on 13 Hoosier turnovers. The Illini scored 18 points off turnovers in the contest and knocked down eight three-pointers in the game. Chatrice White swatted five rejections in the game, becoming the seventh Illini to record at least 100 blocked shots in her career. 

The Illini return to Champaign to host Penn State in the annual Pack the House game. Admission is free for all fans, and UI will be giving away free t-shirts to the first 200 fans at the State Farm Center. 

Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest on Illinois women's basketball. 

Notes

-Sophomore Chatrice White picked up her 100th career-block on Wednesday, becoming just the seventh Illini to reach the 100-block mark in their career. Her 101 career blocks ranks seventh all-time at Illinois. She has 41 rejections this season, on her way to topping last season's freshman-record 60 blocked shots.

-Redshirt senior Kyley Simmons was on fire in the first half, shooting 3-for-3 from distance and 4-for-5 from the field. She led all scorers at the half with 11 total points. Simmons finished with 16 points on the night, going 4-for-6 from distance and shooting 60-percent from the field. 

-Illinois saw seven Illini score in the game, including five who reached double-figures. Every Illini who earned playing time scored at least once in the game. 

-Sophomore Brooke Kissinger matched her career-best with 12 points on the night, she last scored 12 points against Tennessee State, Nov. 24. 

-Illinois held the lead over Indiana for 25:55 in the game.

--The Illini fall to 8-10 on the season with Wednesday's 68-66 loss to Indiana. Illinois is now 1-6 in Big Ten play.