WASHINGTON, D.C. – Fighting Illini women's basketball fell to George Washington, 72-56, Sunday afternoon in the first road contest of the season. Freshman Brandi Beasley led Illinois with a career-high 16 points and matched her career-best with five assists. She also grabbed two rebounds and recorded one steal. Freshman Courtney Joens also stepped up, matching her career-best with 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. With Sunday's loss, the Illini fall to 3-5 on the season.
"I thought Jaelyne {Kirkpatrick} gave us good energy in the second half," head coach Matt Bollant said. "Brandi {Beasley) was really good in the first half. We just needed a few more people to make some shots in the first half. I felt like we missed some shots and that affected our energy. But I thought Courtney {Joens} and Ashley {McConnell} stepped up for us in the second half. Our team kept fighting."
Sophomore Alex Wittinger put Illinois on the board first Sunday morning, but the Illini could not hold on to their early lead as the Colonials pushed ahead to a 23-10 lead in the first quarter. Wittinger and Beasley both put up four points to lead the Illini early on.
Beasley continued her scoring ways through the half, posting 10 of Illinois' 15 points in the second quarter. Beasley went into halftime already at her career-best of 14 points, which she set against Wake Forest. Freshman Ali Andrews posted four points in the period as well. The Illini forced nine Colonial turnovers in the first half, but trailed 41-25 heading into the break.
George Washington held the Illini to just seven points in the third quarter, but Illinois outscored the Colonials 24-12 during the final period of the game. Senior Ashley McConnell netted her first points of the season, knocking down two triples in the fourth quarter. Joens also hit two from distance down the stretch, as she finished the game with 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Joens grabbed a career-high two steals as well.
The Illini will continue their road swing on Wednesday, Dec. 7 in a 6 p.m. matchup at South Dakota. Stay tuned to FightingIllini.com for the latest on Illinois women's basketball.
Notes
-Freshman Brandi Beasley posted 16 points on the day to set a new career high. She matched her previous best of 14 points (Wake Forest, Nov. 30) during the second quarter. It marks her third game in double-figures this season.
-Beasley also matched her career-high in assists with five against the Colonials
-Redshirt junior Kennedy Cattenhead recorded a season-best two steals in the contest.
-Freshman Courtney Joens knocked down three triples on 3-for-5 shooting in the second half on her way to matching her career-high with 11 points on the day. It is her third double-figure scoring game this season.
-Joens also contributed an assist and two steals, each career-highs.
-Senior Ashley McConnell scored her first points of the season with six in the game.
