Champaign, Ill. - Four Illini reached double-figure scoring numbers on Wednesday night, Feb. 10, led by redshirt senior Kyley Simmons who put up 20 points for the second time this season, but it wasn't enough as Indiana outlasted the Illini, 80-68. Illinois falls to 8-16 on the season and 1-12 in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers improve to 8-5 in league play and 15-9 overall. Simmons finished just two points shy of her career-best, while freshman Alex Wittinger returned for the Illini to grab a team-leading 11 rebounds on the night.
"I thought our approach to start the game was really good," head coach Matt Bollant said. "I felt really confident to start the game, especially when we got up 9-2. Then Indiana came back and threw a punch. I just didn't feel like we responded well defensively in that half. I thought our zone worked really well in the third quarter, but then we just didn't grab any defensive rebounds. I give Indiana credit, the 17-2 second chance points was really the tale of the game. It kept us from shutting them down in the second half. I thought Kyley (Simmons) and Alex (Wittinger) played really hard, they both battled and competed."
The Illini started out hot on 3-for-3 shooting, taking a 7-0 lead right away. Indiana responded, however, going on a 9-0 run to take a lead of its own. Illinois shot better than 57-percent in the first period, led by Chatrice White's five points. Six Illini scored in the opening period, but five early Illini turnovers and five fouls allowed the Hoosiers to capitalize and pull ahead.
Neither team was able to score in the first two minutes of the second period, but the story became a trading of runs as the Illini cut the Hoosier lead to just five with two minutes until the half. Indiana recovered, however, taking a 10-point lead into the locker room at the break. Sophomore Brooke Kissinger led the Orange and Blue with 10 first-half points, marking the eighth-straight game she has recorded at least nine points. The Illini converted on Hoosier turnovers, scoring seven points off of their five turnovers in the first half, but 11 Indiana free throws proved to be the difference in the period.
Illinois outscored Indiana 20-18 in the third quarter, working to chip away at the Hoosier lead. Simmons pulled ahead as the Illini scoring leader as she had knocked down 16 points before the final period. Illinois was able to score 12 points off of seven more Indiana turnovers in just the third quarter alone.
Illinois scored 22 points off of 15 Indiana turnovers in the game, while committing just 12 of their own. The Illini have scored at least 20 points off turnovers in eight games this season. Illinois also knocked down a total of eight three-pointers on Wednesday, the 14th time the Orange and Blue have made eight or more triples in a contest.
"You have to bring the right approach. As a coaching staff, we will work to bring energy and create a game plan for Rutgers," Bollant said. "You have to control each day, we ask the players to do that and we have to as a coaching staff. We have to bring energy and excitement. I thought we did that yesterday and today, but we have to do that again tomorrow."
Illinois will Play 4Kay on Saturday night as the Rutgers Scarlet Knights come to town. The game will tip-off at 5 p.m., airing on the Big Ten Network. UI will also recognize its five seniors following the game.
Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for the latest on Illinois women's basketball.
NOTES
-The Illini scored the first seven points of the game, starting off 3-for-3 from the floor and holding Indiana to 1-for-5 shooting in the first three minutes of the game. The Illini were 4-for-4 with a 9-2 lead over Indiana to start the game.
-After being sidelined with a thumb injury for two games, freshman Alex Wittinger grabbed 11 rebounds on Wednesday. She's grabbed at least 10 rebounds in each of her last three games.
-Sophomore Brooke Kissinger scored 12 points against Indiana, she's now scored at least nine points in each of the last eight games.
-Sophomore Chatrice White finished with 10 points on Wednesday, she's scored in double-figures in every Big Ten game this season and all but one of Illinois' 24 games this year.
-White tallied four rejections on the night as well, her fifth game of the season recording four or more blocked shots.
-Senior Kyley Simmons has knocked down at least one three-pointer in nine consecutive games, and in 21 of Illinois' 24 games this season.
-Senior Alexis Viliunas recorded her first-career rebound on Wednesday, making her third appearance for the Illini in a basketball uniform this season.
