Champaign, Ill. - Fighting Illini sophomore Chatrice White put up 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to earn her 16th double-double of the season on Saturday, but could not lift the Illini over Rutgers. Illinois (8-17, 1-13 B1G) was able to outscore Rutgers (16-10, 7-7 B1G) in the second half, but could not recover from its first-half deficit, falling 63-56.
"I challenged the team to play with passion in the second half," head coach Matt Bollant said. "I thought they did that really well and it definitely started with Chatrice (White). She played with a lot of energy. Kyley (Simmons), as well, she played with a lot of passion throughout the entire game. Unfortunately we didn't have enough in the first half."
Illinois won the battle of the boards, pulling down 43 rebounds to Rutgers' 38 in the contest led by White and freshman Alex Wittinger (9). The Illini dished 15 assists on 22 field goals made, seeing six Illini record at least one dime. Simmons led the way as she finished with eight overall.
Fighting Illini women's basketball also recognized its senior members on Saturday, following the annual Play 4 Kay contest. The Illini honored five student-athletes including Sarah Hartwell, Kyley Simmons, Eriel Davis, Simone Law and Alexis Viliunas. Davis earned her first-career start on Saturday, while Simmons was among scoring leaders with 10 points on the night.
"I'm proud of our seniors," Bollant said of his graduating class. "They're great kids. They've persevered and they have great attitudes. I wish we would have gotten a 'W' for them tonight because they're certainly deserving of good things to happen for them."
"My teammates and coaches have made it a lot of fun this year," Simmons said of her final season. "I'm trying to go out by leaving it all out on the floor and playing the best I can for my teammates and coaches."
Rutgers got off to an early lead in the game, extending its lead with an 11-0 run in the second period of play. Junior Ashley McConnell ended the run with a well-timed three-pointer for the Illini. Despite a 16-point deficit at the half, the Illini stayed tough on defense, working to build up momentum going into the second half.
The Illini wasted no time after the break, cutting into Rutgers' lead immediately in the third quarter. Illinois went on a 7-0 run to come within 11 points. Not only did the Illini outscore the Scarlet knights, 16-12 in the period, but UI out-rebounded Rutgers, 15-6 as well. Illinois converted five second chance points in the third quarter, grabbing eight offensive rebounds. Simmons, who has now knocked down one or more three-pointers in 10 consecutive games, had dished six assists before the final period.
"I think I realized that I wanted to send our seniors off on a better note," White said of the energy boost in the second half. "It gave me more energy, and I was able to play off of Kyley and her energy. That helped me to get after it. I also love going against big post players inside, which Rutgers has a couple of, so that was a fun challenge for me and I went from there."
The Illini stayed hot, again outscoring Rutgers in the fourth quarter. UI hit four three-pointers in the period, half of the evening's total. That scoring, however, was not enough as the Illini could not catch up to the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers is now 2-0 against Illinois this season.
The Illini will play three of the next four games away from home, heading out to Wisconsin on Feb. 17 for a 7 p.m. contest.
"I said at halftime, 'go play with passion, the score will take care of itself if you do that,'" Bollant said after the game. "I thought we did that in the second half tonight. So can we do that for two halves at Wisconsin? If we do then we'll have a good result."
Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for the latest on Illinois women's basketball.
Notes
-Senior Eriel Davis earned her first-career start on Saturday.
-Illinois recognized Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer prior to the game as she is a 20-year breast cancer survivor.
-Sophomore Chatrice White recorded 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, good for her 16th double-double of the year. She's recorded a double-double in four of her last five games.
-White also added two blocks and two steals, marking the third consecutive game she has grabbed more than one block and more than one steal in the same game.
-Sophomore Brooke Kissinger has now made a three-pointer in nine consecutive games.
-Senior Kyley Simmons has knocked down one or more three-pointers.
-Simmons finished just short of a double-double as she put up 10 points and tallied eight assists on the night. Her eight assists were just one short of her season high as well.
