@IlliniWBB Drops Season Finale at Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa –  Fighting Illini women's basketball held the Iowa Hawkeyes to just six fourth-quarter points and saw a 29-point effort from Sophomore Chatrice White, but it was not enough to hold off the Hawkeyes on Saturday evening. 

Illinois fell to Iowa in its regular season finale, 61-56. 

White scored 11 of Illinois' third-quarter points, helping UI pull within one possession of the Hawkeyes, and followed up with another 11 points in the fourth quarter to bring Illinois within one point. she finished with a team-leading 29 points and 11 rebounds for her 18th double-double of the year. The Illini fall to 9-20 on the season and 2-16 in Big Ten play.  

"I was really proud of the fourth quarter," head coach Matt Bollant said of the game. "We started the third quarter and played great, cutting it to three. Then we did not finish that third quarter. It would've been easy for us to hang our heads then, but we didn't.  Chatrice (White) took over in the fourth quarter, our guards did a great job of getting her the ball. Give Iowa credit, they made some good shots."

The Hawkeyes pulled ahead to a lead over the Illini right off the bat, holding Illinois without a field goal for more than four minutes in the first quarter while going on a 10-0 run. Senior Kyley Simmons put up five of Illinois' 12 first-quarter points, also dishing an assist and grabbing a steal. Illinois capitalized with seven points off of five Iowa turnovers in the period as well. 

Freshman Alex Wittinger combined with White for all of Illinois' 11 points in the second period, but the Hawkeyes continued to outscore the Orange and Blue. Neither team hit a three-pointer in the period, however Illinois held Iowa 0-for-8 from distance in the second quarter. Illinois continued to capitalize off of Iowa turnovers, but the Hawkeyes were dominant on the boards, outrebounding the Illini 28-14 in the first half. 

Simmons recorded a career-best two blocked shots in the first half, registering two of Illinois' three blocks before the break. 

"I thought Chatrice was fantastic, getting us back in this game," Bollant said of his players. "I thought Jaelyne (Kirkpatrick) played with a lot of life, and I thought Kyley (Simmons) played really well." 

Simmons and White combined for an 8-0 Illini run in the third quarter, cutting the Iowa lead to just one possession, but the Hawkeyes wouldn't let up. Iowa finished the third quarter on a 16-0 run to secure its lead over Illinois. White scored 11 of Illinois' 14 points in the third quarter, leading the team with 18 points and seven rebounds heading into the final period of the game. 

The Illini had a big fourth quarter, holding the Hawkeyes without a field goal for almost six minutes in the final period. The Illini outscored Iowa 19-6 before the final buzzer, but couldn't pull ahead for the victory. Illinois tallied 24 points off turnovers in the game, allowing the Hawkeyes just six. 

Illinois will return to champaign to prepare of the Big Ten Tournament, which starts on Wednesday, March 2. All games will be aired on the Big Ten Network.  

Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest on Illinois Women's Basketball. 

Notes

-Sophomore Chatrice White put up 29 points on Saturday, moving her closer to the millennium mark. She's now just 16 points away from reaching 1,000 career points. 

-White's 29 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday mark her 18th double-double of the season and put her in a tie for third on Illinois' season double-doubles list. She now has 24 career double-doubles, seventh all-time at Illinois. 

-White has recorded 11 20+-point scoring games this season and 16 in her career. 

-Redshirt sophomore Kennedy Cattenhead scored Illinois' first points of the game, also scoring her first points since playing at Wisconsin on Feb. 17. 

-Redshirt senior Kyley Simmons rejected two shots before halftime, marking a career high. She recorded two of Illinois' three first-half blocks. 

-Simmons drained three three-pointers at Iowa on Saturday. She has knocked down a three-pointer in 25 games this season, and hit multiple treys in 20 games.