IOWA CITY, Iowa – Fighting Illini women's basketball fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 78-58, on Wednesday night. Three Illini posted double-digit scoring numbers, led by sophomore Alex Wittinger who tallied 17 points and seven rebounds on the night. Freshman Brandi Beasley and redshirt junior Kennedy Cattenhead finished with 12 points each. Beasley swiped four steals on the night to match her career high. Illinois moves to 7-10 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play.
"I just feel like if we want to be a good team on the road, you have to get off to a good start," head coach Matt Bollant said. "We needed life and energy and we didn't do that in the first quarter. We missed some layups and I think that affected our energy on the defensive end. We just didn't play the first quarter the way we are capable of playing, and got down 15 and I thought we battled and fought from there, but I think the first quarter made it really hard. I thought Ali Andrews gave us a good lift off the bench and Kennedy {Cattenhead} played a really good second half. Brandi {Beasley} and Alex {Wittinger} were really solid. We needed to shoot the ball a little bit better but we didn't limit them enough. Iowa is a talented team and we didn't get enough stops."
The Hawkeyes started out hot on Wednesday evening, using a 12-0 run to take a first-quarter lead over the Illini. Wittinger led the Illini with six points in the period, and Iowa City, native, Courtney Joens tallied four points to open the game. The Illini forced seven Iowa turnovers in the first quarter, but the Hawkeyes capitalized with six points off of Illini turnovers to open the game.
The Illini were active on the glass in the second period, outrebounding Iowa 14-12. The Orange and Blue used a 7-0 run to help close the gap early in the quarter, but the Hawkeyes took a 39-24 lead into the locker room at halftime. Wittinger led the Illini at halftime with eight points and five rebounds, also adding a block and a steal. Freshman Brandi Beasley put up six points in the second quarter, and tallied two steals in the first half of play. Freshman Ali Andrews continued her three-point shooting ways, netting Illinois' only triple of the first half.
Redshirt junior Kennedy Cattenhead was on fire in the third quarter, netting nine of Illinois' 18 points. As a team, the Orange and Blue shot 50-percent from the field in the third period, working to close in on the Hawkeyes. UI used a 7-0 run to cut into Iowa's lead at the end of the period, but the Hawkeyes netted a three-pointer at the last second to keep their distance.
Illinois fought to keep the Hawkeyes close in the final frame, but Iowa outscored the Illini 25-16 to close out the game. Illinois shot 42-percent from the field on Wednesday, led by Wittinger's 17 points. Cattenhead's 12 total points mark her seventh game in double-digits this season. The Illini forced 16 Iowa turnovers, scoring 14 points off of those miscues.
The Illini are back in Champaign on Sunday, Jan. 15, hosting Nebraska at 2 p.m. The game will mark the annual Pack the House game, and admission is free for all fans. The Illini will also hold a Teddy Bear Toss at halftime, inviting fans to donate a new, stuffed toy to children in need. Stuffed toys will be tossed onto the court at halftime and collected by the Blue Crew for donation.
Stay tuned to FightingIllini.com for the latest on Illinois women's basketball.
Team Notes
- Illinois moved to 7-10 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play with a 78-58 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa leads the all-series 19-54.
- With three Illini scoring in double-figures at Iowa, Illinois has had two or more players in double-figures in all but two games this season.
Individual Notes
- Sophomore Alex Wittinger had her ninth-consecutive game in double-digits with 17 points. The scoring total was good for her 15th game in double-figures this season and 28th of her career.
- Freshman Brandi Beasley contributed 12 points, good for her 10th double-digit scoring game of the season.
-Beasley also tied her career-high with four steals.
- Redshirt-junior Kennedy Cattenhead had 12 points. The scoring total was the 7th time this season the redshirt-junior has scored in double-figures and 16th time in her career.
- Senior Ashley McConnell had a season-high three rebounds.
- Freshman Ali Andrews knocked down a three-pointer for the fifth-consecutive game.
