CHAMPAIGN – Illinois women's basketball outlasted the Detroit Mercy Titans on Sunday afternoon to earn a 73-65 victory and improve to 8-4 on the season. Led by junior Alex Wittinger and sophomore Brandi Beasley, the Fighting Illini scored a season-high 36 points in the paint and made a season-best 20 free throws.
Wittinger recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds, also posting four blocks and two steals in the contest. Beasley came through with a season-high with 18 points, and also racked up four rebounds and four assists. Junior Jaylene Kirkpatrick hauled in a season-best six rebounds and added five points for the Illini.
"I am happy with the win," Illinois head coach Nancy Fahey said. "A win is a win, and you don't put asterisks by them if they are pretty. This wasn't a great start and we didn't come out the way that we wanted to, we turned the ball over a little too much. I give credit to Detroit Mercy. They did a good job defensively on our on-ball screens; we had to make some adjustments. In the second half, I think the players did a good job reacting. A big thing was the free throws. You have to take those easy points in games."
The Titans jumped out to an early lead over Illinois in the first quarter, but the Orange and Blue quickly responded with an 8-0 run in the period. Detroit Mercy, however, took a 13-12 advantage into the second quarter after netting two late three-pointers in the opening frame. Wittinger led all scorers with six first-quarter points, while Kirkpatrick was grabbed four of her six total boards in the opening quarter.
Illinois outscored Detroit Mercy 13-8 in the second quarter and closed the half on an 8-3 run, making 4-of-6 from the charity stripe in that span. Beasley combined with redshirt sophomore Cierra Rice for 12 of Illinois' points in the second period as she led all scorers with seven points at the halftime break. Holding a 25-21 lead at the half, Illinois held Detroit Mercy to just 17.6-percent shooting in the second quarter.
The Illini and the Titans traded the lead throughout the third quarter as Detroit Mercy continued to pressure the Illini. Illinois stayed tough, and closed the third quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 44-43 advantage into the fourth quarter. Illinois shot 50-percent in the third quarter, as both Wittinger and Beasley crossed into double figures in the period.
Detroit Mercy struck first in the final frame, but Illinois posted seven-straight points to pull away from the Titans. The Illini were able to capitalize on Detroit Mercy mistakes in the fourth quarter, scoring six points off turnovers to close out the game. The Orange and Blue were strong from the free throw line, knocking down 14-of-15 attempts in the fourth period.
The Illini will close out their three-game homestand on Saturday, December 16, as they host on Austin Peay at 2 p.m. The game will mark Scout Night, welcoming local scout troops to the State Farm Center in addition to Camper Reunion night.
Team Notes
- The Illini moved to 2-1 all-time against the Titans with a 73-65 win on Sunday. The meeting was the first contest between the two teams since December 29, 1992.
- Sunday's game was the first contest between the two teams in Champaign.
- Illinois had a season-high 36 points in the paint.
- Illinois hit a season-high 20 free throws.
- Illinois held Detroit Mercy to just 21 points, the fewest by the Titans in a single half this season. The Illini have only allowed 21 points to their opponents in the first half in back-to-back games.
Individual Notes
- Junior F Alex Wittinger recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds, good for the 10th double-double of her career.
- Wittinger also recorded four blocked shots. The forward is just one block away from fourth place on the all-time career blocked shots list with 155 career blocks.
- Sophomore G Brandi Beasley had a season-high 18 points, her seventh double-digit scoring game of the season and 31st of her career.
- Beasley had a career night from the free throw line going 9-for-11.
- Junior G Jaelyne Kirkpatrick grabbed a season-high six rebounds.
- Redshirt sophomore G Cierra Rice scored a season-high eight points.
