CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Five Illini scored in double-figures to wage a balanced attack on the Michigan Wolverines Wednesday evening, led by freshman Brandi Beasley who finished with 21 points. Illinois could not hold off Michigan, however, who used a strong third quarter to overcome the Illini, 86-70. With Wednesday's loss, Illinois falls to 8-15 overall and 3-7 in Big Ten play.
Sophomore Alex Wittinger joined Beasley in double-figures as she recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Freshmen Petra Holešínská and Ali Andrews and redshirt junior Kennedy Cattenhead also scored in double-digits on the night.
"I am disappointed with the result, but I thought that in the second quarter we played the best we have all year," head coach Matt Bollant said. "I am really happy with how we played and how we fought back. I thought they {Michigan} threw the first punch to start the game with 12 points in the first minute-and-a-half. Then, we really responded the rest of the first half. I thought the start of the third quarter was the most important, and we told them at halftime that we had to come out and throw the first punch. We just didn't do that. They absolutely responded and made shots. We didn't get enough stops in the second half. I give Michigan a lot of credit. They are a really good offensive team. They can really pass well. I am really proud of Brandi {Beasley} stepping up and leading us. We played a good game but we just were not good enough in the end."
The Wolverines got off to a fast start, pulling ahead to an early lead in the game. Beasley, didn't let that sit, however, sparking a run for the Illini as she grabbed a steal and followed it up with a layup to tilt the momentum in favor of Illinois. The Illini worked to close the gap throughout the first quarter, and continued to bring the fight into the second frame.
Wittinger and Holešínská combined for five quick points to open the second quarter, and the Illini defense held Michigan without a field goal for more than three minutes to start the period. The Orange and Blue traded buckets with the Wolverines for much of the frame, before going on an 8-2 run to tie the game at 33 and pull ahead to a one-point lead. Michigan responded with a layup to take back its advantage, but Holešínská knocked down a quick three-pointer to keep the Illini on top. The Wolverines again took the lead from the charity stripe, but sophomore Jaelyne Kirkpatrick netted a crucial three-pointer at the buzzer to give Illinois a 40-37 lead at the halftime break.
Illinois held Michigan without a three-pointer in the second quarter as the Wolverines were 0-for-8 from distance to close out the first half of play. The Illini made 4-of-6 from distance in the second frame, netting six treys in the first half. Holesinska led Illinois with 10 points before the break, while Wittinger pulled down seven of Illinois' 19 boards. The Illini led in the rebounding battle, 19-16, and both teams tallied three turnovers in the first half.
"It was really great to have our team see the team that we can be," Kirkpatrick said after the game. "The second quarter was the best quarter we have played all year and it was good to see that. We just have to figure out how to do that for four quarters."
Wittinger started the scoring for the Illini right away after the halftime break, but the Wolverines used a 12-0 run to pull away from Illinois. Beasley posted seven of UI's 12 points in the third quarter, leading the team with 15 points heading into the final frame. Michigan capitalized on six Illini turnovers in the third quarter, scoring 11 points off of those miscues.
Freshman Ali Andrews netted 2-of-4 from distance in the fourth quarter, leading the Illini with eight points. She finished in double-figures for the fourth time this season. Four Illini contributed to the scoring in the final quarter, but Illinois could not catch the Wolverines. UI shot 40-percent to close out the game, assisting on 50-percent of its field goals on Wednesday evening.
Illinois will host Purdue on Sunday, Feb. 5, in a 2 p.m. contest. The Orange and Blue will raffle off a television to fans in attendance, and several Illini will sign autographs following the game at the main West entrance.
Stay tuned to FightingIllini.com for the latest on Illinois women's basketball.
Team Notes
• The Fighting Illini moved to 8-15 overall and 3-7 in Big Ten play with an 86-70 loss to the Michigan Wolverines. Illinois leads the all-times series, 41-33.
• Five Illini contributed double-figure scoring numbers for the third time this season.
Individual Notes
• Sophomore Alex Wittinger recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds. She has 12 career double-doubles.
• Freshman Brandi Beasley scored 20-plus points for the second-consecutive game and fourth time this season with 21 points against Michigan.
• Freshman Petra Holešínská scored in double-digits for the 11th time this season, scoring all 10 of her points in the first half.
- Holešínská had a career-high four assists.
• Redshirt sophomore Kennedy Cattenhead scored in double-digits for the 8th time this season and 17th time in the Orange and Blue.
• Freshman Ali Andrews scored in double-figures for the fourth time this season, while making a season-high four field goals.
