CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Freshmen Petra Holešínská, Brandi Beasley and Courtney Joens combined to lead Illinois on Tuesday night, contributing a combined 45 points for the Illini. It wasn't enough, however, as the Orange and Blue fell to the Penn State Lady Lions, 80-62. Holešínská knocked down 5-of-6 three-pointers on the night, while Beasley was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line while dishing four assists. With the loss, Illinois falls to 8-18 overall and 3-10 in Big Ten play.
"I am just really disappointed in our start," head coach Matt Bollant said. "Penn State came out ready to go to start the game. We talked about coming out with passion and playing with energy and we didn't do that. We have to find a way to help {the team} do that and get a better start to the game. We just dug ourselves a hole and {Penn State} is too good of a team that was playing too well to do that. I give Penn State credit for being ready to go, they got out to a great start."
Penn State went on an early run to start the game, holding the Illini without a field goal for almost five minutes. Wittinger put the Illini on the board first, and Joens proved to be a spark off the bench as she netted two three-pointers in the opening period. The Lady Lions netted 4-of-9 from distance for a 28-8 lead heading into the second quarter.
Joens stayed hot for Illinois as she added five more points in the second quarter, leading all scorers with 11 points at the halftime break. The Illini traded baskets with the Lady Lions to start the period, but Penn State continued to push, closing the first half on a 7-0 run to hold a 38-18 advantage. Illinois forced six Lady Lion turnovers in the first half, but Penn State held Illinois to just 22-percent shooting before the break. Wittinger collected six of Illinois' 13 first-half rebounds, also tallying an assist, a block and a steal before halftime.
"I thought Courtney {Joens} was great in the first half," Bollant said after the game. "I am really proud of the way she played. We played Courtney a little bit more and she played probably the best first half she has played."
Holešínská was spot on for the Illini out of the break, she went 3-for-3 from distance in the third quarter, also adding two free throws for a team-leading 11 points. Beasley also picked up the pace, adding seven points and two assists in the frame. The Illini shot 43-percent in the third quarter, scoring six points off of Penn State turnovers. Illinois also capitalized on 8-of-9 shots from the foul line in the period.
Illinois continued to chip away at the Penn State lead in the final quarter, outscoring the Lady Lions 21-17 to close the game. The Illini held Penn State to 30-percent shooting in the final period, its lowest percentage of the contest. Beasley netted 15 of her 17 points in the second half as she added eight more points in the fourth quarter. Wittinger closed the game with a game-high 12 rebounds, her 10th game this season recording 10 or more boards. Penn State, however, led Illinois in the rebounding battle, 51-28 overall. The Lady Lions tallied 20 second chance points off of 16 offensive rebounds, and capitalized with 10 points off of just nine Illini turnovers.
"We have at least four games left and we are going to see if we can win the next one and go from there." Bollant said of the upcoming slate. "We are going find a way to start the game with passion against Northwestern and see if we can play as well as we can play."
Next up, the Illini travel to Northwestern for a 2 p.m. matchup against the Wildcats on Sunday. Stay tuned to FightingIllini.com for the latest on Illinois women's basketball.
Team Notes
-Illinois moved to 8-18 overall this season and 3-10 in Big Ten play with an 80-62 loss to the Penn State Lady Lions.
-The Illini trail in the all-time series, 34-15.
-Three Illini scored in double-figures on Tuesday night. The Orange and Blue have had two or more players in double-figures in all but two games this season.
Individual Notes
-Freshman Brandi Beasley scored in double-digits for the 18th time this season.
-Freshman Petra Holešínská scored in double-figures for the 13th time this season.
-Holešínská matched her career-high with five three-point field goals made.
-Freshman Courtney Joens scores in double-digits for the sixth time this season.
-Joens matched her season-high of two steals.
-Sophomore Alex Wittinger recorded her 10th game with double-digit rebounds this season and 16th of her career.
-Senior Ashley McConnell recorded her first block of the season.
