UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Fighting Illini women's basketball fell to the Penn State Lady Lions on Saturday afternoon, 62-48. Led by senior Alex Wittinger, the Orange and Blue got off to a strong start a the Bryce Jordan Center, but could not outlast Penn State. Wittinger led all scorers with 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting, also swiping four steals. Freshman Arieal Scott added 10 points for Illinois, contributing three treys on the day. UI moves to 9-7 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play. The Orange and Blue will return to Champaign to host Nebraska on Thursday, January 17.
"Defensively, I thought our start was sound, we did everything we wanted to do," head coach Nancy Fahey said. "We had a chance to punch that open even wider, but we didn't do it. Our decisions with the ball really cost us in this game. For the most part, we stayed solid with our defensive game plan until the very end, but we needed to put some more points on the board. I give credit to Penn State and their defense; they came out with a different scheme than they had showed in previous games. We had too many unforced turnovers, we have to take better care of the ball and make better decisions."
Illinois was strong on both ends of the court to start the day on Saturday, pulling out to an early advantage over the Lady Lions. Wittinger led all scorers with nine first-quarter points as she knocked down 4-of-4 from the floor to start the game. She also added two steals to her tally. Illinois shot 44-percent from the field in the opening frame, while holding Penn State to just 17-percent shooting and two field goals. The Lady Lions capitalized from the free throw line in the first quarter, however, making all five of their attempts. UI took a 17-10 lead into the second frame, and forced five Lady Lion turnovers to open play.
Redshirt junior Cierra Rice helped keep the momentum going for Illinois in the second quarter, extending the UI lead with a three-point play to start the period. The Orange and Blue traded buckets with the Lady Lions in the frame, but Penn State again took advantage of the charity stripe while closing the half on a 10-0 run. Penn State took a one-point lead into the locker room at halftime, leading 26-25.
Penn State continued to pressure the Illini out of the break, starting the second half with six consecutive points. Illinois pressured right back, however, as junior Courtney Joens knocked down a three-pointer to get things rolling. Joens and Wittinger combined for nine points in the third quarter as UI worked to take back the lead in the contest. The Orange and Blue continued to outrebound the Lady Lions, led by junior Brandi Beasley who grabbed five boards before the final frame.
The Illini continued to fight in the fourth quarter as Wittinger started the scoring for the Orange and Blue. She added four points to start the final frame, but Penn State responded with buckets of their own. Freshman Arieal Scott knocked down her third trey of the game in the fourth quarter to help close the gap for Illinois, but the Lady Lions used a 7-0 run to away pull away.
UI shot 33-percent from the floor on Saturday, and scored 13 second-chance points. The Illini held Penn State to just 25-percent shooting from distance, and forced 12 Lady Lion turnovers. Junior Brandi Beasley led Illinois with five rebounds, and also added seven points.
NEXT UP
UI returns to the State Farm Center on January 17 to host Nebraska at 7 p.m. The game will mark 217 Night, featuring special prices on tickets, hot dogs and t-shirts. General admission tickets can be purchased for $2, and hot dogs will be available for $1. Gameday Spirit will also offer $7 t-shirts to help recognize the hometown crowd.
FOLLOW THE ILLINI
Keep up with the Fighting Illini Women's Basketball squad on social media for an even more inside look at the program. Follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
