COLUMBUS, Ohio – Fighting Illini women's basketball took on the Ohio State Buckeyes in an evening matchup Thursday in Columbus. Three Illini scored in double-figures in the battle, led by junior Brandi Beasley who tallied 23 points and added five rebounds and three assists. The Orange and Blue were tough defensively, and outrebounded the Buckeyes, 39-30, but Ohio State capitalized from three-point range to earn the, 78-70, victory. The Illini move to 9-12 on the season and 1-9 in conference play.
"We put together a lot of good minutes," head coach Nancy Fahey said. "There were stretches where I thought the game got stuck on a number for both teams, and I wish we could've taken advantage of those times. The team put a lot of fight into the few minutes, but tonight was one of our more solid, games."
Ohio State started the scoring on Thursday evening, but the Illini were ready for battle. The Orange and Blue went on an early 6-0 run to tie the Buckeyes and pull ahead to a first-quarter lead. The two teams traded the lead throughout the first frame, but back-to-back buckets to end the quarter put Illinois on top by one before the second stanza. Senior Alex Wittinger led Illinois with six first-quarter points, and Beasley added five of her own. Illinois did not allow the Buckeyes any points off turnovers to start the game, and scored five points off of Ohio State miscues to open play.
Illinois and Ohio State continued to trade field goals to start the second quarter. With the game locked at 22, both teams stayed tough defensively. Illinois held Ohio State without a field goal for more than four minutes in the frame. The home team responded with five-straight points, however, to take back the advantage in the contest. Illinois pullled within one point of the Buckeyes with just over a minute left in the half, but a 7-0 Ohio State run put the home team ahead, 34-26, at the break.
The Orange and Blue kicked off the second half with a 9-3 run to continue to keep things close in Columbus. Wittinger contributed seven points during the Illini run, bringing her scoring total into double-figures for the 80th time in her career. The Buckeyes worked to hold their advantage in the third quarter, but Illinois wasn't stepping down. Beasley and freshman Arieal Scott hit consecutive shots with under two minutes in the period to pull ahead of the Buckeyes by one. UI shot 67-percent in the third quarter, holding Ohio State to just 29-percent shooting. Wittinger led all scorers with 16 points heading into the final frame, and she was joined in double-digit scoring numbers by Beasley (11) and Scott (10).
Illinois capitalized with consecutive free throws to start the fourth quarter and extend its lead to three early in the frame. Ohio State responded with ten-straight points, however, regaining the advantage. Illinois capitalized by making 8-of-11 free throws in the final frame, and used a 7-1 run to stay within four points of Ohio State. Despite a strong fight from Illinois to the finish, OSU held on for the victory.
UI shot 42.1-percent from the floor, facing 42.6-percent from Ohio State. Illinois forced 12 Ohio State turnovers and added four steals overall. The Buckeyes netted 12 three-pointers on the night, shooting 44-percent from distance. Wittinger finished with 18 points on the night, and added five boards for the Orange and Blue. Scott joined Wittinger and Beasley in double-figures, tallying 11 points and five rebounds.
NEXT UP
The Illini are set to host the Maryland Terrapins on Monday, February 4 at 6:30 p.m. The game will air live on the Big Ten Network, and fans can also listen in on WDWS AM-1400. Illinois will then travel to West Lafayette to take on Purdue, February 7, before hosting Wisconsin on February 10 for National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Tickets will be available for $3, and several Fighting Illini women's teams will be signing autographs on the concourse before the game.
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