CHAMPAIGN – The Illinois women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought contest to the No. 10-ranked Maryland Terrapins on Monday evening, 80-66. Junior Brandi Beasley led Illinois with 17 points on the night, and graduate transfer Sarah Shewan knocked down five three-pointers to finish with 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting from distance. Senior Alex Wittinger registered her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds. She added two blocks and two steals to her tally as well. Illinois moves to 9-13 on the season and 1-10 in conference play.
"It was a hard-fought game," head coach Nancy Fahey said. "I was proud of how we stuck with them, especially when we got down early. We're working for wins, but I feel like we played hard for 40 minutes against a very good team."
The Illini and the Terrapins traded buckets to start the evening at the State Farm Center, keeping things close. Maryland took advantage of a 9-0 run in the middle of the period to pull ahead of the Orange and Blue. Beasley tallied six first-quarter points to lead UI, making 2-of-4 from three-point range.
The Terps continued to pressure the Illini in the second frame, opening the period on a 7-0 run. Illinois was hot to end the first half, however, using a 15-2 run to cut into Maryland's lead. The Illini knocked down three consecutive three-pointers to close the half, with two coming from Shewan. Beasley contributed four points in that span as well. Maryland held a 48-37 advantage at the halftime break.
Shewan was 3-for-3 from distance to close the first half, and the Illini went 4-for-5 from three-point range in the second stanza. Beasley led the Orange and Blue with 11 first-half points, with Shewan tallying nine. The Terps shot 51.5-percent from the field in the first half, and Illinois knocked down 43.8-percent of its shots.
UI stayed strong after the halftime break, working to cut into Maryland's advantage. Illinois was tough on defense in the third quarter, holding the Terps to just 28-percent shooting after the break. The Illini held Maryland without a field goal for the last 4:48 of the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run in that span. Illinois cut Maryland's advantage to just seven heading into the fourth quarter, and three Illini moved into double-digit scoring numbers. Wittinger and Beasley led all scorers with 13 points each, while Shewan racked up 12 points in the first three frames, going 4-for-6 from distance.
The Illini continued their strong push in the fourth quarter, working to chip away at the Maryland lead. Shewan connected on a three-pointer early in the quarter to get the Illini within striking distance, but Maryland responded with an 8-1 run to pull away and secure its victory.
Led by Shewan's 16 points, the Illini bench outscored the Maryland reserves, 25-15, on Monday night. The Illini netted nine three-pointers in the contest, led by Shewan's five and Beasley's three. UI shot 39.7-percent from the field inside State Farm Center, facing 44.4-percent shooting from the visiting Terps.
NEXT UP
Illinois will 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.
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.
