EVANSTON, Ill. – The Fighting Illini women's basketball team fought for 40 minutes but were unable to matchup against No. 14 Northwestern in a 75-58 road decision on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 29) at Welsh-Ryan Arena
Illinois (11-18, 2-16) did all it could to spoil the rival Wildcats' bid to secure a share of the Big Ten regular-season title. But despite 18 points from senior guard Brandi Beasley and 10 more from senior forward Ali Andrews, the undersized Illini were outdone by a near double-double effort of 21 points and nine rebounds from Northwestern's 6-4 center Abbi Wolf.
The Illini trailed, 36-25, at halftime and stormed back to within striking distance early in the third quarter. Andrews hit a three-pointer to open the scoring in the second half, followed by a jumper from just inside the free-throw line by freshman guard Jeanae Terry to pull the Illini to within 36-30 at the 8:15 mark of the quarter
Wolf answered by scoring nine straight points for the Wildcats (26-3, 16-2) over the next two minutes of action, pushing the NU lead back to double-figures when she converted a three-point play at the 6:12 mark. That stretch by Wolf kept the Illini at bay, and the Orange and Blue would never draw closer than 11.
Sophomore guard J-Naya Ephraim chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds for the Illini, while freshman forward Kennedi Myles pulled down seven rebounds of her own to go along with five points and five steals. Terry finished with six points and three boards.
In addition to Wolf's effort, the Wildcats were aided by 17 points and eight rebounds from Lindsey Pulliam, 13 point and four assists from Veronica Burton, and 10 points and seven rebounds from Abi Scheid.
Illinois now turns its focus to next week's Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, opening Wednesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
Team Notes
- The Fighting Illini closed the regular season with a record of 11-18 (2-16).
- Illinois will be the No. 13 seed in next week's Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, and will open Round 1 against No. 12-seeded Wisconsin (11-18, 3-15). The Illini and the Badgers play the first game of the tournament 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT on March 4 from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
Individual Notes
- Senior guard Brandi Beasley led the Illini in scoring for the third time in the last four games, and the sixth time overall this season. She also paced the team in assists (4) for the 11th time this year.
- Beasley now has 1,377 career points, vaulting past Kris Dupps (1,373; 1991-95) into 16th in the Illini record book, and just five points behind No. 15 Tiffanie Guthrie (2001-05).
- Senior forward Ali Andrews scored in double-figures for the 12th time this season and the 36th time in her career. It also marked the 10th time this season that she has recorded multiple three-pointers in a contest.
- Freshman forward Kennedi Myles tied a season-high with three assists in the contest, while finishing one shy of here season-best mark with five steals.
