by Eric Willuweit

Plymouth, Wis. – The Illinois Tech women's basketball team ran into a buzzsaw Saturday afternoon at Lakeland, finding themselves down 11-0 four minutes into the game en route to an 89-54 defeat to the Muskies. The Scarlet Hawks fell to 3-9 in NACC play and 5-13 overall. The Muskies improved to 8-4 in the conference and 10-9 overall.

The story of the game was Lakeland's dominance in points in the paint, with the Muskies having a 40-6 advantage, much of that coming from forwards Ellie Felsinger (18 points) and Mackenzie Miller (10 points). Lakeland also held a 20-2 advantage in second chance points, with the Muskies pulling down 16 offensive rebounds to boost their second chance opportunities.

First Half (Lakeland 40 - Illinois Tech 18)

A Kaya Jones jumper at the 5:36 mark of the first quarter gave the Scarlet Hawks their first points of the game, trailing 11-2.  The Hawks would tally only three more points the remainder of the opening quarter, trailing 22-7 heading into the second quarter. The Hawks would fare a little better in the second quarter, putting up 11 points. However, Lakeland added 18 more points to go into the half with a 40-18 advantage. Julia Bucci led the Scarlet Hawks with five points in the first half.

Second Half (Lakeland 49 – Illinois Tech 36)

A pair of free throws by Chloe Churilla capped a 6-3 run for the Scarlet Hawks to open the third quarter. Lakeland countered with a 17-7 run to close out the third quarter with a 62-31 lead. The fourth quarter turned out to be the best offensive quarter for both teams, especially the Scarlet Hawks, as they popped for 23 points with a combination of three-pointers and free throws. Lakeland also had their best offensive quarter, putting up 27 points for the final 89-54 margin of victory. Kaya Jones led the Scarlet Hawks with 10 points in the second half.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Bucci with 14 points and 3 rebounds, shooting 3-8 behind the arc.
• Kaya Jones finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
• Churilla added 9 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.

Muskies Watch

• Felsinger with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 2 steals.
• Kerstin Sauerbrei added 16 points.
• Miller with 10 points and 5 rebounds.

Inside the Box Score

• The Scarlet Hawks, who have been up and down at the free throw line this season, connected on 16 of 19 attempts, good for 84%. The Muskies shot 18-24 for 75%.
• The Scarlet Hawks turned the ball over 19 times, contributing to 19 points for the Muskies.
• Illinois Tech shot 29% from the field; Lakeland shot 42%. 
• Bucci was the minutes leader for the Scarlet Hawks with 30; Kacey Gardner led Lakeland with 32 minutes.

Up Next

• The Scarlet Hawks go back on the road Wednesday, when they head to Madison, Wis. to take on Edgewood at 7:00 PM in a NACC matchup.