Colorado Springs, Colo. - The Illinois Tech women's basketball team traveled to Colorado for Thanksgiving weekend, looking to build momentum after their first victory of the season on Monday. But Colorado College did not play the part of gracious hosts, as the Tigers upended the Scarlet Hawks 80-41 Friday afternoon in the Rocky Mountain Thanksgiving Classic. The Scarlet Hawks fell to 1-4 on the season. The Tigers improved to 3-2.

The Scarlet Hawks were not facing the Tigers at an opportune time, as the hosts were looking to turn things around after a challenging two-game road trip in which they lost games at #2 ranked NYU and #4 ranked Tufts. The turn-around effort showed in the paint for the Tigers in this game, as they scored over half of their points inside the key, while out-rebounding the Scarlet Hawks 59-22.

First Half (Colorado College 34 - Illinois Tech 15)
An early technical foul against the Tigers' bench, and the subsequent successful free throw by Julia Bucci gave the Scarlet Hawks a 1-0 lead at the 9:52 mark of the first quarter. That would turn out to be the only lead of the game for the Hawks, as the Tigers used a 15-2 run to put Illinois Tech behind the eight-ball 15-3 heading into the second quarter. The Hawks were 1-13 from the field in the opening quarter.

After a 7-2 run by the Tigers to open a 17-point lead early in the second quarter, the Scarlet Hawks chipped away at their deficit. Three-pointers by Allie Sillo and Bucci with just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter helped cap a 10-5 run by Illinois Tech, cutting their deficit to 11 points at 26-15. But the Hawks were shut out the remainder of the quarter, with Colorado College going on an 8-0 run to head into halftime with the 19-point lead. Bucci and Grace Goodnough each had 4 points to lead the Scarlet Hawks in scoring in the first half.

Second Half (Colorado College 46 - Illinois Tech 44 - Andrews 18) 
Colorado College expanded their lead to start the second half, using an 11-2 run in just over five minutes of play in the third quarter to move ahead 45-17. The Scarlet Hawks responded with a late 9-4 run, finished by Bucci with a three-pointer made with 23 seconds remaining. But a layup and the subsequent shooting foul free throw by Audrey Bayston of the Tigers put Colorado College back up by 26 to start the final quarter.

The final quarter provided Illinois Tech with their best offensive quarter, scoring 15 points on 70% shooting from the field, including 50% from three-point range. Unfortunately it was also the Hawks' most challenging quarter defensively in the game, allowing 28 points to the Tigers en route to their 80-41 victory. Bucci finished with 15 points in the second half to lead all scorers.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Bucci led all scorers in the game with 19 points, connecting on 3 of 7 attempts from behind the arc and 6 of 7 from the free throw line.

Tigers Watch

• Zoe Tomlinson had a double-double for the Tigers, pulling down 16 rebounds while scoring 10 points.
• Kayla Mackel led the Tigers with 15 points, including 3-5 from three-point range.
• Emma Nawara added 10 rebounds and 7 points.

Inside The Box Score

• The Tigers held a 48-10 advantage in points in the paint.
• The Tigers had 27 offensive rebounds in the game, leading to 20 second-chance points.

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will conclude their play in the Rocky Mountain Thanksgiving Classic in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday, when they face Willamette at 2:00 PM CT.