Chicago, Ill. - In a non-conference contest, the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks women's basketball team welcomed the Illinois College Lady Blues to the Keating Sports Center. The Hawks (2-7) and the Lady Blues (6-5) battled hard through the first two quarters, with the Hawks coming out ahead at halftime with a 1-point, 28-27 lead. After remaining close in the third, a cold fourth quarter doomed the Hawks as the Lady Blues walked away with a 58-38 victory.  

First Half (Lady Blues 27 - Illinois Tech 28)

• Immediately after the tip, the Lady Blue recorded the first basket of the game with a layup at 9:52. In a fast-break, Kaya Jones recorded the Hawks first points at 8:42 with a layup. A scoreless streak then followed as another basket wouldn't be recorded until 6:30 remained in the quarter. Chloe Churilla broke the scoreless streak with a layup. The Lady Blues then slowly built a lead over the Hawks, going up 11-4 with 3:06 remaining. The Hawks would come back though, closing out the quarter with a 6-2 run, ending the first quarter with the Lady Blues ahead 13-10. 

• Julia Bucci nailed a three to begin the second quarter to tie the game at 13 all. Following the tie, the Lady Blues went on a 9-0 run to take a 22-13 lead. A scoreless streak between 6:32 and 4:21 before Camden Joko netted a three point at 4:20. The Hawks were able to close out the quarter with back-to-back-to-back three points from Bucci and Joko to take a 1-point, 28-27 lead at halftime. 

Second Half (Lady Blues 31 - Illinois Tech 10)

• The Hawks would keep the lead through the opening minutes of the third quarter before the Lady Blues tied the game up at 32-32. Bucci put the Hawks back up ahead with a jumper and two free throws at 6:04 and 5:23 respectively. After a Lady Blue jumper brought the game within two at 4:35, the two sides would enter another scoreless streak that lasted until the 2:51 mark when a Lady Blue layup tied the game at 36-36. From there, the Lady Blues took the lead over the Hawks with two layups and a three pointer. A free throw by Churilla ended the quarter as the Lady Blues led the Hawks 41-37. 

• Unfortunately for the Hawks, a cold fourth quarter took place. The Hawks lone point of the quarter came at 9:47 from a Berit Rusing free throw. For the remainder of the game, the Lady Blue slowly built a lead. At the final buzzer, the Lady Hawks defeated the Hawks 58-38. 

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Julia Bucci - 18 points (6-of-11 from the field, 4-of-7 from three, 2-of-2 from the free throw line), 3 rebounds, 5 steals

• Camden Joko - 6 points, 1 rebound

• Chloe Churilla - 6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals

Lady Blues Standouts

• Ashlyn Wightman - Double-Double, 17 points (8-of-10 from the field), 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 2 steals

• Jayln Patterson - 14 points (5-of-11 from the field, 2-of-4 from three, 2-of-2 from the free throw line), 6 rebounds, 4 blocks

• Gracie Kizer - 11 points (5-of-11 from the field), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal

• Maya Smith - 2 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

Inside the Box Score 

• The Hawks were 13-of-60 (21.7%) from the field, 7-of-24 (29.2%) from three, and 5-of-12 (41.7) from the free throw line

• The Lady Blues were 24-of-60 (40.0%) from the field, 5-of-20 (25.0%) from three, and 5-of-6 (83.3%) from the free throw line

• 21 of the Hawks points came from turnovers 

• The Lady Blues had 17 points off the bench and 30 points in the paint

Up Next

The Hawks will host the St. Mary's College Belles on Tuesday, December 19 in the Keating Sports Center for their final contest of 2023 before entering the new year. The Hawks and Belles will tip off at 5:00 PM