Plymouth, Wis. -  Despite a valiant effort that saw the Illinois Tech women's basketball team claw back from a 21-point deficit and pull within four points with 3:07 remaining in the third quarter, the Scarlet Hawks comeback effort ran out of gas and players, eventually falling to the host Lakeland Muskies 76-57 Wednesday night.The loss dropped the Scarlet Hawks to 3-8 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play, and to 4-15 overall. Lakeland improved to 4-7 in NACC play, and to 6-14 overall.

The Scarlet Hawks entered the game with only eight active players, but by the end of the night there were only 6 players available as two Hawks fouled out during the contest. Still, the Hawks made a game of it, and came away with 4 players scoring in double figures.

First Half (Lakeland 40 - Illinois Tech 29)
The Scarlet Hawks fell behind early in the first quarter, but pulled with four points on two occasions in the opening frame, including at the 5:27 after an Allie Sillo three-pointer. But the Muskies would forge ahead, outscoring the Hawks 11-4 over the remainder of the first quarter to lead 23-12 heading into the second quarter. The Muskies continued their assault into the second period, running out to a 21-point lead with 3:48 remaining, 34-13. The Scarlet Hawks would counter, putting up a 16-6 run to end the opening half, cutting their deficit to 11 points. Julia Bucci and Kaya Jones each had 8 points in the first half to lead the team.

Second Half (Lakeland 36 - Illinois Tech 28) 
A combination of three-pointers and free throws helped fuel the Scarlet Hawks third quarter comeback effort, a run of 17-10 that was capped off with a pair of free throws by Grace Goodnough at the 2:28 mark, pulling the Hawks with four points at 50-46. But a 7-2 run by the Muskies to end the third quarter gave Lakeland a nine-point lead of 57-48 entering the fourth quarter. The Scarlet Hawks ran out of steam in the final frame unfortunately, as foul trouble and a short bench helped the Muskies pull away, outscoring the Hawks 19-9 to take the 19-point victory.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Julia Bucci led all scorers with 17 points, while adding 3 rebounds and 2 steals in a game-high 36 minutes played.
• Grace Goodnough had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
• Allie Sillo with 10 points, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.
• Kaya Jones with 10 points and 2 steals.

Muskies Watch

• Alexis Johnson paced the Muskies with 16 points, while adding 3 rebounds and 3 steals.
• A.T. Bartlett had 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
• Kerstin Sauerbrei with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

Inside The Box Score

• The Muskies bench outscored the Scarlet Hawks 21-3.
• Lakeland held a 42-22 advantage in points in the paint.

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will be back on the Keating Center court on Saturday, when they take on Benedictine at 1:00 PM in another NACC conference matchup.