Jacksonville, Ill. - Riding on the shoulders of a career-best game from junior forward Chloe Churilla, the Illinois Tech women's basketball team notched their first victory of the 2024-25 season, when they traveled to Illinois College Saturday afternoon and defeated the Lady Blues 63-58. The Scarlet Hawks improved to 1-3 on the season. The Lady Blues fell to 2-4.

Churilla established a new career-high in points with 29, shooting 10 of 16 from the field for a sizzling 63% field goal percentage. Churilla was also 9-14 from the free throw line. In addition to leading all players in scoring, Churilla also was the top rebounder in the game with 14. Churilla added 3 steals, 2 assists and 1 block to round out her afternoon.

How It Happened

• 1st Quarter - Illinois Tech 13 - Illinois College 13: A pair of free throws by Churilla with 4:14 remaining in the opening quarter gave the Scarlet Hawks a 13-9 lead, the biggest lead for either team at that point. But the Lady Blues made a pair of baskets in the final 1:22 to tie the score at 13-13 heading into the second quarter.
• 2nd Quarter - Illinois Tech 13 - Illinois College 6: A second-chance layup and the and 1 free throw by Illinois College gave the Lady Blues a quick 16-13 lead 18 seconds into the second quarter. The Scarlet Hawks would turn that around with a 6-0 run, courtesy of a jumper and a pair of free throws by Berit Rusing and a Churilla layup at 8:12 for a 19-16 Illinois Tech lead. Two free throws by the Lady Blues cut their deficit to 19-18, but the Hawks would close out the half on a 7-1 run for a 26-19 lead at the break. Churilla led all scorers in the first half with 11 points, with Rusing adding 10 points.
• 3rd Quarter - Illinois Tech 23 - Illinois College 15: The Scarlet Hawks would open up their biggest lead of the game at 19 points when they opened the second half on a 13-1 run to take a 39-20 lead with 6:07 remaining in the third quarter. The Lady Blues would chip away slightly, outscoring the Hawks 14-10 over the final six minutes to cut their deficit to 49-34 at the end of the third quarter.
• 4th Quarter - Illinois College 24 - Illinois Tech 14: A tip-in layup by Churilla with 5:24 remaining in the fourth quarter helped the Scarlet Hawks maintain their 15-point lead they held at the start of the quarter. The Lady Blues would make a furious comeback attempt, however, closing within five points at 59-54 with 2:07 remaining after completing a 12-2 run. The Scarlet Hawks would regroup and hold serve for the remainder of the game, trading points with the Lady Blues down the stretch for the five-point victory. Churilla added 18 more points in the second half.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Chloe Churilla with a career-high 29 points, while adding 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 1 block in 33:28 minutes played
• Berit Rusing with 12 points, 3 steals and 2 assists
• Grace Goodnough with 9 points and 6 rebounds

Inside The Box Score

• Anna McKee paced the Lady Blues with 15 points, while Ashlyn Wrightman pulled down 12 rebounds
• The Scarlet Hawks finished the game shooting 43.6% from the field; The Lady Blues shot 25.4%
• Illinois Tech had a 36-24 advantage in points in the paint
• The Lady Blues bench outscored the Scarlet Hawks 15-6

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks return to the Keating Center on Wednesday, November 27th, when they host the University of Hartford in a PRE-Thanksgiving matinee matchup at 3:00 PM.