Chicago, Ill. - After pausing play for the holidays, the Illinois Tech women's basketball team was anxious to get back on the court as they hosted Concordia Chicago Saturday afternoon in a conference matchup at the Keating Center. The Scarlet Hawks started the new year on the right foot, downing the Cougars 72-60. The Scarlet Hawks evened their Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) record at 1-1, and improved to 5-6 overall. The Cougars fell to 0-3 in NACC play and to 1-9 overall.
Chloe Churilla (14),
Grace Goodnough (13) and
Kaya Jones (11) each scored in double-figures for the Scarlet Hawks, with
Berit Rusing putting together an all-around performance with 9 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. The Hawks used a 21-9 third quarter to take control of the game.
How It Happened
- 1st Half - Illinois Tech 34- Concordia Chicago 34: Illinois Tech found themselves down 18-14 heading into the second quarter. The Cougars would extend their lead to nine points 40 seconds into the second quarter before the Hawks would mount a comeback, using a 12-2 run to take a 26-25 lead with 4:58 remaining in the quarter. Halle Williams would convert on the second of her two free throws with 1:42 remaining to give Illinois Tech a 34-30 lead. The Cougars would score a pair of layups in the final minute to tie the game at 34-34 heading into the half. Churilla and Jones led the Hawks with 7 points each in the opening half.
- 2nd Half - Illinois Tech 38 - Concordia Chicago 26: The Scarlet Hawks came out of halftime on fire from the field, going on a 13-0 run to start the half, with Rusing connecting on a pair of jumpers and a layup during the third quarter run. A Williams jumper at 2:42 of the quarter extended the Hawks' lead to 53-38. But the Cougars would push back, using a 13-3 run to cut their deficit to five points at 56-51 with 7:55 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Scarlet Hawks would regroup however, pushing their lead back up to 14 points at 70-56 before closing out the game 72-60. Goodnough led the Hawks in second half scoring with 9 points.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Inside The Box Score
- Sydney Nimsakont led CUC with 23 points
- Alisyn MacGregor had 7 points and 12 rebounds for the Cougars
- Illinois Tech shot 47% from the field; CUC shot 37%
- The Scarlet Hawks bench outscored the Cougars 25-5
- Points off turnovers favored Illinois Tech, 20-9
Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks wrap up the last of their five consecutive home games on Wednesday, January 8th, when they host Edgewood College at 7:00pm at the Keating Center in another NACC matchup.
