by Eric Willuweit
River Forest, Ill. – Despite a career-high 26 points from Allie Sillo, the short-handed Illinois Tech women's basketball team battled but came up short to Concordia Chicago, falling to the Cougars 84-75 Wednesday afternoon in their NACC conference-opener. The Scarlet Hawks open conference play 0-1, and fall to 1-4 overall. The Cougars improved to 2-0 in conference and 3-3 overall.
The Scarlet Hawks started the game with eight active players, but lost two players to injury in each half, leaving one player on the bench. Despite being short-handed, and despite trailing by 23 points late in the fourth quarter, the Scarlet Hawks continued to compete, and made it a very tough game for the Cougars to ultimately close out.
First Half (Concordia Chicago 42 – Illinois Tech 36)
The Scarlet Hawks held a 14-4 advantage halfway through the first quarter on the strength of four three-pointers, two by Allie Sillo. The Cougars responded in force, completing a 17-0 run to take a 21-14 lead with a little over a minute remaining in the opening frame. Melia Perry led the charge with seven points, with Katherine Benes adding six points. A pair of Scarlet Hawk three-pointers near the end of the quarter helped the Scarlet Hawks close the gap to five at 25-20 heading into the second quarter.
A Perry layup with 3:03 remaining in the second quarter completed a 16-7 run for the Cougars to open up a 41-27 lead. A 9-1 counter by the Scarlet Hawks, including a pair of three-pointers, trimmed the Hawks deficit to 42-36 entering halftime. Sillo paced the Hawks with 12 points in the first half, with Camden Joko adding nine points.
Second Half (Concordia Chicago 42 – Illinois Tech 39)
After a pair of baskets by the Cougars to start the third quarter, the Scarlet Hawks chipped away, closing to 48-45 with 7:06 remaining, with Julia Bucci hitting a pair of free throws and a three-pointer to aid the comeback. The Cougars responded with a 16-2 run to open up a 62-47 lead with 4:24 remaining in the quarter. A Sillo three-pointer for the Scarlet Hawks at the third quarter buzzer pulled the Hawks to 69-56.
An Alisyn MacGregor free-throw with 6:42 remaining in the final quarter gave Concordia Chicago a 23-point advantage at 79-56. The Hawks would not fold, however. The Scarlet Hawks outscored the Cougars 19-6 to close out the game, aided by three more three-pointers from Sillo. In what could have been a blowout, Illinois Tech closed within nine points, falling 84-75 to the Cougars. Sillo added 14 more points in the second half, with Bucci scoring nine.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
- Sillo with a career-high 26 points, shooting 8 of 10 from three-point range.
- Bucci added 15 points to go along with 3 steals and 6 rebounds.
- Kaya Jones finished with 8 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds.
- Joko finished with 9 points and 3 blocks.
Cougars Watch
- Benes had 24 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists for Concordia Chicago.
- Perry had 22 points and 4 rebounds.
Inside the Box Score
- The Hawks shot 47% from three-point range on 15-32 shooting. The Cougars shot 14% from three on 3-21 shooting.
- The Scarlet Hawks shot 44% from the field; Concordia Chicago shot 40%
- Illinois Tech committed 15 fouls; the Cougars had 14 fouls.
- Illinois Tech was 4-7 from the free-throw line for 57%. Concordia Chicago was 13-20 (65%).
- Jones was the minutes leader for the Hawks with 37 minutes. Benes played 36 minutes for the Cougars.
Up Next
- The Scarlet Hawks return to play next Wednesday, November 30th, when they host Aurora University in a NACC matchup at 7:00 PM at the Keating Sports Center.