by Eric Willuweit

Watertown, Wis. – Julia Bucci scored 35 points, Chloe Churilla 26, and Camden Joko 16 as the Illinois Tech women's basketball team routed Maranatha Baptist 97-46 Tuesday night in Wisconsin. The Scarlet Hawks earned a much-needed win and improved their overall record to 2-7. The Sabercats dropped to 2-8 overall.

The Scarlet Hawks took advantage of 27 Sabercat turnovers, converting those into 44 points. The Hawks also had a rare advantage in points in the paint, outscoring the Sabercats 32-10.

Bucci connected on 9 of 16 of her three-point attempts and shot 54% from the field. The 35 points she scored was four points off her career high of 39 points against Mount Mary in November of 2021. Churilla, the first-year forward, established a new career high with 26 points.

First Half (Illinois Tech 52 – Maranatha Baptist 25)

The Scarlet Hawks established dominance early, jumping out to a 14-2 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Hawks continued their assault through the end of the first quarter, outscoring the Sabercats 20-9 the final six plus minutes to take a 34-11 lead heading into the second quarter.

The second quarter played much differently, with the Sabercats able to slow down the Scarlet Hawks offense while using an 8-0 run in the first four minutes of the second frame to cut their deficit to 34-19. The Hawks, however, countered with a 9-0 run to build a 24-point lead at 43-19 with 2:31 remaining in the half. Illinois Tech was able to boost their lead to 29 points twice in the final minute before a Maranatha Baptist layup with seven seconds remaining put the score at 52-25 entering halftime. Bucci had 22 points to lead the Scarlet Hawks in the first half.

Second Half (Illinois Tech 45 – Maranatha Baptist 21)

The Scarlet Hawks opened the second half with a 10-4 run to boost their lead to 62-29 with just over four minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Sabercats were able slow things down for a moment in the final minutes of the third quarter, bucketing six points to enter the final frame trailing 71-35.

The momentum was short lived for the Maranatha Baptist, however, as the Scarlet Hawks outscored the Sabercats 26-11 in the final frame for the 97-46 margin of victory. Bucci added an additional 13 points in the second half to again lead Scarlet Hawk scorers.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Bucci with 35 points, 9 three-pointers, 5 steals and 4 rebounds
• Churilla with a career-high 26 points, to go along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and converting 10-15 free throw attempts.
• Joko finished with 16 points, including 4 three-pointers, while adding 5 assists and 2 steals.

Sabercats Watch

• Katelyn Morrison led Maranatha Baptist with 26 points, a career-best.
• Kyra Teachout led the Sabercats with 7 rebounds.

Inside the Box Score

• The Hawks shot 42% from three-point range on 13-31 shooting. The Sabercats were 0-4 from three-point range. 
• The Scarlet Hawks shot 51% from the field; Maranatha Baptist shot 32%
• Illinois Tech committed 22 fouls; the Sabercats had 19 fouls.
• Illinois Tech was 12-18 from the free-throw line for 67%. Maranatha Baptist was 18-26 (69%).
• Joko was the minutes leader for the Hawks with 33 minutes. Morrison played 33 minutes for the Sabercats.

Up Next

• The Scarlet Hawks play their final game before the holiday break, when they host Beloit College Saturday, December 17 at 4:00 PM in a non-conference matchup at the Keating Sports Center.