Illinois College secured a 61-50 win over Cornell College in a Midwest Conference women’s basketball game at Sherman Gymnasium on Tuesday night. The Lady Blues improved their season record to 11-13 overall and 7-8 in conference play, while Cornell dropped to 14-9 and 8-7 in the conference.
Cornell started strong with a 17-8 lead after the first quarter. Illinois College responded by shooting 75 percent from the field in the second quarter and making five three-pointers, outscoring Cornell 26-14. Raegen Stringer hit a late three-pointer that gave Illinois College a 34-31 advantage at halftime.
The third quarter saw both teams trading leads and tying four times. Illinois College finished the period ahead, holding Cornell to 13 points for a narrow 43-39 lead entering the fourth quarter.
In the final period, Illinois College limited Cornell to six points and forced several turnovers. The Lady Blues made 11 free throws in the fourth quarter to secure an eleven-point victory.
Cora DeSutter led Illinois College with 15 points and collected a game-high 12 rebounds, recording a double-double. Jayln Patterson contributed 14 points along with five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Raegen Stringer added eight points, while McKenna Christiansen provided eight points off the bench as part of a total bench contribution of 21 points.
Illinois College forced Cornell into committing 24 turnovers, converting those into 21 points. The Lady Blues also held a slight edge in rebounding at 36-34 and scored another 21 points on second-chance opportunities.
Illinois College shot 33.3 percent from the floor and made just over one-quarter of their three-point attempts. Cornell shot slightly better at nearly forty percent from the field and over thirty-seven percent from long range.
The Lady Blues are set to close out their season on Saturday at home against Monmouth College during Senior Day.
Illinois College Lady Blues Basketball participates in NCAA Division III athletics within the Midwest Conference according to its official website. The program aims to provide student-athletes with opportunities for competition, personal growth, academic balance, and athletic development while supporting team cohesion through scheduled games managed by its coaching staff (source). The team operates out of Illinois College (official website).
