Turnovers plague Illinois women's basketball in weekend loss
Nov. 19—Ball security was an issue for both women's basketball teams during Saturday's Citi Shamrock Classic.
The ability to capitalize off a rash of turnovers was No. 16 Notre Dame's advantage.
The Irish turned 21 Illinois turnovers into 31 points, had an equally as distinct edge on second chance points and put those extra scoring opportunities to good use in a 79-68 victory at Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
Illinois guards Genesis Bryant and Makira Cook were the worst turnover offenders Saturday afternoon in the nation's capital. The Illini backcourt duo combined to commit 15 turnovers facing pressure from Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo. The Fighting Irish freshman had six steals to go with 24 points, eight assists and seven turnovers of her own.
Maddy Westbeld knocked down all three three-pointers she attempted and added 24 points for Notre Dame (3-1) to go with a team-high eight rebounds. Her work on the boards helped the Irish finish with a 36-25 rebounding advantage — and a 14-5 edge on the offensive glass.
Bryant led Illinois with 31 points on 10 of 19 shooting, including 3 of 9 from three-point range. Adalia McKenzie added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Illini. Cook, who made her season debut after missing the first three games, chipped in 14 points and four assists. Those three combined to score 62 of Illinois' 68 points.
Illinois (2-2) has an extended holiday break. The Illini won't return to action until Nov. 26 against Canisius. The 1 p.m. tip at State Farm Center will pit Illini coach Shauna Green against her alma mater.
In volleyball
Illini sweep Wolverines. Needing every win the Illini can have before the end of the regular season arrives next Saturday in order to improve its NCAA tournament chances, Illinois delivered in a sweep of Michigan on Saturday night at Huff Hall in Champaign.
And after the Illini completed a 25-13, 25-19, 25-19 win against Michigan in front of 2,914 fans, Illinois got even more good news. Senior Raina Terry, an All-Big Ten First-Team performer last season who is the team's top offensive option this season again, announced she would return for a fifth season in 2024 and take advantage of the extra year of eligibility she can have because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Terry supplied a match-high 17 kills for Illinois (16-12, 11-7 Big Ten), while teammates Jessica Nunge added eight kills and Cari Bohm netted six kills. Brooke Mosher just missed out on a double-double for Illinois with 32 assists and nine digs, while Caroline Barnes made a team-high 10 digs against the Wolverines (7-20, 5-13).
Illinois wraps up the regular season this coming week on the road, playing at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at Minnesota before ending the regular season at 7 p.m. next Saturday at Northwestern.
In men's cross-country
Roberts caps season at NCAAs. Illinois senior Jack Roberts finished his season with a 157th place finish at the NCAA cross-country championships Saturday. Roberts finished the 10-kilometer course in 31 minutes, 7.4 seconds in his first appearance at the national meet.
Roberts was the only Illinois runner to qualify for the NCAA championship and first since current assistant coach Jon Davis in 2021.
The Downers Grove native was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection this season after finishing ninth at the Big Ten championship in late October in Madison, Wis.
