Women's Basketball falls to Illinois in season-opener

Box Score CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Ali Andrews rarely missed
.
No matter the range, when the Illinois guard shot the basketball, it usually dropped through the bottom the net.

Andrews poured in 17 points as Illinois used a second-half run to top Alabama A&M 88-60 Wednesday afternoon in both team's season-opener.

Andrews shot 75 percent from the floor, making 6 of 9 field goals and 3 of 4 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.

"I thought we played hard," Alabama A&M coach Margaret Richards said. "We had some letdowns in the third quarter that allowed (Illinois) to go on a run and build a lead. But overall, this is something we can build on."

The game was a tale of two halves.

The first half was filled with bright spots.

For the first two quarters, Alabama A&M (0-1) challenged Illinois (1-0) on its home floor. With an active, aggressive zone defense, the Bulldogs denied Illinois easy buckets in the lane while contesting the majority of the shots the Illini attempted on the perimeter.

The score was tied at the end of the first period and Illinois only led by five at halftime. There were three lead changes and the score was tied four times in the first half.

DeShawna Harper led Alabama A&M by 18 points, and Jameica Cobb scored 11. Elexis Evans finished with nine points, while Chinelo Lucy Ibeh added seven points with 10 rebounds.

After halftime, Illinois found an answer for Alabama A&M's zone defense. The Illini made five 3-pointers in the third period, sparking an 8-0 run and quickly stretching the cushion to 15.

Illinois finished with 11 3-pointers, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc. The Illini made eight 3s in the second half.
Alex Wittinger, Cierra Rice and Jaelyne Kirkpatrick each scored 10 points for Illinois.

"DeShawna made some big shots," Richards said. "We had some players step up at different times. There's also some things we need to work on before we play again next week."

Alabama A&M hosts Tennessee State on Tuesday in its home-opener.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Jameica Cobb: SG; 5' 8"; Junior

#32 Elexis Evans: F; 6' 3"; Redshirt Freshman

#23 Deshawna Harper: G; 5' 5"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#4 Jameica Cobb
: 5' 8"; Junior
: SG

#32 Elexis Evans
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

#23 Deshawna Harper
: 5' 5"; Sophomore
: G

Players Mentioned

#4 Jameica Cobb

#32 Elexis Evans

#23 Deshawna Harper

Players Mentioned

#4 Jameica Cobb

#32 Elexis Evans

#23 Deshawna Harper