Just days after completing their own tournament at Huff Hall, the men and women’s wheelchair basketball teams were back in action this past weekend, competing in their third College Division Tournament of the season in Edinboro, Pa.

The men finished the tourney a respectable 2-1, while the women – forced to play the No. 1 and No. 4-ranked men’s teams in the country – were 0-3.

Despite the losses, head coach Mike Frogley was still impressed by his teams’ play.

“We’re getting more consistent with our shooting; we’re generating good scoring opportunities,” he said. “We need to keep focusing on the areas we need to improve.”

The men, 14-11 overall and 10-3 in the college division, opened the tournament by defeating host Edinboro 60-49. Illinois was led by senior Jeff Townsend, who scored 20 points on 10 of 11 shots. The Illini shot 57 percent from the field in the first half en route to the win.

In their second game of the tourney, sloppy ball-handling and transition defense proved to be costly for the Illini as they fell to No. 1-ranked Wisconsin-Whitewater 74-46. Illinois trailed by only three at halftime, but an early Whitewater second-half surge turned out to be the difference. Townsend again led the Illini with 17 points, and Adam Lancia added 16.

In their third and final game of the tournament, the Illini men forced 15 turnovers and held Edinboro to 27 percent shooting in a 59-36 win. Townsend finished with a game-high 22 points and Lancia chipped in with 20.

“We need to get in and out on our defensive rotations quicker,” Frogley said of his team after the tournament. “We’re slow in making our reads.”

As for the women, facing two of the top four men’s teams in wheelchair college basketball proved tough. In their tournament opener against host Edinboro, the women had a rough time scoring in a 61-26 loss. Edinboro shot 60 percent from the field in the first half on the way to the win.

Later that day, the two teams met for a rematch. Edinboro opened the game flat, which led to a five-point deficit at halftime. Illinois appeared poised to go for the upset, but Edinboro rallied for a 52-39 win. The Illini were led by senior Jennifer Warkins, who scored 32 points in the loss.

In the tourney finale, the Illinois women gave Wisconsin-Whitewater all they could handle before falling 42-36. Trailing by 20 at halftime, the Illini used suffocating defense to hold Whitewater to only 20 percent shooting in the second half. Warkins paced the Illini with 18 points and junior Sarah Castle added 10.

“Our defense is significantly improving in its ability to generate bad shots for the offensive team,” Frogley said. “But we need to have multiple shooters.”

This weekend, the Illini are hosting a three-day tournament at IMPE. The tourney begins Friday at 4 p.m. and will run through Sunday. In addition to the Illini men’s and women’s teams, the tourney will also feature the best semi-pro teams in the country – the Milwaukee Wheelchair Bucks and the RIC Express. All games are free and fans are encouraged to attend.