Poor shooting, turnovers hold Illinois back from win

By Brian Atlas

Illinois came into Columbus riding a two-game winning streak and having won eight out of its last 10 games, but beating the No. 5-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (17-1, 6-0), proved to be too tough of a task.

The Buckeyes, the first ranked opponent the Illini (14-5, 4-3) have played this year, won 62-52. Center Jessica Davenport lead with 22 points, three assists, four blocks, and drained 12 of 14 free throws.

“Davenport is a solid team player,” Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz said. “Each time we cut (the deficit) to nine, she responded with points.”

Even with Davenport’s production, Grentz approved of her team’s defensive play against the 6-foot-5 All-American.

“I thought we defended (Davenport) well tonight,” Grentz said. “But she doesn’t force the issue. She lets the game come to her. That’s why she is who she is.”

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The Illini had good efforts from forward Danyel Crutcher and freshman center Jenna Smith. Each finished with 12 points.

Illinois got off to a slow start, losing 20-6 early in the game and went into halftime down 35-21. During the second half, the Illini won the scoring battle 31-27 and drew within nine points after Crutcher’s bucket with four minutes left.

“We really battled in the second half and did the things we needed to do defensively,” Grentz said. “We had some possessions in the second half to get back in it but couldn’t take advantage because of turnovers and missed shots.”

The Illini had 16 turnovers and shot a season-worst 30 percent from the field.

“We weren’t on the same page offensively and couldn’t get any shots to fall, but I thought we played hard,” Grentz said.

Sophomore guard Lori Bjork scored 11 points and led the team with four assists. She also hit the 100th three-pointer of her career with 8:31 left in the opening half. Bjork was 3-for-11 from behind the arc, and she has also hit at least one three-pointer in 26 consecutive games – a school record.