Illinois women’s basketball falls in Braggin’ Rights game to Mizzou
Guard De’Myla Brown attempts to pass an Eastern Kentucky player on Dec. 5. The Illini fall against the Tigers 84-65.
December 22, 2021
Illinois women’s basketball took on Mizzou for Braggin’ Rights in Champaign. The Tigers came out victorious with a 84-65 win over the Illini.
High scoring performances from De’Myla Brown (22 points) and Sara Anastasieska (19 points) weren’t enough as Mizzou dominated on the court as five players notched double digit scoring.
The Illini started off the game hot with Anastasieska hitting triple threes. Just three minutes in and Illinois were already up by 10 points with Mizzou getting just one point off a free throw.
However, from the six-minute mark on, the Tigers shook off their slow start and began to control the court with the help of Izzy Higginbottom’s field goal and fouls from the Illini.
By the end of the first quarter, Mizzou went on a 15-3 run going into the short break, putting both teams tied 16-16.
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In the second quarter, the Tigers shined on the court, dominating on both sides of the ball. They scored 24 points and only allowed the Illini to score 10 points.
Mizzou was able to pass around the Illinois defense easily to get them chasing the ball, which allowed points from the arc to hit. Inside the arc, the Tigers could drive to the basket easily getting the layup.
Illinois, on the other hand, couldn’t make the drive to the basket as much as it wanted due to Mizzou’s tight defense. The Illini were forced to make shots from long, which didn’t always nail in for them. Going into the break, Mizzou was up 40-26 with Illinois’ hot start burnt out.
Come the third quarter, the Illini found strides in their scoring with Anastasieska and Brown scoring a combined 17 of the 20 points scored.
Anastasieska found herself hitting back-to-back threes like in the first quarter. Brown, on the other hand, was able to get some layups as well as free throws from the line after the Tigers dropped down on their defense a little.
The majority of the Tigers’ 20 points scored in this quarter were in the paint or from free throws minus a 3-pointer from Lauren Hansen.
In the last 10 minutes of the game, the Illini kept their steady scoring but couldn’t contain the Tigers when defending.
Mizzou scored 24 points and continued dominating at State Farm Center as it was just layup after layup for the Tigers.
Illinois ended their nonconference run 5-7 overall and will take a holiday break before beginning the conference season against current No. 6 Maryland on Thursday, Dec. 30.
@AngelleCortes
