1/18- Illini Women Fall In Madison

MADISON, Wis. - Juniors Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson each notched double-doubles for the second straight game, but it wasnt enough for a victory as the Fighting Illini fell in Madison, 61-43, Sunday evening. Smith followed-up her 18 point, 18 rebound effort from Thursday night with a 15 points, 12 rebound game against the Badgers. The Bloomington, Minn., native hit 7-of-13 from the field and added three assists, two steals and one blocks on the night. It was her 27th career double-double, which is the second most among active Big Ten players. Simpson had 11 points, 12 boards and five assists to follow up her 12 point, 15 rebound performance on Thursday. All 11 of Simpsons points came in the second half. It was the third time this season that Smith and Simpson each had a double-double in the same game, and was the fifth double-dip of the season for each. The Illini fell into a big hole early, falling behind 10-0 right out of the gates. Illinois first field goal came on a lay-up by Smith at the 15:42 mark, but by then Wisconsin had already hit 4-of-5 from the field, including two three-pointers by Alyssa Karel. The Orange and Blue crept back within three, 14-11, with 9:13 left in the half, but the Badgers countered with a 7-0 to push the lead back to double-figures and kept it at 10 at the break, 27-17. Illinois shot 29.2 percent in the first half, compared to 43.5 percent for Wisconsin. Wisconsin started the second half on a 9-2 run to make it 36-19. The was when Smith caught fire for the Orange and Blue, making six straight field goals at one point to bring Illinois (4-15, 0-8) back to within 10, 48-38, with 7:15 to play. However, the would be as close as the Illini would get. Both teams shot 50.0 percent in the second half, but the Badgers got eight more shot attempts thanks to flawless ball-handling. The hosts had zero second-half turnovers and just five for the game, a new school record. Illinois held an advantage on the glass for the second straight game, out-rebounding the hosts by a 32-28 margin, but the Illini had 15 turnovers to Wisconsins five. As a result, the Badgers held a 17-4 edge in points off turnovers and a 32-14 advantage on points in the paint. Redshirt freshman Lydia McCully chipped in nine points for Illinois, while freshman Fabiola Josil and senior Chelsea Gordon each added four points. Gordon also tied her career-high with three blocked shots. Karel led Wisconsin (14-5, 4-4) with 15 points. The Illini remain on the road by heading to Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Jan. 22, for a rematch with first-place Ohio State at 7 p.m. ET/6 CT. Theyll then return home to face Indiana at Assembly Hall on Sunday, Jan. 25, at 3 p.m.