The Illinois Tech Women’s Basketball team opened the 2017–18 season on November 15 at Edgewood College. Despite an impressive collegiate debut for freshman Shannon O’Donnell, the Scarlet Hawks were defeated 78-54.

How it Happened

• Despite a sloppy first quarter which saw 14 Scarlet Hawk turnovers, Illinois Tech was on fire from the floor. The team shot seven-of-nine and had all five starters make at least one field goal, taking a 18-15 lead after the first 10 minutes.
• The offense became stagnant for Illinois Tech in the second quarter. The team hit just one field goal attempt while the Eagles were nine-of-21, taking a 39-23 lead into the half.
• In the third quarter, rebounding allowed the Eagles to build the lead, as the host crashed the boards for 21 total rebounds.
• Illinois Tech’s offense picked things back up in the fourth. The Scarlet Hawks shot 56.3% from the floor while Margaret Meggers added 10 points. Illinois Tech outscored the Eagles 20-19 in the 10 minutes.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• O’Donnell was fantastic in her first collegiate game, scoring 21 points while corralling six rebounds, dishing two assists, and having two steals. She also attempted 14 foul shots.
• Meggers, also playing her first collegiate game, tallied 14 points and shot seven-of-13 from the floor. She also blocked two shots and had two steals.
• Erin Efimoff nearly missed a double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

Stats to Know

• Illinois Tech narrowly shot a higher percentage than Edgewood (36.8% to 36.4%), but the Eagles attempted 20 more shots (77 to 57).
• Turnovers were a key factor. Illinois Tech turned the ball over 31 times compared to Edgewood’s 21.
• Edgewood controlled the glass with a 55-39 advantage.

Up Next

• The Scarlet Hawks will trek back to Wisconsin on Saturday, November 18 for a 2 p.m. contest at Lakeland University.