November 11, 2024
#1 Kirkwood Tops Illinois Central
Kirkwood 66
Illinois Central 58
Kirkwood Classic
Cedar Rapids, IA
When two of the most storied junior college women's basketball programs square off you know it's going to be a battle and that is exactly what we got Saturday night as Kirkwood defeated Illinois Central 66-58 in the Kirkwood Classic.
In what would be a tight contest throughout the entire game where neither team saw their lead reach double figures, Kirkwood held a slim 16-13 lead after a quarter of play.
Illinois Central would use a 10-2 run over the first 3:23 of the second quarter to take a 23-18 lead.
Taking advantage of foul trouble by Kirkwood in the second quarter, the Cougars took their largest lead of the game at 27-20 with 3:56 remaining in the half.
Kirkwood (4-0) would cut into that lead but still trailed by three at halftime 33-30.
The third quarter continued to be a grind, as both teams were playing their second game in two days.
The Eagles managed to tie the game at 36-36 with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter on a layup by sophomore Kayilah Sain.
Kirkwood went inside to their post players, as sophomores Lizzy Puot and Ella Pritchard scored nine of the Eagles final 11 points in the quarter to help them take a 47-43 lead into the final quarter of play.
A three-point play by Puot extended the Eagles lead to 50-43 early in the fourth quarter, however as in previous matchups between these two powerhouse programs Illinois Central was not going away without a fight.
The Cougars responded with an 11-4 run to tie the game at 54-54 with 4:33 remaining.
Pritchard responded on Kirkwood's next possession with an elbow jumper to give them a 56-54 lead.
The Eagles would not relinquish the lead, as they managed to hold on for the hard-fought victory.
Puot led four Eagles in double figures with 16 points and nine rebounds.
Pritchard and sophomore Jenna Twedt both scored 11 points. Twedt also added eight rebounds.
Sain also finished in double figures with 10 points.
With the win, Kirkwood extended their home winning streak to 58 games. The Eagles' last loss in Johnson Hall was a 73-68 loss to Iowa Western on March 13, 2021.
Kirkwood will host its second Kirkwood Classic next weekend, as they take on Southwestern Michigan on Friday night at 7:30 pm and then face off against Bryant & Stratton on Saturday at 3:00 pm.
Link to Boxscore:
