**CORVALLIS, OR** — A tough one on the road for the Illini. Traveling west for their first away game of the season, Illinois took on the Oregon State Beavers Friday night. The road challenge proved too big, with the Illini coming up just short in a hard-fought 64-59 loss.
The opening quarter set the tone with fast starts followed by cold spells. Oregon State came out firing from deep, hitting its first two three-pointers, while Illinois responded with back-to-back midrange jumpers. After this early exchange, scoring stalled. The Beavers went over two minutes without a field goal and turned the ball over on three straight possessions.
The second quarter initially swung in Illinois’ favor. A steal and transition layup from Gretchen Dolan extended Illinois’ lead to 22-16, as the Illini looked poised to take control. However, the Beavers’ bench injected energy and sparked an 11-0 run, holding Illinois scoreless for over five and a half minutes. Freshman guard Destiny Jackson finally broke the drought with two free throws, but Illinois still trailed 29-28 at halftime after seeing a six-point lead evaporate.
Coming out of the break, Illinois found a lone offensive spark in sophomore forward Berry Wallace. Wallace dominated the third quarter, scoring all but three of the Illini’s 14 points in the frame, almost single-handedly keeping Illinois in the game. She opened the half with six straight points, briefly putting the Illini ahead 34-31.
Offensive help was scarce beyond Wallace until the final two minutes of the quarter, when Cearah Parchment nailed a clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 41. Even with Wallace’s heroics, Illinois found themselves down 43-41 entering the fourth quarter. Through three quarters, Wallace had 14 points and 3 rebounds, while Oregon State senior guard Tiara Bolden rose for the Beavers with 13 points and 5 rebounds.
The fourth quarter evolved into a battle of big shots. Parchment drilled another of her season-high 4 three-pointers with under two minutes left to cut the Beavers’ lead to three, setting up a tense finish. Yet again, Bolden answered, sinking a step-back three with 45 seconds remaining that stretched Oregon State’s lead to eight and effectively sealed the game.
Bolden finished with 25 points, tying her career high. Wallace kept Illinois alive with a banked-in three in the final seconds, ending with 24 points, but it wasn’t enough. Oregon State closed it out at the free-throw line, handing Illinois its first loss of the season, 64-59.
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### Moments That Mattered
– Parchment gave the Illini an early lead with a rare three-pointer.
– Wallace came out of halftime on fire, scoring the first five points for Illinois, including a three and an and-1 layup.
– Wallace’s multiple and-1 plays kept Illinois competitive deep into the game.
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### Stat Stuffers
– Illinois shot 42% from beyond the three-point line.
– The Illini grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.
– Oregon State scored 34 points in the paint.
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### Up Next
Illinois looks to bounce back when they return home to host Murray State at the State Farm Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday and will stream on B1G+.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/wallace-shines-illinois-offense-stalls-200639217.html
