Tag: three-pointers

Wallace shines, but Illinois offense stalls in road loss to Oregon State

**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.

—

### 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.

—

### 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.

—

### 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

Rui Hachimura makes eye-opening admission about Lakers’ chemistry

**Lakers Work Through Chemistry Issues as LeBron James Sidelined with Injury**

*LOS ANGELES* — During the preseason, the Los Angeles Lakers only had their full lineup, minus LeBron James, for one game—the final preseason game of their schedule. Over a full slate of six preseason games this season, the Lakers saw key players in and out of the lineup, making it challenging to build on-court chemistry.

That chemistry—or lack thereof—was evident during the Lakers’ opening night loss to the Golden State Warriors this week. Rui Hachimura addressed the team’s ongoing process of developing cohesion after adding key rotational players during the offseason.

“We just started. This is probably the second game we actually played together with everybody,” Hachimura said following the Lakers’ 119-109 loss on Tuesday. “We’re still trying to figure out our rhythm. Everybody, we’re still trying to get to know each other. We had a lot of practices, especially to go against Golden State—they’ve been playing together for probably four or five years, so that was the difference.”

“Other than that, I think we did a lot of things that we were supposed to do,” he continued. “It’s a process. We’re going to be better.”

In the game against the Warriors, Hachimura posted a solid stat line with nine points, four rebounds, and three assists while shooting 3-of-6 from the field—all three-pointers.

With LeBron James sidelined for at least four weeks due to a nerve injury, Hachimura is expected to see an increased role and greater opportunity in the lineup.

Despite James’ absence, Lakers head coach JJ Redick emphasized that Hachimura’s role will remain consistent. “Same plan as always,” Redick said. “We’re not gonna ask a guy to change their role because someone is out of the lineup. He’s got to stick to doing what he does best.”

For Hachimura, excelling off the ball alongside the Lakers’ primary ball-handlers and playmakers has been key. Whether it’s spotting up for catch-and-shoot three-pointers or making timely, forceful cuts along the baseline, Hachimura has established himself as one of the Lakers’ better off-ball scoring threats.

Hachimura acknowledged the importance of continuing to capitalize on these off-ball opportunities. “Catch-and-shoot is going to be a lot, but also you saw last year I had a lot of back cuts, cutting to the rim,” he said. “Those are going to start coming—you just can’t do it right away. You have to kind of figure out the space first. We have a [Deandre Ayton] in the paint. It’s a little different than before, so I got to figure out the timing.”

As the Lakers work through their chemistry challenges and adjust to life without LeBron James, all eyes will be on Hachimura to step up and contribute consistently in his expanded role.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-rui-hachimura-admission-la-chemistry

Exit mobile version
Sitemap Index