East Peoria, Ill. - Five players reached double figures as the #9 Illinois Central College women's basketball team rolled to an 84-32 win over Sauk Valley to get their first victory of the season on Friday night at Ramsey Gym.  Peyton Dearing (16), T'yana Lovelace (15), Kyleigh Block (13), Halie Gilbert (11), and Cierra McNamee (10) led the way for the Cougars, who are now 1-0 on the year.

Gilbert and McNamee combined for ten points in the opening quarter as ICC took a 20-9 lead after one stanza.  The Cougars opened the game up in the second period, outscoring the guests 25-3 to take a 45-12 advantage at the half.  ICC controlled the second half with all players seeing liberal playing time.  

Box Score
Peyton Dearing | 16 pts, 5 asts
T'yana Lovelace | 15 pts, 6 reb
Kyleigh Block | 13 pts, 8 reb, 4 asts
Halie Gilbert | 11 pts, 6 reb, 3 asts
Cierra McNamee | 10 pts, 3 reb
Naomi Elliott | 6 pts, 4 asts
Jada Smith | 6 pts, 4 reb
Miya Webb | 5 pts, 2 stls
Paris Wilson | 4 asts, 3 reb, 2 pts
Macy Petelin | 3 reb

I BEAT THE DEAN HUSTLE AWARD:  Peyton Dearing

Next up
ICC will play Des Moines Area on Friday, November 11 at 5:30 pm in the Kirkwood Classic in Cedar Rapids, IA.  On Saturday, November 12 the Cougars will play rivals and #1 ranked Kirkwood at 3:00 pm.   Live-stream will be available at https://www.kirkwoodeagles.com/live.

Hieronymus, Gehringer Recognized at Halftime
Assistant to the head coach Dennie Hieronymus and athletic trainer Mike Gehringer were given special recognition at halftime.  In honor of Veteran's Day on November 11, Coach Dennie received a standing ovation from the crowd for serving 20 years as a Naval Aviation Officer in the U.S. Navy, receiving his commission as an Ensign.  He is in his 10th year of assisting the ICC women's basketball program. 

Mike has served as an athletic trainer for the Illinois Central College Athletic Department since 2018 and has been an integral part of the Cougars women's basketball success.  He not only is an excellent athletic trainer who is very knowledgeable in his field, but he also provides support to players with their mental health and traveled with the team to three National Tournaments ('19, '21, and '22).  Mike will be leaving the college to pursue other business interests on November 15.  

We thank both Coach Dennie and Mike for their dedicated service!