Champaign, Ill. - The (RV) Illinois Central College women's basketball team (14-8, 4-2) lost 75-64 to the #11 Parkland Cobras (17-3, 5-1) in Region 24/MWAC action on Wednesday night at the Dodds Athletic Complex. The Cougars battled, but the Cobras held a 39-22 rebounding edge and shot 49% from the field on the night, compared to just 32% for ICC, leading to the loss.

Parkland darted out to an 8-1 advantage in the opening minutes, forcing the Cougars to call timeout. ICC did regroup and pulled to within 15-11 at the first quarter break despite shooting just 4-15 from the field.  

The Cobras stayed tough on the defensive end, harassing the Cougars into 4-22 field goal shooting in the second quarter, which allowed the hosts to take a 30-20 halftime lead. Parkland also held a 22-14 rebounding edge at the half. Addi Swadinsky was a bright spot defensively in the first half, swiping three steals. 

The Cougars opened the second half with a three-pointer, but the Cobras kept on the attack to open up their largest lead at 41-24 with 6:22 left in the third. ICC began applying a full-court press, which frustrated Parkland and slowly helped the Cougars back into the contest. ICC also got to the free throw line as they pulled back to 54-42 heading into the fourth quarter. 

ICC continued to stay aggressive and whittled the lead down to single digits, but every time the Cougars had the Cobras on the ropes, Parkland came up with a big basket to stop the momentum. ICC's last gasp came when they cut the deficit to 69-63 at the 3:22 mark, but the Cobras hit a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to keep the game out of reach. 

Final statistics showed the Cougars hitting on 22-30 free throws (77%) and winning bench scoring (17-12), but just 3-16 shooting from three-point range. 

COUGAR STATISTICS (Only Rebounds, Assists, Blocks, Steals noted)
Miya Webb | 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists
Savannah Orgeron | 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 block
Addi Swadinsky | 3 rebounds, 3 steals, "I Beat the Dean"
Naomi Elliott | 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block
Cora DeSutter | 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Imari McDuffy | 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 rebounds
Jhanel Coleman | 1 rebound
Elena Redgate | 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
2024 ICC Athletics Hall of Fame Game
vs. John Wood Blazers (10-10, 3-3)
@ Ramsey Gym - East Peoria, Ill.
Saturday, February 3rd - 1:00 PM
Watch Live (YouTube)
Listen Live (Mixlr)

BEFORE WE GO...
As addressed above, Saturday is the Second Annual ICC Athletics Hall of Fame Game. At halftime of the men's basketball game (which tips off at 3PM), this year's inductees will be recognized on the court. The women's basketball program will be represented by former head coach and player Cindy Stein. For more details on the rest of this year's class, you can visit the original announcement story at THIS LINK.