Springfield, Ill. - Maziah Shelton's double-double (26 points, 17 rebounds), Addy Engel's career-high 25 points, and Kam Heider's 17 points and 6 rebounds led the #5 Illinois Central College women's basketball team to a 92-82 come-from-behind victory over #9 Lincoln Land in overtime on Saturday afternoon in Region 24 action. The Cougars trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half but used a better defensive effort in the second half along with clutch offensive plays to get the win.

Engel also added six rebounds while Shelton had four assists for the Cougars, who improved to 25-3 overall and 12-2 in Region 24. Lincoln Land dropped to 25-3 overall and 12-3 in Region play.

"Lincoln Land came out of the gates as the aggressors and had us on our heels the entire first half," coach Karrie Redeker said, "but our kids stayed resilient and knuckled down on defense, which got our offense going. Maziah was unbelievable on both ends of the floor, Addy was solid all game, and Kam had some big buckets in the second half. Kudos to all of our kids for believing in each other and finding a way."

ICC held an early 9-7 lead before LLCC went on a 12-2 run to take a 19-11 lead. A Hannah West steal led to a Shelton layup and baskets by Taylor and Shelton kept ICC afloat but the Loggers held a 25-16 first quarter advantage.

Heider's layup and three-pointer, along with a Shelton drive and Engel jumper to pull ICC to within 27-25 but Lincoln Land went on a 13-0 run to push their lead back out to 40-25. An backdoor layup from Emily Dana (assist Shelton) stopped the Logger surge but LLCC hit a trey on their next possession to take their largest lead of the day at 43-27 at the 3:11 mark. Engel gave the Cougars momentum going into the half with a score inside, a coast-to-coast layup, and two free throws as ICC trailed 45-33 at the half.

The Cougars opened the third with a Larissa Taylor putback, Shelton free throws, Engel trey, and charge taken by Ellie VanMeenen but LLCC still held a 57-45 lead midway through the third. But then a step-back three-pointer by Dana ignited a Cougar run that included two scores by A'Meah Lester, a Dana jumper (assist Shelton), and VanMeenen trey (assist Shelton) as ICC closed the gap to 61-57 heading into the fourth.

An Engel "and-one" on an offensive put-back and coast-to-coast layup by Shelton brought ICC to within 64-63 at the 6:48 mark, and on the next possession a Shelton put-back gave ICC their first lead since the opening minutes. VanMeenen attacked the paint for two runners and Shelton scored on the block on a Lester assist for a 71-66 advantage with 2:37 to play. The Loggers answered with a trey and two free throws to tie the game, but Shelton scored on a set play for a 73-71 lead. LLCC then scored twice for a 75-73 lead before a Shelton put-back tied the game at 75-all with :49 seconds, as both teams held defensively to force overtime.

Engel scored the first seven points for the Cougars in overtime, scoring on a layup on the opening tip, an old-fashioned three-point play, and an offensive putback for an 82-77 lead. Heider then followed suit, scoring seven points of her own on four free throws and three-pointer to give the Cougars an 89-79 advantage with 2:12 left to play. ICC finished out the win with strong defense and free throws.
 
The Cougars will close out their regular season next week with home games on Wednesday (Feb. 25) vs. John Wood and Saturday (Feb. 28) vs. Kaskaskia.

STATS FOR THE COUGARS
Maziah Shelton | 26 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists
Addy Engel | 25 points, 6 rebounds
Kam Heider | 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
Ellie VanMeenen | 7 points, rebounds, 1 charge taken
Emily Dana | 7 points
Larissa Taylor | 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks
A'Meah Lester | 4 points, 2 assists
Emily Dana | 7 points

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Wed, Feb. 25 
Home vs. John Wood at 5:30 pm
Ramsey Gym, East Peoria, IL 
Livestream: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/il/east-peoria/organization/55914/illinois-central-col/
Audio with Alex Staab: https://icc-womens-basketball.mixlr.com/