CHAMPAIGN — An exasperated Nancy Fahey braced herself by stretching her arms out over the scorer's table after nearly dropping all the way to her knees.
Moments earlier, Sarah Shewan's layup attempt had rolled off the front edge of the rim.
Saturday's closer-than-expected 72-66 overtime victory for the Illinois women's basketball team over Eastern Michigan at State Farm Center had its share of gut-wrenching moments for the Illini's second-year leader.
Ali Andrews made everything all better.
The sophomore forward poured in back-to-back three-pointers from the top of the key when the Illini (5-2) needed them the most late in overtime, and Illinois survived a scare from the upset-minded Eagles (3-2), who clawed back into Saturday's game courtesy of Danielle Minott's game-high 29 points.