EAST LANSING, Mich. — When the Illinois women's basketball team finally solves its first-quarter woes, it will be a game-changer for the Illini.
Thursday's 77-60 loss at No. 23 Michigan State was another version of an all-too-popular refrain, with Illinois falling behind by 13 points after the first quarter. The Illini (9-10, 1-7 Big Ten) eventually dropped their fifth straight conference game.
"I wasn't pleased with some things defensively," Illinois coach Nancy Fahey said of the first quarter. "We really tried to lock down because they were much bigger than us, but we just gave them too many open looks and they hit their three-pointers.