The women’s basketball team lost their sixth game of the season after a tough battle with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The first quarter saw multiple ties and lead changes, with the Big Blue leading by 5 at one point. However, a late 7-0 scoring run by the Pioneers put them up 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The team continued to struggle in the second quarter, scoring only 10 points to Platteville’s 16. This put the Big Blue down by 13 points at the half, with the Pioneers leading 30-17. This marked the second time this season that Millikin has not scored at least 20 points by halftime.
The third quarter saw a promising turn for the Big Blue, as they scored 23 points to Platteville’s 18, at one point pulling within a 2 possession game, but it was not enough, as the Pioneers pulled away in the fourth quarter to win the contest 60-47.
In most statistical categories, the teams were within one or two of each other. Millikin had 2 more turnovers than Platteville, and Platteville narrowly outrebounded the Big Blue 38-35. Platteville’s ability to maximize on turnovers ultimately sealed their win, as they scored 23 points off turnovers compared to only 5 from Millikin.
Freshman Nikkel Johnson led the Big Blue in scoring and rebounds, with 13 and 8 respectively. Johnson made her collegiate debut last weekend with 18 points in a win against North Park, and earned Big Blue Player of the Week for her performance. Today, she was named the McDonald’s Player of the Game for her effort. Johnson missed the first 5 games of the season due to being a part of the women’s volleyball team, which made a deep run into the NCAA tournament, appearing in the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history.
Senior Kyleigh Block also ended the game with double digit points, scoring 11 and adding 3 boards.
“It’s obviously not the result we were looking for, but we did a lot of good things and know what we need to work on for when conference play heats up,” she said. “We’ve all put in a lot of work and are hoping to see it pay off soon.”
Block was a part of last year’s squad, which finished 3rd in conference play and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, advancing to the second round before falling to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. This year, the team currently sits at 6th in conference, with a 1-1 conference record.
The Big Blue are back in action next week on Thursday, December 19, as they travel to Angola, Indiana to compete in the Trine Pre-Christmas tournament. They will face Albion College on Thursday at 5:00 pm CT, before facing the hosts Trine University on Friday at noon. These will be their last games of the 2024 calendar year.
