Millikin Women’s Basketball took on another formidable opponent but came out on top, 90-83, in a high-scoring brawl that saw the Big Blue get their first home win.
“A win at home is what we needed. We haven’t won at home yet, so it feels good,” Coach Kirsten Hammer said.
Millikin’s game was highlighted by an elite level of play from Sophomore Nikkel Johnson, who once again had a high-scoring game, putting up 35 points and grabbing six rebounds. She was once again used as the centerpiece of the offense and thrived in that role.
“I think it’s just my teammates helping me out, giving me the ball more this year, working on it in practice, and me just being steady and being calm with the ball,” Johnson said.
When Johnson was down low, she would draw excessive double teams in hopes of shutting her down. Millikin would respond by trusting their shooters, allowing them to hit clutch shots when left open.
The Big Blue would shoot 8-20 from three, forcing Knox to give up the double team because they couldn’t allow Millikin to continue to get open looks. Senior Hannah Ermeling set the tone shooting, going 4-6 from three, racking up 18 points on the night, and was a pain in Knox’s side.
“It’s just kind of about getting to the gym, we’re in the gym constantly throughout the day,” Ermeling said. “We have inside-out shots, so we put a big emphasis on getting the ball into Nikkel, she can take a look, or pass it back out to us. We take pride in being there and knocking down shots when we need to.”
The team once again got to the free-throw line, going 28-39, which helped them keep their lead in crucial moments.
Millikin led 50-38 at the half, but Knox stayed in the game and even made it a two-point game with a minute left in the 4th quarter. However, Millikin would pull away with a 10-5 run that ended with the big blue making clutch free throws from senior Bella Dudley and junior Tatum Young.
“It was a back-and-forth game. At the end of the day, we made big shots in that last couple of minutes to secure the win,” Hammer said.
Millikin showed great depth once again, with 12 players getting playing time and 10 out of those 12 putting points on the board. Millikin looks to use that depth when competing to get out of foul trouble and when players are tired.
The Big Blue had worked on stopping Knox’s Bella Medina in this game, as she was the main offensive threat. What we saw was direct pressure and closing out from the guards, preventing her from getting off shots.
Medina would score 22 points but was shut down on the field, going 6-18. However, she drew fouls, with 9 of her 22 points coming from free throws.
“We knew 50 and 0 would be our toughest matchups, which is why you see them have 28 and 20; they’re outstanding players,” Hammer said. “They have the ability to score tough shots, so we worked hard this last day to speed our girls up defensively and make sure everybody was ready to guard her.”
While the team is excited about the win, they are still focused on improving and preparing for their next game against Augustana.
“We will enjoy this for today, but we have a lot to get better in these next few days. Augustana is a great team, they bring back a lot of returners, and it’s a great matchup for us,” Hammer said. “We have to watch the film, get better, and take another on our home court.”
The team is thankful for the support from the Big Blue community and is hopeful for continued backing later in the season.
“It’s great that they’re hanging in there with us. Obviously, we’ve had some wins, we’ve had some losses. The fact that they keep coming out shows our girls that they believe in them. Keep coming out,” Hammer said.
Millikin is now 4-4 on the season and 1-1 in conference. They are looking to keep this win streak alive against Augustana, which will feature a doubleheader of Millikin Men’s and Women’s teams competing. The game will take place at Millikin, tomorrow at 2:00 PM.
