Gophers women get scorched from long range in first half, fall to No. 24 Illinois

All they can do is keep working, Lindsay Whalen said. Keep getting to practice early, staying late, getting up shots. Eventually, she is sure, there will be a breakthrough.

"That's the only way I've ever known,'' said Whalen, the Gophers women's basketball coach. "And our players are putting in the work.''

Sunday at Williams Arena the Gophers lost to 24th-ranked Illinois 70-57. It was a game, against a talented, athletic Illini team, that was essentially decided during a 7½-minute stretch in the second quarter.

Playing without starting guard Katie Borowicz, who was out sick, against the surprise team in the Big Ten, the Gophers held the Illini 11 points under their season average, held them under 40% shooting. For the most part, the Gophers took care of the ball.

But they struggled to score.

With one exception.

Gophers center Rose Micheaux had the best game of her one-plus year career. She scored a career-high 24 points on 11-for-16 shooting. She also had 14 rebounds and an assist.

What will it take to get the Gophers attack on track? "I think overall, what everybody says, it's experience,'' said Amaya Battle, whose 11 points made her the only other Gophers player in double figures. "I feel even today we got some decent looks. We just finish through. Didn't make the shots.''

Down six after the first quarter, the Gophers opened the second with four quick points, forcing an Illinois timeout.

Out of that timeout the Gophers got three consecutive stops, three chances to tie the score. But then Genesis Bryant hit a three with 7:27 left in the half, sparking a 20-8 finish to the half that essentially decided the game. The Gophers committed just 10 turnovers, but six came in that stretch, leading to 10 Illinois points.

The Gophers never cut the lead to single digits again, though they did outscore Illinois (15-3, 5-2 in the Big Ten) by one point in the second half. The Illini had four of their five starters score in double figures, led by Makira Cook, who had 20 points and four assists. Bryant finished with 18 points. Former Park Center star Adalia McKenzie scored 13 points with eight rebounds and three steals. Brynn Shoup-Hill also scored 13.

The Gophers (8-10, 1-6) lost their fifth game in a row. And it would have been much more one-sided if not for Micheaux, who was wonderfully efficient.

"I've been putting a lot of work into working on my craft,'' Micheaux said. "But [it wouldn't happen] if it wasn't for my teammates having confidence in me.''

Team-wide though, confidence could be an issue right now.

All they can do is keep working, Whalen said.