An entertaining season opener at Geiseman yesterday as CUC edged Illinois College 93-88 in double OT.
NACC fans, keep an eye on Khaliah Reid this year. She’ll make her share of freshman mistakes, but her ability and hustle can more than make up for them. Reid hit the game tying three at the end of regulation and finished with 25 points.
Mikalah Ellis’ final season started out with a bang. She lead all scorers with 31 points, much of it going to the basket but also adding a couple of threes for good measure. Also coming up clutch for the Cougars were Ali MacGregor with nine points and 17 boards (14 on offensive end) and Prentciss Gates hitting 9-10 FTs, many of them in the late going.
Jalyn Patterson led the Lady Blues (1-1) with 21 points and 11 boards, followed by Ashlyn Wightman (14, 11) and Kendra Bass (14 points). The visitors played very competitively but were hurt by losing three of their starters to fouls in the extra sessions. Tough loss, but they should go on to have a good season.
Cougars now hit the road for five straight including a California trip. Be interesting to see their record when they play next home game on Nov. 28.