NIACC faces Illinois Central in tourney semifinals
EAST PEORIA, Ill. - The No. 3 NIACC women's basketball team faces No. 4 Illinois Central in the semifinals of the Cougar Holiday Tournament on Saturday.
Game time is slated for 4 p.m. No. 11 Kirkwood plays Parkland College in the first semifinal at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
NIACC (9-2) moved to the tournament's semifinals with a 77-70 win over Bryant & Stratton (Wisconsin) on Friday. Host Illinois Central (12-1) routed Sauk Valley CC 88-44 in its tournament opener on Friday.
NIACC handed Illinois Central its lone loss of the season with a 95-89 overtime victory at the Konigsmark Klassic in the season opener for both teams on Nov. 2.
Since the 2012-13 season, NIACC and Illinois Central have met 14 times with the Cougars holding an 8-6 advantage.
Notes: NIACC coach Todd Ciochetto has a career record of 5-5 vs. Illinois Central ... NIACC's Mandy Willems has 60 3-point goals, which is tied for 15th on the school's single-season 3-point list ... Willems has 17 3-point goals in her last 2 games (9 vs. Southwestern, 8 vs. Bryant & Stratton).
COUGAR HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT
FRIDAY'S RESULTS
Parkland College 67, Carl Sandburg College 61
Kirkwood 89, McHenry County CC 28
NIACC 77, Bryant & Stratton (Wisconsin) 70
Illinois Central 88, Sauk Valley 44
SATURDAY'S RESULTS
McHenry County CC 61, Carl Sandburg 24
Sauk Valley 81, Bryant & Stratton 76
Kirkwood 67, Parkland 47
Illinois Central 84, NIACC 77
SUNDAY, DEC. 30
10 a.m. - 7th-place game - Carl Sandburg (5-10) vs. Bryant & Stratton (10-7)
Noon - 5th-place game - McHenry County CC (9-4) vs. Sauk Valley (3-8)
2 p.m. - Consolation game - Parkland (9-4) vs. NIACC (9-3)
4 p.m. - Championship game - Kirkwood (11-4) vs. Illinois Central (13-1)
NIACC/ILLINOIS CENTRAL RECENT HISTORY
2012-13
Illinois Central 71, NIACC 56
Illinois Central 76, NIACC 56
2013-14
NIACC 101, Illinois Central 86
Illinois Central 82, NIACC 81
2014-15
NIACC 87, Illinois Central 79
Illinois Central 89, NIACC 72
2015-16
NIACC 84, Illinois Central 76 (OT)
Illinois Central 86, NIACC 75
Illinois Central 87, NIACC 54
Illinois Central 85, NIACC 71 (NJCAA Division II national tournament)
2016-17
NIACC 95, Illinois Central 76
2017-18
NIACC 99, Illinois Central 82
Illinois Central 66, NIACC 62
2018-19
NIACC 95, Illinois Central 89 (OT)