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)