Stearns Scores 18 but Scots Fall to IC

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (12/04/2025) — The Monmouth College women's basketball team began Midwest Conference play with a 84-58 home loss to Illinois College on Wednesday night. The Fighting Scots (2-4, 0-1) are back in action on Saturday at Knox.

Kynlee Stearns (Gilson, Illinois) scored Monmouth's first basket and Averi Rangel (Moline, Illinois) tied the game at 4-4 with a jumper. Stearns made two free throws for a 6-4 lead and Ella Goodrich (Minonk, Illinois) scored down low. Jamaica Walker (Mobile, Alabama) made it 10-6 with a jumper and Kiersten Cox (Illinois City, Illinois) scored to keep the lead at four. Rangel scored in the paint before IC tied the game at 14.

With IC leading 18-14, Allie Hoy (Woodland, Illinois) and Goodrich scored in the paint to tie the game. Cox scored four points in a row for Monmouth before IC took a 29-24 lead. Kamryn Gillespie (Westmont, Illinois) made two free throws and Stearns hit a reverse layup to pull Monmouth within one. Stearns made two free throws before IC pushed the lead to 39-30 with two straight 3-pointers.

The Lady Blues scored the first three points of the second half to lead 42-30 before Goodrich scored. Brooklyn Sellers (Freeport, Illinois) scored in the paint and Stearns made a free throw with IC up 51-35. Gillespie made a layup and Stearns made a 3-pointer after IC went up by 20. Stearns scored on a layup and IC led 66-42 after the third quarter.

Down 68-42, Hoy scored four points on the same possession. IC built the lead to 75-46 before Layla Rice (Rock Island, Illinois) made two free throws and Hannah Peel (Gladwin, MIchigan) scored. Stearns and Hoy each made two free throws before IC extended to a 79-54 lead. Stearns made two more free throws for a season-high in scoring and Walker made a layup before IC scored for the 84-58 final.

Stearns led the Scots with 18 points while Hoy and Goodrich both had eight. Sellers had seven rebounds while Peel and Goodrich both grabbed six. Stearns had three assists and Goodrich had three steals.

MONMOUTH MOMENTS: Stearns had a season-high 18 points ... She set a career high in free throws made with nine and free throws attempted with 12 ... Stearns moved into the top 25 in career made 3-pointers with 48 ... Peel grabbed a season-high six reboundsGoodrich has 90 career steals ... Sellers and Hoy both had blocked shots ... Monmouth was 15-of-19 at the free throw line but just 1-of-17 on 3-pointers ... IC leads the all-time series 47-44 and have won seven straight in the series ... The Scots play at Knox on Saturday at 3 p.m. and the next home game is Dec. 13 against Lawrence.