VILLA GROVE — With opportunistic defense, tough rebounding, and clutch 3-point shooting, the Uni girls varsity basketball team almost overcame a double-digit deficit Thursday night to win its third game of the season.

Almost.

After falling behind by 14 points early in the second quarter, the Illineks closed to within a single point of host Villa Grove with less than a minute to play in the nonconference matchup.

Uni trailed the Lady Blue Devils 40-39 as Villa Grove's Brittany Simpson stepped to the foul line with 24.1 seconds left. The senior made her first free throw, then missed her second.

Senior Ruthie Welch grabbed the rebound and the Illineks pushed the ball upcourt, looking to take their first lead since senior Karen Woodley put them on top 1-0 in the opening minute of play.

But seconds later, defender Chelsea Sappenfield forced a turnover and the Lady Blue Devils clinched the win with their final basket of the game, defeating Uni 43-39.

With the loss, Uni's record stands at 2-6. Villa Grove is now 2-3.

Senior guard Aran Yoo sparked Uni's comeback bid with 8 steals and 2 treys. Also crucial was Woodley's tenacious rebounding. The senior forward helped keep Uni in the game with a season-high 16 boards.

The Illineks faced rough going early on as Villa Grove took an 18-10 lead in the first quarter. The Lady Blue Devils extended their margin to 26-12 with 5:07 left in the second period.

But from that point on, Uni slowly and methodically chipped away at the lead. Down 29-20 at halftime, the Illineks outscored Villa Grove 19-14 in the second half.

Yoo led the team in scoring with 12 points. Woodley added 6. Villa Grove's Simpson topped all scorers with 20.

Junior Rachel Skoza contributed 7 points and 6 rebounds, while senior Sarah Pfander had 6 points and 8 boards.

In other action, the Uni JV also lost a close game, falling to Villa Grove 44-40 in overtime.

The girls will be on the road again Tuesday when they travel to Paxton-Buckley-Loda.

Senior Samantha Nguyen tries to get past Rachael Bishop during Uni's loss at Villa Grove Thursday night. Gargoyle photo (click to enlarge)

THE SEASON SO FAR

2007-08 GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL: 2-6 overall, 0-0 East Central Illinois Conference
(home matches listed in bold)

Nov. 15: at Atwood-Hammond, L 66-59 (OT)

• Story: Illineks drop season opener in overtime
• Points: Rachel Skoza 16, Ruthie Welch 13, Aran Yoo 10, Sarah Pfander 9
• Rebounds: Pfander 6, Skoza 5, Welch 4
• Blocks: Skoza 4
• JV game: Atwood Hammond def. Uni 35-12
• JV record: 0-1, 0-0

Nov. 17: Heritage (at Oakwood H.S., McDonald's Comet Classic), L 55-48

• Story: Uni falls to Heritage, Oakwood in Comet Classic
• Points: Rachel Skoza 18, Aran Yoo 12, Samantha Nguyen 6, Ruthie Welch 4, Sarah Pfander 4, Karen Woodley 2, Marika Iyer 2
• Rebounds: Skoza 10, Welch 7, Pfander 6, Woodley 5
• Blocks: Skoza 5
• Assists: Yoo 3
• Steals: Yoo 3
• JV game: none
• JV record: 0-1, 0-0

Nov. 17: Oakwood (at Oakwood H.S., McDonald's Comet Classic), L 75-57

• Story: Uni falls to Heritage, Oakwood in Comet Classic
• Points: Rachel Skoza 18, Aran Yoo 13, Ruthie Welch 11, Sarah Pfander 6, Samantha Nguyen 5, Karen Woodley 4
• Rebounds: Skoza 10, Welch 9, Woodley 8, Pfander 7
• Blocks: Skoza 5
• Assists: Nguyen 3, Pfander 3
• Steals: Yoo 7
• JV game: none
• JV record: 0-1, 0-0

Nov. 19: Milford (at Oakwood H.S., McDonald's Comet Classic), W 63-45

• Story: Illineks beat Milford for first win of season
• Points: Aran Yoo 19, Ruthie Welch 14, Rachel Skoza 10, Samantha Nguyen 6, Jessi Sullivan 6, Karen Woodley 4, Sarah Pfander 3, Michelle Wong 1
• Rebounds: Skoza 13, Sullivan 7, Welch 6, Pfander 5, Woodley 4
• Blocks: none
• Assists: Pfander 5, Welch 4, Nguyen 4
• Steals: Yoo 4
• JV game: none
• JV record: 0-1, 0-0

Nov. 20: Georgetown-Ridge Farm (at Oakwood H.S., McDonald's Comet Classic), L 51-29

• Story: Lady Buffs too much for Illineks
• Points: Rachel Skoza 12, Jessi Sullivan 5, Ruthie Welch 4, Aran Yoo 4, Samantha Nguyen 2, Karen Woodley 2
• Rebounds: to be posted
• Blocks: to be posted
• Assists: to be posted
• Steals: to be posted
• JV game: none
• JV record: 0-1, 0-0

Nov. 23: Hoopeston (at Oakwood H.S., McDonald's Comet Classic), W 52-40

• Story: Illineks defeat Hoopeston for ninth place in Comet Classic
• Points: Rachel Skoza 18 (one 3-pointer), Sarah Pfander 8, Aran Yoo 8, Jessi Sullivan 7, Samantha Nguyen 4, Karen Woodley 4, Ruthie Welch 2, Joy Shapley 1
• Rebounds: Skoza 11, Woodley 6, Sullivan 5
• Assists: Pfander 5
• Steals: Yoo 5
• JV game: none
• JV record: 0-1, 0-0

Nov. 27: Shiloh, L 61-37

• Story: Illineks lose to Shiloh in home opener
• Points: Rachel Skoza 13, Karen Woodley 7, Ruthie Welch 6, Aran Yoo 5, Samantha Nguyen 4, Sarah Pfander 2
• Rebounds: Woodley 8, Skoza 8, Welch 4, Yoo 4
• Steals: Yoo 4
• JV game: Shiloh def. Uni 45-14
• JV record: 0-2, 0-0

Nov. 29: at Villa Grove, L 43-39

• Story: see above
• Points: Aran Yoo 12 (two 3-pointers), Rachel Skoza 7, Karen Woodley 6, Sarah Pfander 6, Ruthie Welch 3, Samantha Nguyen 3 (one 3-pointer), Jessi Sullivan 2
• Rebounds: Woodley 16, Pfander 8, Skoza 6
• Steals: Yoo 8
• JV game: Villa Grove def. Uni 44-40 (OT)
• JV record: 0-3, 0-0

Next game: Tuesday at Paxton-Buckley-Loda; JV action to begin at 6 p.m. Click here for directions to PBL.

2007-08 schedule: Click here for the Gargoyle Scoreboard.