URBANA — Freshman Jamie Blue came up big Tuesday night in a test against rugged nonconference opponent Paxton-Buckley-Loda, accounting for almost two-thirds of Uni's offense in a 49-32 loss.

The 5-foot-9 Blue scored a team-high 20 points, including two three-pointers. But no other Illinek came close to matching her output.

Senior Joy Shapley was next-highest scorer with four points, but no one else on the team had more than two.

The visiting Panthers opened up a 12-6 lead in the first quarter and expanded it to 28-16 by halftime.

The pace slowed down after the break, with the teams trading baskets for a 6-6 standoff in the third quarter. But that still left Uni 12 points behind.

PBL put the game away with a 15-10 performance in the final eight minutes and went home with a 17-point victory.

Aside from Blue demonstrating that she can contribute at a high level even as a ninth-grader, the game didn't give the Illineks many positives to latch onto.

The girls will try to get back on track Friday night when they open their conference season by hosting defending champion Decatur Lutheran.

Uni vs. Paxton-Buckley-Loda at a glance

Game Summary
Paxton-Buckley-Loda defeated Uni 49-32 in a nonconference game

• PBL: 12 16 06 15 — 49
• Uni: 06 10 06 10 — 32

Uni Individual Statistics
Player: Total Points (2-pointers made - 3-pointers made - free throws made)

• Jamie Blue: 20 pts (6-2-2)
• Joy Shapley: 4 pts (1-0-2)
• Erika Belmont: 2 pts (1-0-0)
• Rachel Skoza: 2 pts (1-0-0)
• Lizzy Warner: 2 pts (1-0-0)
• Michelle Wong: 2 pts (1-0-0)
• Sheri Grill: 0 pts (0-0-0)
• Rachel Harmon: 0 pts (0-0-0)
• Maritza Mestre: 0 pts (0-0-0)

Uni Team Statistics (opponent totals in parentheses)

• Total Points: 32 (49)
• 2-pointers made: 11 (19)
• 3-pointers made: 2 (1)
• Free throws made: 4 (8)