CLEARWATER, Fla. – First baseman Meredith Hackett and right fielder Hollie Pinchback homered to help rally Illinois from a 5-0 deficit, but the 21st-ranked Illini lost 7-3 to 18th-ranked Oklahoma State on Sunday in softball.

"Good teams take advantage of defensive mistakes, and that's what Oklahoma State did to us today," Illini associate head coach Donna DiBiase said. "We'll use this week coming up before the start of Big Ten play to refocus defensively and get back to the basic fundamentals. Offensively, we need to continue to work on hitting the gaps."

OMAHA, Neb. – Illinois wrestlers John Dergo and Jordan Blanton each rebounded from consolation semifinal defeats to finish in fifth place Saturday at the NCAA Championships.

Dergo (184 pounds) lost to fourth-seeded Mike Cannon of American 7-5 before bouncing back to beat fifth-seeded Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State 10-4.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Jenna Smith scored a game-high 21 points – in the process breaking the Illinois career scoring record – as the Illini pounded Western Kentucky 68-51 on Friday night to advance to the second round of the Women's NIT.

With the win, the Illini will face Marquette at 4 p.m. Monday at the Assembly Hall, where they lost to the Golden Eagles 65-55 on Dec. 9.

CHAMPAIGN — Ticket sales for Monday’s NIT game went better than expected Thursday.
About 6,400 tickets were sold, including 4,200 reserved seats in A and B sections. A Section is sold out.

Guerra to play for Puerto Rico national team

COLUMBIA, Mo. – San Diego State cooled off Illinois' softball team, defeating the 21st-ranked Illini 5-3 on Sunday at Missouri's Children's Hospital Invitational to snap the squad's 10-game winning streak.

UI first baseman Meredith Hackett and third baseman Kelley Wedel each smacked home runs, but Illinois (16-2) could not overcome a five-run fifth inning by the Aztecs (15-8).

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Illinois softball team won its 10th straight game Saturday, beating Bradley 5-1 behind pitcher Pepper Gay's seven strikeouts in the Children's Hospital Invitational.

The 21st-ranked Illini improved to 16-1. Their game against No. 3 Missouri later Saturday was rained out. Jessica Davis' two-out double in the fifth inning drove in three runs and broke the game open.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Illinois sophomore Andrew Riley broke his own school record to advance to the finals of the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor track meet Friday.

Riley finished second in his heat with a time of 7.61 seconds. It was the third-fastest time among the qualifiers.