The CCRI women’s basketball team shut down defending national champion Kirkwood’s top two scorers, but the Knights still lost to the Eagles, 69-58, in the second round of the NJCAA Division II tournament yesterday.

Kirkwood’s Allie Lindeman poured in a game-high 27 points to power the Eagles at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Ill.

The Knights, who forced 33 turnovers and made several key stops in their overtime victory over Garrett CC (Md.) on Wednesday, held the Kirkwood scoring duo of Brean Hill and Lauren Thomas-Johnson to a combined 16 points yesterday. However, CCRI shot just 26.7 percent from the field and 26.3 from the free-throw line.

Lauren Harrington finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals and Denise Scott had 14 points, 6 boards and 6 steals for the eighth-seeded Knights.

CCRI trailed by four points just before the end of the first half. But Lindemann drained a 3-pointer with two seconds left to put the Eagles up, 30-23, at the half.

Kirkwood, from Cedar Rapids, Ill., built its lead to 15 points (50-35) after another big three by Lindemann midway through the second half.

The Knights, despite outscoring the Eagles, 23-19, over the last 10 minutes, couldn’t put together any scoring streaks to get close enough.

Kirkwood won by an average of 20 points in the national tournament last season and beat Kankakee College (Ill.) by 24 points in the championship game.

CCRI will play a consolation game today at 1 p.m. against No. 4 Carl Sandberg College (Ill.).

 KIRKWOOD (69): Lindemann 8 6-6 27, Long 3 0-0 9, Monroe 1 0-0 2, Thomas-Johnson 3 0-0 7, Wright 0 0-0 0, Strand 2 0-0 4, Hill 4 1-2 9, Greer 1 0-0 2, Gorsh 2 2-2 6, Johnson 1 1-2 3; totals 25 10-12 69. CCRI (58): Lewis 1 4-4 6, Girard 1 2-2 4, Harrington 4 2-2 13, Boyd 1 1-2 4, R. Murray 3 2-4 8, J. Murray 1 1-2 3, Scott 5 3-6 14, Tate 0 0-0 0, Simmons 0 6-8 6; totals 16 21-30 58.

 Halftime — K, 30-23. 3-pt. goals — K 9 (Lindemann 5, Long 3, Thomas-Johnson); CCRI 5 (Harrington 3, Boyd, Scott).

Kirkwood

69

CCRI

58