Chester fell behind big in the first half and couldn’t catch up in a 68-40 loss to Du Quoin Tuesday night.

Du Quoin outscored the Lady Yellow Jackets 23-2 in the first quarter and 21-10 in the second for a commanding 44-12 lead at the break.

Chester battled back in the second half to outscore Du Quoin 28-24 in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome the 31-point halftime deficit.

Jessica Hirsch led Du Quoin with 23 points, while the Chester offense was paced by Hilary Best with 16 points.

With the loss, Chester fell to 5-18 overall and 0-7 in conference play.