07-08 ILLINOIS WOMEN S BASKETBALL

Transcription

1 07-08 ILLINOIS WOMEN S BASKETBALL GAME 1: ILLINOIS (0-0) at Eastern Illinois (0-0) Friday, Nov. 9, 2007 // // Lantz Arena (5,300) // Charleston, Ill. GAME 2: UW-Milwaukee (0-0) at ILLINOIS (0-0) Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007 // 5 p.m. // Assembly Hall (16,618) // Champaign, Ill. Women s Basketball Contact: Derek Neal // (o) // (c) // drneal@uiuc.edu // UI SCHEDULE 0-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten (0-0 Home, 0-0 Away, 0-0 Neutral) N 4 DT3 (Exhibition) W, N 9 at Eastern Illinois N 11 UW-Milwaukee 5 p.m. N 14 UAB N 18 Southern Illinois 2 p.m. N 23 vs. South Carolina^ 6:30 p.m. N 25 vs. Fla. Int./Providence^ 11 a.m./1p.m. N 29 at North Carolina State& 6 p.m. D 2 Illinois-Chicago 2 p.m. D 5 Oklahoma 8 p.m. D 8 vs. Chicago State$ 1:30 p.m. D 19 at Missouri 6:30 p.m. D 27 at Northwestern* D 30 Wisconsin* J 2 at Penn State* 6 p.m. J 6 at Indiana* 1 p.m. J 10 Minnesota* J 17 at Ohio State* 6 p.m. J 21 Iowa* J 24 Michigan State* J 27 at Purdue* 1 p.m. J 31 Ohio State* F 4 at Michigan* 6 p.m. F 7 at Minnesota* F 10 Indiana* (WBCA Think Pink Game) 1 p.m. F 14 at Wisconsin* F 21 Penn State* F 24 Michigan* 5 p.m. F 28 at Michigan State* 6 p.m. M 2 Purdue* 1/3 p.m. M 6-9 Big Ten Tournament TBA M NCAA First and Second Rounds TBA M 29-A 1 NCAA Regionals TBA A 6-8 NCAA Final Four TBA ^ FlU Thanksgiving Classic (Miami, Fla.) & Big Ten/ACC Challenge $ United Center, Chicago, Ill. * Big Ten Conference Game All Times are CENTRAL and subject to change ON THE AIR Radio: EIU: Illini Sports Network - WDWS AM 1400 (Dave Loane and Mike Koon) UWM: Illini Sports Network - WDWS AM 1400 (Dave Loane and Mike Koon) Internet: EIU: Fightingillini.com LIVE streaming audio and livestats UWM: Fightingillini.com LIVE streaming VIDEO and Gametracker THE SERIES EIU: Illinois leads 7-5 overall and is tied 2-2 at EIU Last Meeting: Illinois 91, EIU 49 (12/19/2001 in Champaign) UWM: First Meeting THE COACHES Illinois: Jolette Law, 0-0 overall and at Illinois (first season) EIU: Brady Sallee, overall and at EIU (fourth season) UWM: Sandy Botham, overall (13th season) and at UWM (12th season) PROBABLE UI STARTERS (WITH FINAL STATISTICS) Pos. No. Name Ht. Yr. GP-GS PPG RPG APG Quick Hits G 20 Lori Bjork 5-11 Jr Preseason All-Big Ten; UI single-season 3FG record holder G 33 Chelsea Gordon 6-0 Jr Named team s Best Defensive Player last year F 22 Lacey Simpson 6-0 So Ranked in the top-12 in the BT in six categories in F 13 Jenna Smith 6-3 So BT All-Frosh team member led conf. in off. rebs. last year C 15 Audrey Tabon* 6-2 Sr Missed entire season with torn ACL in right knee OFF THE BENCH C 00 Erin McCarthy 6-5 Jr Tallest Illini affects many shots in the lane G 12 Lydia McCully 5-9 Fr Blue Star Report ranks No. 85 senior in class of 2007 G 25 Chelsea Buher 5-11 Fr Blue Star Report ranks No. 46 senior in class of 2007 G 30 Rebecca Harris 5-8 Sr Up-tempo style good fit for speedy point guard F 32 Danyel Crutcher 6-2 Sr Has 11 career double-doubles; six in F 50 Stephanie Chelleen 6-2 Sr Led team in points per 40 minutes (16.8) last year * Stats are from season QUICK HITS For Openers: Illinois opens its 34th season of women s basketball Friday night when it faces the Eastern Illinois Panthers in Charleston. Tip-off is at, with radio coverage on WDWS. Let s Play Two: On Sunday, Nov. 11, the Fighting Illini open things up at home by hosting the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers at Assembly Hall. The game will begin at 5 p.m. and is the back-end a split doubleheader, following the Illini men vs. Northeastern at 1 p.m. Fans get in free to the women s game with their men s ticket, but will need to clear the arena after the men s game and re-enter for the women s game. ILLINI IN OPENERS Illinois is all-time in season openers, but just 2-7 when opening on the road. The last time the Illini began the season away from home was in 2005, when they rolled to a at Loyola. In contrast, the Illini are 15-1 in season openers at home and 3-5 when starting the season on a neutral court. LAW MAKES DEBUT Friday s game will mark the head coaching debut of Jolette Law. Law was named Illinois head coach on May 11 after spending 12 seasons as an assistant at Rutgers, including the last four as associate head coach. In her short time in Champaign, Law has already established herself as one of the hardest workers in the game. She hired a young, energetic staff to help instill a new work ethic, winning attitude and uptempo style that is based on pressure defense. NEW FACES In addition to Law, several other faces will be making their Illini debuts on Friday. Assistant coaches Karen Middleton, Tamika Louis and Patrick Klein will all take to the Illinois bench for the first time. Middleton came to Illinois after 10 seasons as an assistant at Stanford. Lewis was a former head coach at Mott Community College and also worked as a corporate executive for GM, while Klein served as a graduate assistant for Ohio State, where he helped lead the Buckeyes to back-to-back Big Ten titles. When Illinois hosts Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Assembly Hall on Sunday, the Illini will be looking for their 10th straight homeopening win. Illinois is 27-6 all-time in home openers. In addition to the coaches, freshmen Chelsea Buher and Lydia McCully will be suiting up for the Illini for the first time. Both were ranked as top-100 recruits coming out of high school by Blue Star Report, Buher 85th and McCully 46th University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 1

2 FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS After last season s fourth place Big Ten finish, expectations are high for Illinois in , and some voters have taken notice. The Orange and Blue are ranked 21st in the CBS Sportsline.com/Basketball News Preseason Top-25 and received 17 votes in the first Associated Press poll, ranking 34th overall. COACHES PICK ILLINOIS THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL Illinois was picked to finish third in the Big Ten Conference preseason coaches poll, which was released at the annual Big Ten media day in Chicago Oct. 28. A panel of media members picked the Illini sixth. Below is a look at both complete polls: COACHES 1. Ohio State 2. Wisconsin 3. ILLINOIS 4. Michigan State 5. Purdue 6. Minnesota 7. Iowa 8. Penn State 9. Indiana 10. Michigan 11. Northwestern MEDIA 1. Ohio State 2. Michigan State 3. Wisconsin 4. Purdue 5. Iowa 6. ILLINOIS 7. Penn State 8. Minnesota 9. Indiana 10. Michigan 11. Northwestern BJORK EARNS PRESEASON ACCOLADE Junior guard Lori Bjork was selected to the Preseason All- Big Ten Team by the coaches and the media after setting a school record with 84 three-pointers and earning second team All-Conference accolades in She is the first Illini named to the preseason All-Conference team since Allison Curtin in Joining Bjork on the coaches All-Big Ten team were Michigan State's Allyssa DeHaan, Minnesota's Emily Fox, Ohio State's Marcilla Packer and Wisconsin's Jolene Anderson. Ohio State's Star Allen replaced Fox and joined the other four on the media's All-Conference team. ILLINI RETURN SIX STARTERS...THAT S RIGHT SIX Illinois might be the only team in the country that can legitimately boast the return six starters. Last year s regular starting five of Lori Bjork (31 starts), Chelsea Gordon (31), Lacey Simpson (30), Danyel Crutcher (30) and Jenna Smith (22) all return, and the Illini welcome back Audrey Tabon, who made 26 starts in before missing all of last season with a knee injury. In all, Illinois returns 85.7 percent of its minutes, 87.4 percent of its scoring, 86.5 percent of its rebounds, 95.7 percent of its three point field goals and 89.1 percent of its assists from last season. SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS Last season, Eastern Illinois went overall and 7-13 in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) for a ninth place finish. This year, with the top four scorers back and the return of another double digit scorer, the outlook is a lot brighter for the Panthers, who are picked to finish fourth in the OVC preseason coaches poll. EIU will be led by first team All-Conference selection Rachel Galligan, a junior forward who averaged 17.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and Jessica Huffman, the OVC Freshman of the Year who averaged 16.9 points and scored 38 points in a game last year to break the EIU single-game record. In addition to Galligan and Huffman, the Panthers are expected to get a big lift from the return of sophomore guard Megan Edwards, who averaged 10.5 points as a freshman in before missing all of last season with a knee injury. The Panthers have an exciting, fast-paced style of play and are coached by Brady Sallee, who is in his fourth season at the helm. EIU won its two preseason games, over Truman State, and over the Chicago Odyssey. SCOUTING WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE UW-Milwaukee is the preseason coaches pick to win the Horizon League over 10-time defending champion UW- Green Bay. Last season, the Panthers were overall and 10-6 in the league (fourth place). They return conference scoring and rebounding leader Traci Edwards, a 6-2 junior who averaged 20.5 points and 9.4 rebounds last season. Three other starters return to join Edwards, including sharpshooters Meredith Onson (8.0 ppg, 47 made threes) and Aubrey Hampton (7.9 ppg, 56 made threes). The Panthers beat Beloit, , and Wisconsin AAU, 76-47, in their exhibition games and play at Chicago State on Friday, Nov. 9, before heading to Illinois. The Panthers are coached by Sandy Botham, who is in her 12th season at UWM. RETURNING IN Stat Returning Lost %Returning Minutes Points Field Goals pt. FG Free Throws Rebounds Assists Blocks Steals ILLINOIS BASKETBALL ROSTER NO. PLAYER POS HT YR/ELIG HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL 00 Erin McCarthy** C 6-5 Jr./Jr. Tulsa, Okla./Bishop Kelly H.S. 12 Lydia McCully G 5-9 Fr./Fr. Bedford Heights, Ohio/Bedford H.S. 13 Jenna Smith* F/C 6-3 So./So. Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy H.S. 15 Audrey Tabon*** F/C 6-2 5th/Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic H.S. 20 Lori Bjork** G 5-11 Jr./Jr. Johnston, Iowa/Johnston H.S. 22 Lacey Simpson* F 6-0 Jr./So. Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton H.S. 25 Chelsea Buher G 5-11 Fr./Fr. Lawrenceville, Ill./Lawrenceville H.S. 30 Rebecca Harris* G 5-8 Sr./Sr. Belleville, Ill./Mascoutah H.S./Rend Lake College 32 Danyel Crutcher*** F 6-2 Sr./Sr. Orange, N.J./Orange H.S. 33 Chelsea Gordon** F 6-0 Jr./Jr. Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep H.S. 50 Stephanie Chelleen*** F 6-2 Sr./Sr. Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Lincoln H.S. HEAD COACH: Jolette Law (First season) ASSISTANT COACHES: Karen Middleton (First Season), Tamika Louis (First Season), Patrick Klein (First Season) ASSISTANT TO THE HEAD COACH: Diane Hobin (Third Season) ATHLETIC TRAINER: Paul Schmidt (Second season) STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING: Jimmy Price (Fifth season) HEAD COACH JOLETTE LAW 0-0 (.000) FIRST SEASON Jolette Law, long regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the country, was named the seventh head women's basketball coach at the University of Illinois on May 11, Law came to Illinois following 12 years as an assistant on C. Vivian Stringer's Rutgers staff, including the last four as associate head coach. Law was a driving force behind Rutgers' rise to the top of women's college basketball. During her tenure, the Scarlet Knights made two Final Fours, three Elite Eights and three Sweet Sixteen appearances, among them this past season's run to the 2007 national championship game in Cleveland. Rutgers compiled a record of (.673) during Law's tenure in East Brunswick, N.J., winning Big East regular season titles in both 2005 and 2006 and the Big East Tournament title in In addition to her tremendous technical expertise on the sidelines, Law also used her energetic and enthusiastic personality to help Rutgers bring in eight recruiting classes ranked among the nation's Top 10, including three classes that were ranked No. 1 in the nation (1999, 2001 and 2006). Law was a three-time Kodak All-American at Wilson High School before graduating from the University of Iowa in 1990 with a degree in sports studies/corporate fitness. As the Hawkeyes' floor general, she helped the Hawkeyes to four consecutive Big Ten titles and a record of from A Kodak District V All-American in 1990, she was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection (1989 &1990). Following her collegiate career, Law joined the Harlem Globetrotters from as the only female team member, completing three worldwide tours with the team. After her playing career came to a close, Law spent one season at Ball State ( ) before joining Stringer at Rutgers. PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Lori Bjork BYORK Chelsea Buher BYOU-er Stephanie Chelleen Shell-LEAN Danyel Crutcher Dan-YELL CRUTCH-ur Audrey Tabon TAY-bun Jolette Law joe-LET Tamika Louis ta-MEE-ka University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 2

3 THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Final ) Team Big Ten Pct. Overall Pct. 1 Ohio State Purdue Michigan State Illinois Wisconsin Minnesota Penn State Indiana Iowa Michigan Northwestern PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Nov. 12 Nov. 19 Nov. 26 Dec. 3 Dec. 10 Dec. 17 Dec. 24 Dec. 31 Jan. 7 Jan. 14 Jan. 15 Jan. 22 Jan. 29 Feb. 4 Feb. 11 Feb. 18 Feb. 25 Mar. 3 THIS WEEK IN THE BIG TEN Friday, Nov. 9 WISCONSIN at Cleveland State Albany at INDIANA ILLINOIS at Eastern Illinois UC-Riverside at MINNESOTA Dayton vs. NORTHWESTERN IUPI at MICHIGAN STATE Arizona at PENN STATE Saturday, Nov. 10 UNC-Charlotte at PENN STATE Western Michigan vs. NORTHWESTERN Akron at MICHIGAN Sunday, Nov. 11 Dartmouth at IOWA NORTHWESTERN at New Mexico Pittsburgh at PENN STATE UW-Milwaukee at ILLINOIS Marist at OHIO STATE TBA at MICHIGAN STATE Monday, Nov. 12 Valparaiso at PURDUE 6 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 2 p.m. 3 p.m. 4 p.m. 5 p.m. TBA 2008 BIG TEN TOURNAMENT March 6-9 Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Ind. For Tickets call: Illini-1 FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES PRESEASON RECAP Illinois got off to an exciting start in head coach Jolette Law's Assembly Hall debut with an exhibition win over DT3 on Nov. 4. Five Illini scored in double figures, led by junior guard Lori Bjork's 15 points - 13 of which came in the second half. Bjork also turned in five assists and three rebounds. In its only exhibition game before the regular season, Illinois was led by its post players, which shot a combined 71 percent (22-of-31) from the field. Sophomore Jenna Smith was 7-of-10 from the field for 14 points and added seven rebounds, four blocks and three steals, while junior Stephanie Chelleen scored 13 points and senior Danyel Crutcher contributed 12. The Illini outscored DT3 in the paint on the night. The Illini's new-look full court pressure defense forced 34 DT3 turnovers on the night, and was especially stingy in the first five minutes of the second half, holding DT3 to just one field goal while going on a 22-5 run. Illinois shot the ball well, making 55 percent of its field goals (36-of- 65) and holding DT3 to 24 percent shooting (15-of-63) IN REVIEW Illinois finished the campaign with a record of after a loss at Kansas State in the WNIT Round of was a successful season in which the Illini finished in fourth place in the Big Ten with an 8-8 conference mark and advanced to the postseason for the 10th time in the last 11 years. Some headlines from Postseason Streak: With the WNIT bid, Illinois has advanced to postseason play in 10 of the last 11 years, with only the season being the odd year out. The Illini have advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times during that streak and to the WNIT the other five. Bjork Named Academic All-American: Illini sophomore Lori Bjork was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America third team with a 3.94 GPA in political science. She is the first Illini to earn the honor in 25 years and is one of only two sophomores on the first three teams, joining Tennessee s Candace Parker. She was also a first team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honoree and won the Illini sophomore Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award for having the top GPA among all Illinois sophomore female student-athletes. Bjork Breaks Trey Record: On Feb. 18 at Indiana, Lori Bjork hit her 75th three-pointer to break the UI single season record of 74 previously held by Krista Reinking. Bjork finished the season with 84 threes to lead the Big Ten and rank 14th in the nation in 3FG per game (2.71). She enters ranked third on the UI career 3FG list with 137 in only two seasons. Glass Breaker: Freshman center Jenna Smith finished the season with 233 rebounds, breaking Kendra Gantt s UI rookie rebounding record of 226 boards ( ). Pair Named All-Big Ten: The Illini duo of Lori Bjork and Jenna Smith collected All-Big Ten honors. Bjork was a second team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media, while Smith was an honorable mention selection to CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES DANYEL CRUTCHER (11) PTS REBS OPP 11/20/ Ark-PB 12/19/ UCLA 12/18/ Oklahoma 12/22/ Illinois St. 3/15/ W. Illinois 11/20/ N. Illinois 12/21/ Bradley 12/28/ Penn State 1/28/ Northwestern 2/11/ Ohio State 2/15/ Iowa LACEY SIMPSON (2) PTS REBS OPP 11/14/ UIC 2/8/ Purdue JENNA SMITH (5) PTS REBS OPP 12/5/ Florida 1/4/ Michigan 1/28/ Northwestern 2/15/ Iowa 2/18/ Indiana AUDREY TABON (2) PTS REBS OPP 12/5/ Bradley 12/9/ Florida Double-doubles from are in BOLD the All-Conference team and was picked to the coaches All-Freshman Team. Bjork was also chosen as Illinois honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Getting It Done In Class: Seven members of Illinois women's basketball team were named to the winter Academic All-Big Ten teams. That total is the most for a women's basketball team in and is the highest total in Illinois history. The Fighting Illini recognized were senior Erin Wigley, junior Stephanie Chelleen and sophomores Lori Bjork, Chelsea Gordon, Danielle Gratton, Erin McCarthy and Lacey Simpson. Bjork s Streakin Fun While It Lasted: Sophomore Lori Bjork s consistency from behind the arc was remarkable in The Johnston, Iowa, native hit at least one threepoint field goal in 35 straight games, which was the thirdlongest active streak in the nation, until she went 0-5 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal loss Penn State. In the last game of the regular season, Bjork had her streak of making at least two threes in every game of the season snapped when she went 1-of-5 from downtown against Purdue. That streak spanned 27 games and was the longest in the nation. Block Party: The Illini finished the season with 151 blocks, bettering the old school record of 137 set in Freshmen Lacey Simpson and Jenna Smith led the way, each with a team-high 39 swats. The duo now shares the Illinois freshman blocks record, which was previously 37 by Casey Leonhardt in The Illini tied a school record and set a new Kohl Center record with 11 blocked shots in the win at Wisconsin University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 3

4 Associated Press Poll (Preseason) No. School Rec. Votes Pvs. 1. Tennessee (50) Connecticut Rutgers Maryland LSU Oklahoma Stanford North Carolina Georgia Duke Texas A&M Arizona State California George Washington Baylor Ohio State Michigan State West Virginia Florida State Pittsburgh Louisville Texas Vanderbilt Notre Dame DePaul OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Purdue 96, Wisconsin 90, Middle Tenn. St. 65, N.C. State 62, Auburn 52, Xavier 38, Georgia Tech 35, Wyoming 19, ILLINOIS 17, Oklahoma State 8, Marquette 7, Marist 4, Texas Tech 4, Mississippi 2, Drake 1, Kentucky 1, South Dakota St 1, USC 1, TCU 1, Temple 1, Tulane 1. ESPN/USA Today Poll (Preseason) No. 1. School Tennessee (26) Rec. 0-0 Votes 767 Pvs Connecticut (4) Rutgers Maryland LSU (1) Oklahoma North Carolina Stanford Duke Georgia Texas A&M Arizona State George Washington California Baylor Ohio State Vanderbilt Michigan State Florida State Purdue Pittsburgh West Virginia Louisville Texas N.C. State OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: DePaul 75, Middle Tenn. St. 71, Notre Dame 57, Auburn 41, Wisconsin 32, Mississippi 31, Xavier 30, Marquette 30, Georgia Tech 30, Wyoming 26, USC 17, BYU 17, Oklahoma State 16, Bowling Green 16, UCLA 12, New Mexico 12, Western Kentucky 11, Temple 7, TCU 7, Nebraska 7, Montana 7, Marist 7, Iowa State 6, Minnesota 5, Kentucky 5, Gonzaga 4, Boise State 3, Old Dominion 3, Texas Tech 3, Tulane 2, Ball State 1, Hartford 1, Utah 1, Wisc. Green Bay 1. *Illinois opponents in BOLD FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES on Jan. 14. The only other time the Illini had 11 blocks was back on March 1, 1997 in a win over Minnesota. Giant Killers: After the win over #20/20 Michigan State on Feb. 22, Illinois has now beaten at least one ranked opponent in each of the last 13 seasons. The Illini were 1-5 against ranked foes in Home Sweet Home: Illinois finished the season 12-3 at Assembly Hall on the season and had an eight-game home winning streak early in the year. The Illini have an all-time record of (.652) at home and (.655) at Assembly Hall. Non-Conference Record: The Dec. 21 win over Bradley ended Illinois non-conference season at 10-2, the best ever non-conference mark for a UI squad. Illinois has finished the non-conference portion of the schedule with two losses on three other occasions since , when the Big Ten started sponsoring women s basketball (9-2), (8-2) and (7-2) - but had never reached 10 wins until the season. ILLINOIS ON THE TUBE At least seven Illini games will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network this season. In all, the Big Ten Network will televise 55 regular-season contests. Additionally, all 10 games of the 2008 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament will be televised nationally as the BTN will broadcast the first nine contests, and the title match will air live on ESPN2. In all, more conference action will be televised than ever before, as 43 of the 99 Big Ten match-ups will be broadcast by the BTN, CBS or ESPN Illinois Big Ten Network Television Schedule Dec. 5 Oklahoma 8 p.m. CT Dec. 27 at Northwestern CT Jan. 21 Iowa CT Feb. 4 at Michigan 6 p.m. CT Feb. 10 Indiana 1 p.m. CT Feb. 21 Penn State CT Feb. 24 Michigan 5 p.m. CT *March 2 Purdue 1/3 p.m. CT * Wildcard game - will be selected by Feb. 19, 2008 The Big Ten Network has existing agreements with DirecTV, Dish Network and AT&T in addition to over 150 cable outlets nationwide. Fans who want to receive the Big Ten Network can call WANT-B10 or visit and enter their zip code. For more information, visit WATCH ILLINOIS ON FIGHTINGILLINI.COM For the fourth straight year, fans unable to make it to Assembly Hall can catch live streaming video of UI women s basketball home games on the web. Any game not televised by the Big Ten Network will be streamed live on fightingillini.com, which means at least eight home games can be viewed this season. To have access to the games, fans will need to purchase an Illini All-Access subscription ($6.95 per month, $49.95 per year). A subscription includes access to all other Illinois video content, including football and men s basketball press conferences, live events for volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics, as well as live audio and highlight videos for all sports. RECORDS TO WATCH (A look at Illinois records that are in jeopardy this season) INDIVIDUAL CAREER Points 1. 2,089 Ashley Berggren ,984 Jonelle Polk ,906 Lisa Robinson Kristen Haynes Lori Bjork Rebounds 1. 1,014 Cindy Dallas Jonelle Polk Lynnette Robinson Mary Pat Travnick Erin Wigley Danyel Crutcher Three-point Field Goals Made Krista Reinking Mandy Cunningham Melissa Parker Lori Bjork Allison Curtin Blocked Shots Kendra Gantt Jonelle Polk Ann Henderson Alicia Sheeler Nicole Vasey Audrey Tabon Danyel Crutcher Games Played Cindy Dallas Tauja Catchings Dawn Vana Janelle Hughes Jeré Issenmann Kristen Haynes Danyel Crutcher UNIVERSITY INFORMATION Location Champaign-Urbana, Ill. Nickname Fighting Illini Colors Orange and Blue Conference Big Ten Home Court: Assembly Hall (16,618) Athletic Director Ronald E. Guenther Ticket Office Phone (217) UI SPORTS INFORMATION Main WBB Contact......Derek Neal (drneal@uiuc.edu) Office Phone (217) Cell Phone (309) Asst. WBB Contact..Emily Wickstrom (ewick@uiuc.edu) Office Phone (217) SID Fax (217) Press Row Number (217) University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 4

5 FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES ILLINOIS TICKET INFORMATION There are several ways for fans to enjoy Fighting Illini women s basketball this season: Season Tickets women s basketball reserved season tickets are available for sale at the UI Athletics Ticket Office. Season ticket holders will have access to prime seat locations courtside in section A between sections A2 and A11 on the west side and A28 and A35 on the east side. Public Season Tickets are $90, UI Faculty-Staff Season Tickets are $75 and High School Student/Youth Season Tickets are $45 (UI Students free). Season tickets can be purchased at the UI Athletics Ticket Office at Assembly Hall, at or by phone at 866-ILLINI-1. Go Illini Card The Go Illini Card is a great way to see many of the Illini athletic programs, including women s basketball. The Go Illini Card allows Orange and Blue fans entrance into all regular season events for baseball, gymnastics, soccer, softball, track & field, wrestling, women's basketball and volleyball. At women s basketball games, the Go Illini Card offers seating in all general admission areas. Go Illini Card Prices: Family: $50 (admits parents and their children [high school age and under] who attend together); Public: $40; UI Faculty/Staff: $30; Student: $20. Call the UI Athletic Ticket Office (1-866-ILLINI-1) to order. Single Game Tickets Reserved and general admission tickets are available for each game. Reserved tickets ($7) will have access to all prime seat location. Single game tickets can be purchased in person at the UI Athletics Ticket Office at Assembly Hall, online at or by phone at or 866-ILLINI-1. Courtside Parties For the fifth straight year, Illini fans will be able to enjoy courtside parties for up to eight people. The package costs $135 ($120 for Kids Club members) and includes tickets, hot dogs, popcorn, drinks, pom poms and game programs for each guest, plus a personalized cake, an autographed card and a scoreboard message for the guest of honor. Parties are available at all women s basketball games. Contact Kolbe Kasper at or kmkasper@uiuc.edu to schedule your party. Orders must be received a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the date of the party. A $25 deposit is required for all parties. BY THE NUMBERS Newcomers on this year s squad Illinois predicted Big Ten finish by the league s coaches Seniors on this year s squad All-Americans Jolette Law coached at Rutgers Minimum number of Illini games to be televised on the BTN this year Post-season appearances by Illinois in the last 11 years Consecutive years with a win over a ranked opponent Regular season home games this season Consecutive wins by the Illini over Northwestern Votes Illinois received in the AP Preseason Top Games against teams that made the postseason last year Illinois Ranking in the CBS Sportsline.com Preseason Top WNBA Players the UI staff has coached Average height, in inches, of the Illini FG made by Lori Bjork last season, a UI record Percentage of scoring the Illini return from last season Scoring 80+ points Scoring points Scoring points Scoring less than 60 points Giving up 80+ points Giving up points Giving up points Giving up points Giving up less than 50 points Field goal shooting 55 percent or better Field goal shooting percent Field goal shooting percent Field goal shooting percent Field goal shooting under 40 percent Opponents shooting 50 percent or better Opponents shooting percent Opponents shooting percent Opponents shooting percent Opponents shooting under 35 percent Shoots better than opponent Shoots worse than opponent Illini out-rebound opponent Teams have equal number of rebounds Opponents out-rebound Illini Illini have fewer turnovers than opponent Teams have same number of turnovers Illini have more turnovers than opponent When leading at halftime When tied at halftime When trailing at halftime STARTING LINE-UPS Game G G G/F F F/C at Eastern Illinois UW-Milwaukee UAB Southern Illinois vs. South Carolina vs. TBA at North Carolina State Illinois-Chicago Oklahoma vs. Chicago State at Missouri at Northwestern Wisconsin at Penn State at Indiana Minnesota at Ohio State Iowa Michigan State at Purdue Ohio State at Michigan at Minnesota Indiana at Wisconsin Penn State Michigan at Michigan State Purdue ILLINOIS RECORD WHEN... When Illini shoot more free throws than opponent When teams shoot same number of FTs When opponents shoot more FT than Illinois Game goes to Overtime Margin is five points or less Margin is 6-10 points Margin is points Margin is points Margin is 20+ points Overall Record Big Ten Record Record at Home Record on Road Record in Neutral Site Games Record vs. Ranked Teams Coming off a win Coming off a loss Wearing White jerseys Wearing Blue jerseys Wearing Orange jerseys In Day Games In Night Games Record by Month November December January February March University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 5

6 PROMOTIONS COURTSIDE PARTIES For the fifth straight year, Illini fans will be able to enjoy courtside parties for up to eight people. The package costs $135 ($120 for Kids Club members) and includes tickets, hot dogs, popcorn, drinks, pom poms and game programs for each guest, plus a personalized cake, an autographed card and a scoreboard message for the guest of honor. Contact Kolbe Kasper at kmkasper@uiuc.edu or to schedule your party. Orders must be received a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to the date of the party. AUTOGRAPHS The team will sign autographs on the court after the following games: Nov. 11, Nov. 18, Dec. 2, Feb. 10, Feb. 24, March 2. Wednesday, Nov. 14 vs. UAB SAAC CLOTHING DRIVE The University of Illinois Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will be collecting winter clothing for the fall clothing drive at the entrances of Assembly Hall. Receive free admission with a donation. Sunday, Dec 2 vs. UIC FAMILY NIGHT / KIDS CLUB NIGHT Bring the whole family for an afternoon of fun. There will be face painting, uniform try-on, and a photo station. The team will be available for autographs after the game. Sunday, Dec 30 vs. Wisconsin MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKET STUB REDEMPTION / CAMPUS CHARITABLE FUND DRIVE NIGHT Fans can use their Illinois-Tennessee State men's basketball ticket stub for free admission. In addition UI faculty and staff that donated to the Campus Charitable Fund Drive will be present and will receive awards at halftime. Thursday, Jan. 31 vs. Ohio State NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY CELEBRATION There will be activities recognizing National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Sunday, Feb. 10 vs. Indiana THINK PINK DAY / TEAM DAY Illinois will be participating in the national 'Think Pink' week sponsored by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to this game to show your support for cancer research. Fans wearing their pink Illini Madness t-shirt will get in free. Thursday, Feb. 21 vs. Penn State MEN'S BASKETBALL TICKET STUB REDEMPTION Use your Illinois-Wisconsin men's basketball ticket stub for free admission. Sunday, Feb. 24 vs. Michigan CAMPER REUNION Summer campers are invited back to campus to see their favorite Fighting Illini in action. To receive free admission, campers should RSVP by Monday, Feb. 18 to Allison Berg at or alberg@uiuc.edu. Sunday, march 2 vs. Purdue GIRL SCOUT DAY / SENIOR DAY Girl Scouts will receive discounted tickets. Tickets must be purchased in advance by Monday, February 25. To order tickets or for more information, contact Allison Berg at or alberg@uiuc.edu. THE LAST TIME... Illinois scored 100 points or more feb. 4, 2001 vs. Minnesota (Illinois 101, Minnesota 91) Illinois scored 90 points or more feb. 1, 2004 vs. Michigan (Illinois 94, Michigan 78) Illinois scored 50 points or less feb. 25, 2007 vs. Michigan State (Michigan State 58, Illinois 48) Illinois scored 40 points or less january 14, 1994 at Iowa (Iowa 53, Illinois 37) Illinois gave up 100 points or more feb. 15, 2001 at Penn State (Penn State 101, Illinois 80) Illinois gave up 90 points or more jan. 2, 2004 at Iowa (Iowa 91, Illinois 73) Illinois gave up 40 points or less nov. 22, 2006 vs. Northern Colorado (Illinois 76, N. Colorado 39) Illinois won by 40+ points nov. 18, 2005, 40, at Loyola (Illinois 79, Loyola 39) Illinois won an overtime game dec. 28, 2006, vs. Penn State (Illinois 74, Penn State 65) Illinois lost an overtime game march 4, 2005, vs. Michigan State at Big Ten Tournament (MSU 61, Illinois 50) Illinois made 10 or more three-pointers jan. 15, 2006, 11-16, at Wisconsin (Illinois 84, Wisconsin 54) An Illinois opponent made 10 or more three-pointers jan. 29, 2006, 11-17, at Ohio State (Ohio State 75, Illinois 49) An Illinois player scored 30+ points dec. 19, 2004 vs. UCLA, Angelina Williams, 30, (Illinois 78, UCLA 63) An Illinois player scored 40+ points jan. 14, 1996 at Minnesota, Ashley Berggren, 43, (Illinois 87, Minnesota 76) An opposing player scored 30+ points dec. 2, 2006, Armintie Price, Ole Miss, 34 (Ole Miss 75, Illinois 50) An opposing player scored 40+ points dec. 16, 1989, Carol Owens, N. Illinois, 41 (NIU 110, Illinois 93) An Illinois player had a triple-double jan. 22, 1982, Kim Brombolich vs. E. Mich., 13 p, 11 r, 15 a (ILL 107, E. Mich. 73) An opposing player had a triple-double dec. 2, 2006, Armintie Price, Ole Miss, 34 p, 15 r, 12 st (Ole Miss 75, ILL 50) No Illini scored double figures march 2, 2007 vs. Penn BTT (PSU 61, Illinois 49 - Rebecca Harris had 8) No opposing player scored double figures dec. 17, 2006 vs. IPFW (Illinois 74, IPFW 47) An Illini had 15+ rebounds feb. 18, 2007, Jenna Smith, 16, at Indiana (Indiana 81, Illinois 68) An Illini had 20+ rebounds dec. 21, 1989, Sonya Waters, 21, vs. St. Joseph (Illinois 78, St. Joseph 65) An Illini had 25+ rebounds jan. 23, 1975, Betty Anderson, 30, vs. Eastern Illinois (Illinois 57, EIU 51 OT) An opposing player had 15+ rebounds march 2, 2007, Amanda Brown, Penn State, 18, (PSU 61, Illinois 49) An opposing player had 20+ rebounds jan. 4, 1985, Laura Coener, Minnesota, 21, (Minnesota 77, Illinois 61) An opposing player had 25+ rebounds never An Illini had 10+ assists jan. 15, 2006, Maggie Acuna, 16, at Wisconsin (Illinois 84, Wisconsin 54) An Illini had 15+ assists jan. 15, 2006, Maggie Acuna, 16, at Wisconsin (Illinois 84, Wisconsin 54) An opposing player had 10+ assists feb. 12, 2006, Brianne O Rourke, 10, at Penn State (Penn State 78, Illinois 52) An opposing player had 15+ assists march 12, 1983, Debbie Hunter, 15, vs. Minnesota (Minnesota 89, Illinois 65) An Illini player made 5+ three-pointers feb. 4, 2007, Lori Bjork, 5, at. Michigan State (Michigan State 80, Illinois 70)) An Illini player made 8+ three-pointers nov. 29, 1997, Katie Coleman, 9, vs. Providence, at Puerto Rico (UI 106, PC 74) An Illini player made 10+ three-pointers never An opposing player made 5+ threes feb. 18, 2007, Jamie Braun, Indiana, 5, (Indiana 81, Illinois 68) An opposing player made 8+ threes never Illinois shot 60 pct. FG or better dec. 19, 2004,.608 (31-51), vs. UCLA (Illinois 78, UCLA 63) Illinois shot 30 pct. FG or lower feb. 15, 2004,.279 (17-61), vs. Minnesota (Minnesota 63, Illinois 54) An opponent shot 60 pct. FG or better feb. 13, 2003,.608 (31-51), vs. UCSB (UCSB 77, Illinois 72) An opponent shot 30 pct. FG or lower march 19, 2007,.288 (17-59), vs. Utah (Illinois 59, Utah 48) An opponent shot 20 pct. FG or lower dec. 3, 2005,.190 (12-63), vs. St. Louis (Illinois 75, St. Louis 40) Illinois forced 30 or more turnovers nov. 18, 2005, 36, at Loyola (Illinois 79, Loyola 39) An Illinois opponent forced 30 or more turnovers dec. 2, 2006, 34, at Ole Miss (Ole Miss 75, Illinois 50) Illinois had 20 or more steals nov. 18, 2005, 20, at Loyola (Illinois 79, Loyola 39) An Illinois opponent had 20 or more steals dec. 2, 2006, 26, at Ole Miss (Ole Miss 75, Illinois 50) Illinois Blocked 10 or more shots jan. 14, 2007, 11, at Wisconsin (Illinois 70, Wisconsin 62) Illinois won 5+ games in a row dec. 5, 2006-Dec. 28, 2006, 5-game streak Illinois won 10+ games in a row nov. 20, 1981-Jan. 2, 1982, 10-game streak Illinois lost 5+ games in a row jan. 19, 2006-Feb. 12, 2006, 8-game streak Illinois lost 10+ games in a row jan. 3, 1988-Feb. 12, 1988, 11-game streak Illinois won 5+ in a row at home march 15, 2006-Dec. 28, 2006, 8-game streak Illinois won 10+ in a row at home dec. 20, 1997-Jan. 5, 1999, 18-game streak Illinois won 15+ in a row at home dec. 20, 1997-Jan. 5, 1999, 18-game streak Illinois lost 5+ in a row at home jan. 22, 2006-Feb. 23, 2006, 5-game streak Illinois lost 10+ in a row at home never Illinois won 5+ in a row away from home dec. 4, 2004-Jan. 9, 2005, 5-game streak Illinois won 10+ in a row away from home never University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 6

7 EXHIBITION BOX SCORE VS. DT University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 7

8 OVERALL STATISTICS University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 8