08-09 ILLINOIS WOMEN S BASKETBALL

Transcription

1 08-09 ILLINOIS WOMEN S BASKETBALL GAME 29: ILLINOIS (8-20, 4-13) at Minnesota (19-9, 11-6) Sunday, March 1, 2009 // 1 p.m. CT // Williams Arena (14,625) // Minneapolis, Minn. Women s Basketball Contact: Derek Neal // (o) // (c) // drneal@illinois.edu // UI SCHEDULE 8-20 overall, 4-13 Big Ten (4-9 Home, 4-6 Away, 0-5 Neutral) ON THE AIR Radio: Online: Livestats: Illini Sports Network - WDWS AM LIVE (Dave Loane and Mike Koon) BigTenNetwork.com free streaming video fightingillini.com GameTracker N 14 at IPFW W, N 16 Eastern Illinois W, N 19 Missouri W, BTN N 23 Temple L, BTN.com N 26 vs. Montana^ L, (OT) N 27 vs. South Dakota State^ L, N 28 vs. #10/14 Maryland^ L, D 4 #20/19 Virginia & L, BTN D 6 vs. Bradley $ L, D 10 at Milwaukee W, D 20 vs. #2/2 North Carolina! L, D 22 Purdue* L, BTN.com D 28 at Penn State* L, BTN J 1 Wisconsin* L, J 3 Minnesota* ( Pack the Hall ) L, CBS J 8 at Michigan* L, BTN.com J 12 #16/17 Ohio State* L, BTN J 15 Iowa* L, BTN.com J 18 at Wisconsin* L, BTN J 22 at #19/17 Ohio State* L, BTN.com J 25 Indiana* W, BTN J 29 at Northwestern* W, BTN THE SERIES Illinois leads overall but trails 14-9 in Minneapolis Last meeting: Minnesota 52, Illinois 48 on Jan. 3, 2009 in Champaign THE COACHES Illinois: Jolette Law, overall and at Illinois (second season) Minnesota: Pam Borton, overall (10th season) and at Minnesota (seventh season) PROBABLE ILLINOIS STARTERS Pos. No. Name Ht. Yr. GP-GS PPG RPG Other Notes G 3 Fabiola Josil 5-7 Fr a Hit 6-of-7 shots for a career-high 13 points on Thurs. G 12 Lydia McCully 5-9 r-fr a Tied for third among Big Ten freshmen in scoring G 21 Macie Blinn 5-11 Fr a Poured in career-high 16 points vs. Minnesota on 1/3 F 22 Lacey Simpson 6-1 Jr s Leads the Big Ten and ranks 8th in the nation in steals C 13 Jenna Smith 6-3 Jr b All-America candidate has scored 10+ in 36 straight OFF THE BENCH F 1 Whitney Toone 5-10 Jr a Provides defense and energy off the bench G 10 Melissa Thompson 5-8 Fr Joined team as walk-on at start of season G 11 Eboni Mitchell 5-7 Fr a Hit first career three-pointer at Iowa on Thursday F 34 Lana Rukavina 6-3 Fr a Pulled down a season-high 7 boards vs. Virginia INJURED F 33 Chelsea Gordon 6-0 Sr a Lone senior out for season with torn ACL in right knee F 5 Michigan State* L, BTN F 8 at Indiana* W, BTN F 12 Northwestern* W, BTN.com F 15 at Purdue* L, ESPN2 F 22 Penn State* (WBCA Pink Zone ) L, F 26 at Iowa* L, BTN M 1 at Minnesota* 1 p.m. BTN.com M 5-8 Big Ten Tournament (Indianapolis) TBA BTN/ESPN2 M NCAA First and Second Rounds TBA ESPN/ESPN2 M NCAA Regionals TBA ESPN/ESPN2 A 5-7 NCAA Final Four TBA ESPN/ESPN2 ^ Cancun Caribbean Challenge MTE (Cancun, Mexico) & ACC/Big Ten Challenge $ Lexus December to Remember Classic (United Center, Chicago, Ill.)! Carolinas Challenge, Myrtle Beach, S.C. * Big Ten Conference Game Rankings are AP/Coaches on date of game All Times are CENTRAL and subject to change QUICK HITS Opening Tip: The Fighting Illini (8-20, 4-13) wrap-up the regular season on Sunday by heading to Minneapolis to face the Golden Gophers (19-9, 11-6). Illinois has dropped three straight after winning four of five at one point and is looking to end the regular season on a highnote. Minnesota is coming off an impressive win at Michigan State and will be looking to send seniors Emily Fox and Kay Sylva off with a victory in their home finale. Dynamic Duo: Juniors Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson have been Illinois go-to players all season, combining to average 29.3 points and 17.6 rebounds per game to form one of the most potent duos in the country. Both Smith and Simpson have nine double-doubles on the season and seven in Big Ten play, which is tied for second in the league. No other conference team has two players that both have more than five double-doubles on the year. Fighting for Seeds: Heading into the final day of the season, Illinois sits in ninth place in the standings and would be the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The Illini cannot move any higher than the No. 9 seed, but a No. 10 seed is still possible with a loss to Minnesota combined with a Michigan win at Indiana. The official Big Ten Tournament bracket will be released on Sunday night. Twin Cities Connection: Junior All-American Jenna Smith will head back to her hometown when the Illini head to Minnesota on Thursday. Smith is from Bloomington, Minn., just outside the Twin Cities, and starred at Kennedy High School. The 2006 Minnesota Ms. Basketball and AP Player of the Year scored 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds during her trip back to the Twin Cities last year. Peaking at the Right Time: Last season, the Fighting Illini peaked late in the season, making a historic run to the Big Ten Tournament title game as the No. 9 seed before falling to Purdue at the buzzer in the championship game. This year, the Orange and Blue started the Big Ten season 0-9 but have come back strong in the second half, going 4-4 thus far, to gain momentum towards another long tournament run. Law Inks No. 3 Recruiting Class: Jolette Law signed the best recruiting class in school history during the fall signing period. The highly-touted class features six studentathletes, including McDonald s All-American Destiny Williams. It was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz on signing day, and moved to No. 3 at the end of the early signing period. See page 6 for more information on the recruits University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 1

2 FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES WHAT TO WATCH FOR Jenna Smith needs three blocked shots to tie and four to break Kendra Gantt s career school record of 156. She s also four blocks short of tying and five short of breaking her own single-season school record of 59. Smith needs 19 points to reach the 1,500-point milestone and 22 points to pass Tauja Catching for ninth on the UI career scoring list. A double-digit scoring night for Smith would make it 37 straight games with at least 10 points. Lacey Simpson needs six steals to tie Allison Curtin s school record for career steals. Simpson needs two assists to move into the top-10 on the Illinois career assists list and three rebounds to move into 11th place on the UI all-time rebounding list. SCOUTING THE GOPHERS Minnesota stands fifth in the Big Ten standings, coming off an important road win at Michigan State last Thursday to pad its NCAA Tournament resume. Before the win over the Spartans, the Gophers were on a bit of a slide in losing three of the previous four games. Minnesota is 11-3 in games played at Williams Arena this season. The Gophers are led by senior All-Big Ten guard Emily Fox, who averages a team-high 12.8 points along with 4.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Junior post Ashley Ellis- Milan has stepped up her game this season, giving Minnesota an inside presence with 11.8 points and 7.5 rebs. per game. Junior Katie Ohm averages 9.3 ppg, while freshman Kiara Buford is one of the best reserves in the Big Ten, coming off the bench to average 7.3 ppg. As a team, Minnesota leads the league in steals (9.07), with Fox and Brittany McCoy (2.2 steals per game) leading the way. The Gophers also rank second in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+3.61). The Illinois-Minnesota Series: The Illini lead the alltime series 28-23, with the Gophers owning a 14-9 advantage in Minneapolis. Minnesota has won seven out of the last nine match-ups, including beating Illinois at Assembly Hall on Jan. 3. The Gophers have won six straight over Illinois in Minnesota, with the last Orange and Blue win coming on Jan. 28, This Year vs. the Gophers: The Illini dropped a close contest to Minnesota on Jan. 3, falling in front of a season-high crowd of 7,052 orange-clad fans at Assembly Hall. Macie Blinn came off the bench to lead the Illini offensively, pouring in a career-high 16 points. Lacey Simpson had a standout defensive game, grabbing 12 rebounds and tying her career-high with five blocked shots. As a team, the Orange and Blue had 10 blocks, one off the school record of 11. Minnesota s Kiara Buford hit the game's keys shot, a three-pointer with 46 seconds left, allowing the Gophers to sneak out of Champaign with the win. Illinois took a lead after a jumper by Fabiola Josil with 1:59 to play, but Buford hit a jumper to put Minnesota back up with 1:38 remaining before hitting the three-point dagger. Blinn scored on a lay-up for the Illini to put them within two, 50-48, with 38 seconds to play, but two free throws by Minnesota's Emily Fox iced the Gophers' victory. ALL-AMERICAN GIRL: SMITH IS DOUBLE TROUBLE Closing in on 1,500: Junior All-American Jenna Smith is 19 points shy of becoming the 10th player in Illinois history to reach 1,500 career points. She needs 22 points to pass Tajua Catchings for ninth-place on the UI scoring list and needs 55 points to crack the top-five in all-time scoring. Smith is looking to become just the third Illinois player to reach 1,500 points in her first three seasons of play (Ashley Berggren and Allison Curtin). Block Record Within Reach: Smith is inching closer to Kendra Gantt s 24-year old Illinois career record for blocked shots. Smith s two blocks against Iowa brought her career total to 153, leaving her just three swats from tying and four from passing Gantt s 24-year old record of 156. With 55 blocks this season, Smith is also just four blocks shy of equaling her own single season record of 59 from last season. Smith currently ranks third in the Big Ten and 47th in the nation in blocks. Cleaning the Glass: Smith isn t climbing up just the scoring and blocks lists, she also is steadily making her way up the UI career rebounding list. The junior became the seventh player in school history to surpass the 800 rebound milestone on Thursday and now has 802 boards in her career, just one behind Kendra Gantt s sixth-place total of 803. When she reaches the 1,500 point milestone, Smith will become just the fourth Illinois player to score over 1,500 points and grab 800 rebounds in a career, joining Jonelle Polk, Kendra Gantt and Tauja Catchings. Smith leads the Big in offensive rebounds during Big Ten games (3.29) ILLINOIS BASKETBALL ROSTER NO. PLAYER POS HT YR/ELIG HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL 1 Whitney Toone F 5-10 Jr./Jr. Brooklyn, N.Y./Oak Hill Academy/Okaloosa-Walton College 3 Fabiola Josil G 5-7 Fr./Fr. Coral Springs, Fla./Coral Glades H.S. 10 Melissa Thompson G 5-8 Fr./Fr. Chicago, Ill./John Hope H.S. 11 Eboni Mitchell G 5-7 Fr./Fr. Decatur, Ga./Southwest DeKalb H.S. 12 Lydia McCully G 5-9 So./Fr. Bedford Heights, Ohio/Bedford H.S. 13 Jenna Smith** C 6-3 Jr./Jr. Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy H.S. 21 Macie Blinn G 5-11 Fr./Fr. Greenville, Ohio/Greenville H.S. 22 Lacey Simpson** F 6-1 Sr./Jr. Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton H.S. 33 Chelsea Gordon*** F 6-0 Sr./Sr. Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep H.S. 34 Lana Rukavina F 6-3 Fr./Fr. Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling H.S. Head Coach: Jolette Law (Second Season) Assistant Coach: Karen Middleton (Second Season) Assistant Coach: Tamika Louis (Second Season) Assistant Coach: Patrick Klein (Second Season) Assistant to the Head Coach: Diane Hobin (Fourth Season) Video Coordinator: Andre Johnson (Second Season) Athletic Trainer: Paul Schmidt (Third Season) Strength and Conditioning Coach: Jimmy Price (Sixth season) HEAD COACH JOLETTE LAW (.444) SECOND 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, She guided the Illini to 20 wins in her first season and led the team on a historic run in the 2008 Big Ten Tournament, advancing to the championship game. The team also earned a 2008 WNIT bid, advancing to the third round. This fall, she and her staff signed the No. 3 recruiting class in the country. Prior to coming to Illinois, Law spent 12 years at Rutgers as an assistant on C. Vivian Stringer's 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 and compiled a record of (.673). 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 Fabiola Josil Fab-ee-OH-la JAH-sle Lana Rukavina LAH-na ROO-ka-VEE-na Whitney Toone TOON University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 2

3 STANDINGS (through Feb. 27) Team Big Ten Pct. Overall Pct. 1 Ohio State Purdue Iowa Michigan State Minnesota Indiana Penn State Wisconsin ILLINOIS Michigan Northwestern BIG TEN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Nov. 18 Jantel Lavender, OSU Nov. 25: Jantel Lavender, OSU / FahKara Malone, PUR Dec. 2: Amber Jackson, IND / Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, PUR Dec. 9: Katie Ohm, MINN Dec. 16: Stephany Skrba, MICH Dec. 23: Jantel Lavender, OSU Dec. 30: Danielle Campbell, PUR Jan. 6: Amy Jaeschke, NW / Danielle Campbell, PUR Jan. 13: Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, PUR Jan. 20: Ashley Ellis-Milan, MINN / Kachine Alexander, IOWA Jan. 27: Jantel Lavender, OSU / Tyra Grant, PSU Feb. 3: Kachine Alexander, IOWA Feb. 10: Lacey Simpson, ILL Feb. 17: Allyssa DeHaan, MSU Feb. 24: Star Allen, OSU March 3: THIS WEEK IN THE BIG TEN Monday, Feb. 23 Minnesota at Northwestern (BTN) NU 62, MINN 53 Thursday, Feb. 26 Northwestern at Penn State PSU 65, NW 50 Minnesota at Michigan State MINN 66, MSU 51 Wisconsin at #17 Ohio State OSU 75, WIS 53 Michigan at Purdue PUR 70, MICH 53 Illinois at Iowa (BTN) IOWA 69, ILL 56 Sunday, March 1 Purdue at Michigan State (BTN) Michigan at Indiana Illinois at Minnesota Iowa at Northwestern Penn State at #17 Ohio State (BTN) All Times Central THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE 11 a.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 2 p.m. 3 p.m BIG TEN TOURNAMENT March 5-8 Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Ind. For Tickets call: Illini-1 FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES A Model of Consistency: Smith has scored in doublefigures in all 28 games this year and in 36 straight games dating back to last season, the second-longest current streak in the Big Ten and the seventh-longest in the nation. In all, she has scored in double-figures in 64 of the last 65 games, with only a six-point outing against Michigan last season getting in the way. Current Consecutive Games of 10+ points (Through games of 02/26/09) Rk Player, School Streak Next Game 1. Robyn Fairbanks, Utah Valley St. 76 Feb Megan Frazee, Liberty 61 Feb Morgan Warburton, Utah 60 Feb Jantel Lavender, Ohio State 59 Mar Sade Logan, Robert Morris 54 Feb Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State 52 Feb Jenna Smith, Illinois 36 Mar Chante Black, Duke 31 Mar Shavonte Zellous, Pittsburgh 30 Feb Janae Voelker, Oral Roberts 27 Feb. 28 Doubling Up: Smith had her ninth double-double of the season with 22 points and 13 boards against Penn State on Feb. 22. Smith now has 31 double-doubles for her career, which is one behind the Big Ten s active lead and is fourth on the Illinois career list. Her seven double-doubles in Big Ten play this season are tied for second in the conference with teammate Lacey Simpson and Purdue s Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, one behind Ohio State s Jantel Lavender. She Keeps Going and Going: Despite being the focal point of every defense this season and seeing constant double and triple teams, Smith has been the most durable player in the Big Ten. She leads the league in minutes at per game and has played all 40 minutes 16 times this season. Smith has sat out just 10 out of 680 minutes during conference play to average an incredible 39.4 minutes per game, and has rested just 43 out of 1125 minutes throughout the entire season. Smith Named to Naismith Watch List: Smith has been named to the Naismith Award Watch list. She is one of 50 players nominated for the award, which is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball's player of the year. Grand Game: Smith went over 1,000 career points when she poured in 29 during the season-opener at IPFW, becoming the 22nd player in school history to reach the milestone and the seventh fastest to do so, accomplishing the feat in 66 games. JennaSmith13.com: Stay up-to-date on Smith s season and her quest for All-America and Big Ten Player of the Year honors at jennasmith13.com. The site will be updated throughout the season with videos, photos, stats, news and much more. SENSATIONAL SIMPSON Simpson Making Case for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year: Junior forward Lacey Simpson has certainly made a case to be this year s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the nation in steals, averaging 3.14 per game, and ranks third in overall rebounding (9.0 rpg) and defensive rebounding (6.57), and eighth in blocks (1.32) for all games. She s been just as impressive in conference play, ranking second in steals (2.88) and defensive rebounding (7.24), third overall rebounding (9.6) and fourth in blocks (1.6). Simpson Steals the Show: Simpson needs just six steals to tie and seven to break the Illinois career steals record in less than three full seasons of play. She currently has 246 career thefts, tying her for second on the UI career list with Jill Estey and leaving her six short of the Allison Curtin s school record of 252. Her nine steals in the season-opener vs. IPFW set a new career-high and equaled the second most in a game in school history. Double Take: Simpson is nearly averaging a doubledouble in conference play (10.5 ppg and 9.6 rpg) and is tied for second in the league with seven double-doubles in Big Ten play. She has racked-up double-doubles in four of the last seven games and has nine on the season, which is tied for third in the league. BIG TEN STATISTICS (through games of 2/27) Team Stats Big Ten Only All Games Scoring Offense 50.5 (11) 52.4 (11) Scoring Defense 58.8 (T-6) 59.8 (7) Scoring Margin -8.4 (10) -7.4 (11) FT Percentage.752 (3).729 (4) FG Percentage.367 (11).375 (11) FG Pct. Defense.401 (5).410 (10) 3-FG Percentage.253 (10).257 (11) 3-FG Pct. Defense.311 (4).312 (6) Rebounding Offense 33.0 (T-9) 32.6 (10) Rebounding Defense 36.2 (7) 36.4 (T-7) Rebounding Margin -3.2 (10) -3.8 (10) Blocked Shots 4.82 (T-1) 4.14 (T-4) Assists (11) (10) Steals 6.41 (9) 7.21 (9) TO Margin (10) (8) Assist/TO Ratio 0.62 (10) 0.67 (10) Offensive Rebounds (9) (9) Defensive Rebounds (T-8) (10) 3-FG Made 2.35 (11) 2.79 (11) Individual Leaders Category Big Ten Only All Games McCully, Lydia 3FG % (T-13) Minutes (5) Simpson, Lacey Scoring 10.5 (20) 11.1 (T-16) Rebounding 9.6 (3) 9.0 (3) Assists 3.35 (9) 3.43 (8) Steals 2.88 (2) 3.14 (1) Blocks 1.59 (T-4) 1.32 (8) Assist/TO Ratio 0.88 (11) 0.96 (12) Offensive Rebs 2.35 (12) 2.46 (10) Defensive Rebs 7.24 (2) 6.57 (3) Minutes (T-6) (3) Smith, Jenna Scoring 17.7 (3) 18.2 (3) Rebounding 9.2 (5) 8.6 (6) FG%.452 (7).471 (6) FT%.817 (6).782 (9) Blocks 2.06 (3) 1.96 (3) Offensive Rebs 3.29 (1) 3.00 (3) Defensive Rebs 5.94 (5) 5.57 (7) Minutes (1) (1) University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 3

4 Associated Press Poll (Feb. 23) No. School Rec. Votes 1. Connecticut (44) Oklahoma Stanford California Maryland Baylor Auburn Louisville North Carolina Duke Florida State Texas A&M Xavier Ohio State Pittsburgh Texas Florida Tennessee Vanderbilt Kansas State South Dakota State Virginia Notre Dame Arizona State Iowa State OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Bowling Green 43, DePaul 28, Middle Tennessee State 10, Purdue 8, Virginia Commonwealth 7, Wisconsin-Green Bay 6, Marist 4, LSU 2, Utah 2. ESPN/USA Today Poll (Feb. 24) No. School Rec. Votes 1. Connecticut (31) Stanford Oklahoma California Maryland Auburn Baylor Louisville Texas A&M North Carolina Duke Florida State Xavier Ohio State Kansas State South Dakota State Florida Texas Virginia Pittsburgh Vanderbilt Notre Dame Tennessee Iowa State Bowling Green OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Middle Tennessee State 40, Arizona State 40, Marist 16, Virginia Commonwealth 7, DePaul 4, Wisconsin-Green Bay 4, Boston College 2, Arkansas-Little Rock 1, Gonzaga 1, Mississippi State 1, North Carolina A&T 1, Oklahoma State 1, *Illinois opponents in BOLD FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES Big Ten POW: Simpson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week (Feb. 10) after a pair of big games against Michigan State and Indiana. Simpson had 16 points, 14 boards and three steals to lead the Illini to an upset win at Indiana on 2/8 and also had a huge game against Michigan State on 2/5 with 12 points, 12 rebounds, seven steals and four blocks. The Zion, Ill., native averaged 14.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 2.5 blocks while shooting 50 percent on the week. Rare Company: Simpson is one of only three players in the nation that averages at least 3.0 steals and 9.0 rebounds per game. The other two are Louisville s Angel McCaughtry (9.3 rpg, 4.8 spg) and IUPUI s Jernisha Cann (11.1 rpg, 3.6 spg). Simpson is averaging 9.0 rpg and 3.1 steals per game entering Sunday s game against Minnesota. All-Around Player: Simpson is one of the most versatile players not only in the Big Ten, but in the nation. She is one of just two Big Ten players to appear in the conference rankings in nine categories, joining Purdue s Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton. Simpson ranks in the top-10 in seven of those nine categories and leads the league in steals at 3.14 per game. She is the only player to rank in the league s top-10 in rebounding (third), assists (eighth) and steals (first). Picking Up Where She Left Off: After stellar performances at the 2008 Big Ten Tournament and WNIT, Simpson has stepped her game up even more this season. Her 11.1 points per game is nearly four points higher than her average last season and, defensively, she has taken it to another level as evidenced by her steals, blocks and rebounding numbers. Simpson nearly had the second triple-double in school history with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine steals in the seasonopener. Working Woman: Simpson, a fourth-year junior, finished up her class work during the fall semester and is working as an intern in the Illinois Athletic Public Relations office this semester to complete her undergraduate degree. Simpson plans on taking the GRE this spring and beginning graduate school next year during her final year of athletic eligibility. Lacing Up with Lacey: This semester Simpson is writing a weekly blog to keep Fighting Illini fans up-to-date on what's going on behind-the-scenes. Check out the newest post at AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT Illinois lone senior, Chelsea Gordon, tore the ACL in her right knee in the Jan. 25 victory over Indiana and will miss the rest of the season. The injury ends Gordon s UI career after the Erie, Pa., native saw action in 116 games, the sixth most in school history. Gordon scored 680 points (5.9 ppg), grabbed 360 rebounds (3.1 rpg) and was twice named the team s Best Defensive Player during her Illinois career. With Gordon out, the Illini are left with eight scholarship players on the roster. YOUTH IS NO EXCUSE With seven years of Division I experience on the team this year (one senior and two juniors), Illinois is one of the youngest teams in the country. In fact, Illinois is tied with Tennessee as the fourth youngest team in the nation in terms of least returning experience. Now with lone senior Chelsea Gordon out for the season, the Illini have just four years of experience available to play. Least Experienced Teams Entering Season (Sr=3 years, Jr=2 year, So=1 year) 1. Tennessee-Martin 5 years 2T. Idaho 6 years 2T. San Jose State 6 years 4T. Illinois 7 years 4T. Tennessee 7 years 6. UMBC 8 years FAB ULOUS FROSH Freshman guard Fabiola Josil has stepped up her offensive game as of late. She hit 6-of-7 from the field for a career-high 13 points on Thursday at Iowa and is averaging 8.2 points per game and shooting 53 percent from the field in the last five, well above her season averages of 4.5 points per game and 41 percent shooting. Josil was a prolific scorer in high school, averaging over 25 points per game, and is just starting to hit her stride offensively after struggling with the adjustment to the college game. THE ILLINI ON TV Illinois women s basketball will see unprecedented exposure this season. A total of 19 regular season game will be distributed via television or free streaming video. Twelve Illini games will be televised nationally this season, 10 on the Big Ten Network, one on CBS and one on ESPN2. In addition, seven more games can be seen live on BigTenNetwork.com to bring the total to 19. In all, the Big Ten Network will televise 55 regular-season contests and will stream 56 more on BigTenNetwork.com. Additionally, all 10 games of the 2008 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament will be televised nationally by the BTN or ESPN2. In all, 119 women s basketball games will be distributed by the Big Ten Network, BigTenNetwork.com, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or CBS during the season ILLINOIS TELEVISION SCHEDULE Nov. 19 Missouri 8:30 p.m. CT BTN Dec. 4 Virginia 7:30 p.m. CT BTN Dec. 28 at Penn State 11 a.m. CT BTN Jan. 3 Minnesota 11 a.m. CT CBS Jan. 12 Ohio State 7 p.m. CT BTN Jan. 18 at Wisconsin 5 p.m. CT BTN Jan. 25 Indiana 3 p.m. CT BTN Jan. 29 at Northwestern 6 p.m. CT BTN Feb. 5 Michigan State 8 p.m. CT BTN Feb. 8 at Indiana 11:30 a.m. CT BTN Feb. 15 at Purdue 12 p.m. CT ESPN2 Feb. 26 at Iowa 8 p.m. CT BTN March 5-8 Big Ten Tourney TBA BTN/ESPN2 ILLINOIS BIGTENNETWORK.COM STREAMING SCHEDULE Nov. 23 Temple 7:30 p.m. CT BTN.com Dec. 22 Purdue 7 p.m. CT BTN.com Jan. 8 at Michigan 6 p.m. CT BTN.com Jan. 15 Minnesota 7 p.m. CT BTN.com Jan. 22 at Ohio State 6 p.m. CT BTN.com Feb. 12 Northwestern 7 p.m. CT BTN.com March 1 at Minnesota 1 p.m. CT BTN.com University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 4

5 FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES BLING, BLINN Freshman guard Macie Blinn has shown flashes of being a dynamic scorer for the Orange and Blue. The sharpshooter from Greenville, Ohio, has been Illinois third leading scorer in Big Ten play, averaging 7.0 points per game while knocking down a team-high 17 threes. Blinn has reached double figures six times this season, including a 16-point outburst on Jan. 3 against Minnesota and a 14 point night against Missouri on Nov. 19. She tied her career-high with three three-pointers at Northwestern on Jan. 29 and has shown signs of becoming another scoring threat to complement Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson. In Illinois recent eight-game run, Blinn is averaging 98.9 points per game. McCULLY ON POINT Beating the Buzzer: Point guard Lydia McCully hit a 15- foot jumper from the right elbow with 3.4 seconds left to give the Illini a victory at Milwaukee on Dec. 10. It was the first game-winning shot for the redshirt freshman, who finished the game with 13 points. Triple Threat: McCully has made a case of her own to become the team s third scoring option after Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson. She has scored double-figures 10 times this season, including a career-high 15 points against South Dakota State on Nov. 27. One night later against #10 Maryland, she hit 4-of-7 from three-point land for 12 points. She leads the team from downtown on the season, hitting 28 threes at a 33 percent clip, and is third on the team and tied for third among Big Ten freshmen in scoring at 7.5 points per game. TOUGH SLATE Illinois has faced the 15th toughest schedule in the nation thus far according to RealTimeRPI.com. The Illini s 11 nonconference opponents have a combined record of (.690) through games of Feb. 26, and overall, their opponents combine for a record (.622). LAST TIME OUT The Fighting Illini cut a 17-point second-half deficit to four at one point, but Iowa pulled away down the stretch for a win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Jenna Smith had 20 points and eight rebounds and Fabiola Josil poured in a career-high 13 points to lead Illinois. Iowa led by as many as 17, 43-26, at the 16:39 mark after three straight three-pointers, but Illinois responded with a 17-4 run to close the gap to four. However, the Illini would get no closer, as the Hawkeyes pushed the lead back out to doublefigures and cruised down the stretch for the 13-point win on senior day. LOOKING AHEAD After Sunday s game at Minnesota, the Illini will head to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament March 5-8. The tournament bracket will be available at fightingillini.com on Sunday night. INDIVIDUAL CAREER POINTS 1. 2,089 Ashley Berggren ,984 Jonelle Polk ,906 Lisa Robinson ,639 Angelina Williams ,536 Mandy Cunningham ,529 Allison Curtin ,526 Kendra Gantt ,516 Sarah Sharp ,502 Tauja Catchings ,481 Jenna Smith REBOUNDS 1. 1,014 Cindy Dallas Jonelle Polk Lynnette Robinson Tauja Catchings Kris Dupps Kendra Gantt Jenna Smith Ashley Berggren Danyel Crutcher Alicia Sheeler Sarah Sharp Lacey Simpson OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS* Cindy Dallas Tauja Catchings Ashley Berggren Sarah Sharp Kris Dupps Jenna Smith Tiffanie Guthrie * Complete offensive rebounding statistics are unavailable prior to the season ASSISTS Jill Estey Jenny Johnson Michelle Vossen Lisa Bradley Shavonna Hunter Allison Curtin Lacey Simpson STEALS Allison Curtin Lacey Simpson Jill Estey Cindy Dallas Shavonna Hunter BLOCKED SHOTS Kendra Gantt Jenna Smith Jonelle Polk Ann Henderson Lacey Simpson RECORDS TO WATCH (A look at Illini climbing the charts this season) FREE THROWS MADE Ashley Berggren Lisa Robinson Tauja Catchings Sarah Sharp Mandy Cunningham Jonelle Polk Jenna Smith Allison Curtin FREE THROW PERCENTAGE (MIN. 125 ATT.) Lori Bjork ( ) Jenny Johnson ( ) Jenna Smith ( ) Krista Reinking ( ) DOUBLE-DOUBLES Jonelle Polk Lynette Robinson Cindy Dallas Jenna Smith INDIVIDUAL SEASON SCORING Ashley Berggren Lisa Robinson Jenna Smith Angelina Williams Susan Blauser Allison Curtin Tauja Catchings Iveta Marcauskaite Jenna Smith REBOUNDS Lynnette Robinson Jenna Smith Jonelle Polk Susan Blauser Jonelle Polk Kris Dupps Liz Brauer Cindy Dallas Ashley Berggren Jonelle Polk Lacey Simpson Kendra Gantt Jenna Smith STEALS Allison Curtin Jill Estey Allison Curtin Lacey Simpson Lacey Simpson BLOCKED SHOTS Jenna Smith Kendra Gantt Jenna Smith Ann Henderson University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 5

6 FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES ILLINOIS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS In the Feb. 23 NCAA rankings the Fighting Illini are 28th in the nation in fewest fouls committed at 14.7 per game and are 50th in the country in free throw percentage (.729). Individually, Lacey Simpson and Jenna Smith rank in the nations top-60 in two categories each. Simpson ranks eighth in steals per game (3.1) and 54th in rebounding (9.0), while Smith is 34th in scoring (18.2 ppg) and 47th in blocks (2.0). ILLINI PUT A SCARE INTO NO. 2 Illinois gave second-ranked North Carolina a scare on Dec. 20 at the Carolinas Challenge in Myrtle Beach. The Illini led for most of the game and held the high-powered Tar Heel offense to its lowest output of the season to that point. Here are a few notes from the game: Illinois nine-point second half lead (32-23) was the largest deficit of the season for the Tar Heels. The Illini held UNC to its lowest point total this season (68). The previous low was 73 vs. Ohio State. UNC entered the game averaging 88.2 points per game, fifthbest in the nation. UNC s 23 first-half points was its lowest output of the season in half. Their previous low was 31. Illinois led for 27 of the first 30 minutes before falling behind in the final 10 minutes. MCDONALD S GIRL Illinois signee Destiny Williams was named to the McDonald s High School All-America Game last week. She will join 23 of the other top players in the nation for the game on April 1 in Miami. In addition to being named a McDonald s All-American, Williams is one of 20 girls' basketball players selected to participate in the 18th annual Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) High School All-America Game presented by Nike on April 4 at Washington University's Athletic Complex in St. Louis, Mo. The game is part of the WBCA National Convention, which takes place at the site of the NCAA Women's Final Four. Fellow Illinois signee Karisma Penn was one of 20 players to receive Honorable Mention accolades for the WBCA game. Williams and Penn are two of the six student-athletes who signed National Letters of Intent to play for Illinois and Coach Jolette Law in November. The class was ranked as high as No. 3 in the country by one publication. For more information on the class, see below. MORE ILLINI NOTES Dominance Over Northwestern Continues: After sweeping Northwestern once again this season, Illinois has now won 19 straight against the Wildcats. NU has not beaten Illinois since Feb. 5, 1999, and the Orange and Blue have not lost to the Wildcats on the road since Feb. 23, 1996, as the Illini have won 10 straight in Evanston. The 19 straight victories is the second-longest current streak of one Big Ten team over another, behind only Purdue s 21 straight wins against Northwestern. The Big 5-0-0: Illinois victory over Northwestern on Jan. 29 was the 500th in program history. Illinois has an alltime record of in 35 years of women s basketball. Earlier in the season against Eastern Illinois (Nov. 16), the Illini picked up the program s 200th victory at Assembly Hall. There s still one more milestone to go, as the Orange and Blue need one more conference win to reach 200 alltime Big Ten victories for Illinois. Hall of Fame Hobin: Assistant to the Head Coach Diane Hobin was honored by her alma mater on Friday, Feb. 6, ILLINOIS SIGNS NO. 3 RECRUITING CLASS IN THE NATION On Nov. 12, 2008, Illinois head coach Jolette Law and her staff signed one of the greatest recruiting classes in Illinois history. The class, which consists of Adrienne GodBold, Brianna Jones, Kersten Magrum, Amber Moore, Karisma Penn and Destiny Williams, was ranked second in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz on singing day and No. 3 at the end of the early signing periord. The class is also ranked No. 4 by Blue Star and No. 6 by USA Today. Here is a brief breakdown of each player. They will all join the Orange and Blue for ADRIENNE GODBOLD 5-11 // Forward // Chicago, Ill. (Marshall HS) Notes: Ranked No. 36 in the nation and No. 1 in the state of Illinois by HoopGurlz... Named the 2009 Chicago Sun-Times Area Player of the Year... Led Marshall to the 2008 IHSA 3A State Championship... Averaged 14.9 pts., 9.1 rebs. as a junior. BRIANNA JONES 6-2 // Forward // Toledo, Ohio (Toledo Central Catholic HS) Notes: Ranked No. 43 in the nation by Blue Star... Averaged 14.1 points and led team to a 23-5 record as a junior... Plays for same AAU team (Michigan Crossover) as Destiny Williams. KERSTEN MAGRUM 6-1 // Forward // Frankfort, Ill. (Lincoln-Way East HS) Notes: Ranked No. 149 in the nation by Blue Star... Named to the Chicago Sun-Times 2009 All-Area First Team... Averaged 17.6 point and 6.9 rebounds per game as a junior to earn first team All-State honors. AMBER MOORE 5-10 // Guard // Detroit, Mich. (Country Day HS) Notes: Ranked No. 109 in the nation by Blue Star and No. 2 in the state of Michigan (behind Destiny Williams)... Averaged 13.5 points to lead team to 2008 Michigan Class B state title. KARISMA PENN 6-2 // Forward // Shaker Heights, Ohio (Shaker Heights HS) Notes: Ranked No. 18 in the nation and is the No. 3 forward according to HoopGurlz... Named as an honorable mention choice for the 2009 WBCA All-America game... Averaged 19.4 points, 12.3 rebs. and 3.2 blocks per game to earn All- State honors. DESTINY WILLIAMS 6-3 // Forward // Benton Harbor, Mich. (Benton Harbor HS) Notes: Ranked No. 8 in the nation and No. 1 in the state by HoopGurlz... Named to the 2009 McDonald s All-America Game and the 2009 WBCA All-America Game... Michigan Class A Player of the Year after averaging 24.5 pts., 13.9 rebs., 4.2 blocks and 3.7 steals as a junior. when she was inducted into the Hofstra University Athletics Hall of Fame. Hobin was one of the most versatile athletes in Hofstra Athletics history, excelling in three sports - basketball, softball and field hockey - for the Pride from Illini Fans Pack the Hall: The Pack the Hall crowd of 7,052 at Assembly Hall on Jan. 3 was the largest to watch the Illini play at home since Jan. 27, 2002, when 8,967 watched Illinois battle Michigan. Home Sweet Home: The Dec. 20 game against North Carolina in Myrtle Beach was a homecoming for Illinois coach Jolette Law, a native of Florence, S.C. Over 200 friends and family were on hand, decked out in orange, to support Law and the Illini in her first game as a head coach in her home state. Thompson Joins Squad: Coach Jolette Law has added Melissa Thompson to the Fighting Illini roster as a walkon. Thompson is a freshman and attended John Hope High School in Chicago, Ill., last season. Thompson has yet to play in a game due to injury. She brings the Illinois roster to 10 players. BERGGREN JERSEY RAISED TO RAFTERS Fighting Illini women's basketball legend Ashley Berggren had her jersey raised to the Assembly Hall rafters on Sunday, Feb. 22, at halftime of Illinois' home finale against Penn State. Berggren's jersey is the first women's basketball jersey displayed permanently at Assembly Hall. Berggren, who donned the Orange and Blue from , is Illinois' all-time leading scorer, totaling 2,089 points during her career. She was Big Ten Player of the Year as a junior in 1997, leading the Illini to a Big Ten Championship and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. During her senior year of , Berggren earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor and led the Orange and Blue to their second consecutive NCAA Sweet 16. She also was named an AP Third Team All-American in 1998 and an honorable mention All-American in 1996 and Berggren's jersey hangs alongside the 30 men's basketball jerseys already displayed in the Assembly Hall rafters. The University of Illinois honored the top players from over 100 years of men's basketball at the "Night of Legends" in September, raising 30 banners in recognition of the school's rich basketball tradition. POLK PART OF BT BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION Former Illini great Jonelle Polk will be one of 22 athletes featured on the Big Ten s Black History Month website this month. Polk starred on the Illini women's basketball team from , ranking second in school history in points (1,984) and rebounds (933), third in blocks (135) and first in career double-doubles (40). She also earned first team All-Big Ten honors twice. Throughout February, the website will feature stories on current and former student-athletes from each institution and can be accessed at Polk was featured on the site on Feb University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 6

7 FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES BIG TEN TOURNEY TICKETS - GET EM WHILE THEY RE HOT Last season, Jolette Law s Fighting Illini squad went on an electrifying run to the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Don t miss the action this year. All- and single-session tickets for the 2009 Big Ten Women s Basketball Tournament are now available. Single-session tickets are available for $12-16 and can be purchased at the Conseco Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster outlets, or by calling Ticketmaster at All-session passes can be purchased for $65 and are available at each of the above locations and at each of the university ticket offices. JOLETTE LAW TV SHOW SECOND SEASON WINDING DOWN Season two of the Jolette Law Show kicked-off on Jan. 4. New episodes of the show will air every Sunday night at 11 p.m. on WICD Channel 15 in Champaign and WICS Channel 20 in Springfield. The show immediately follows the Bruce Weber Show, which airs at 10:30 p.m. on WICD/WICS. The Jolette Law Show will also air Wednesdays at 3 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network. Fans can sign up to be members of the Get to Know Her Club at all Illinois home games at a kiosk near the main entrance on the west side of Assembly Hall. SMITH NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN Big things are expected in from junior center Jenna Smith, as she was selected to the preseason All-Big Ten team by both the coaches and media at Big Ten Media Day. A first team All-Big Ten selection last year, Smith is the leading returning scorer and second returning rebounder in the conference, averaging 18.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in Joining Smith on the preseason All-Big Ten team are Michigan State center Allyssa DeHaan, Minnesota guard Emily Fox, Purdue forward Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton and Ohio State center Jantel Lavender, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year. This marks the second consecutive year Illinois has had a representative on the preseason team, as guard Lori Bjork was a selection a year ago. For the second straight year, the show is hosted by longtime Illinois radio voice Dave Loane, who will be joined by Coach Law in the Illini Productions studio. The show will feature Illini women's basketball highlights throughout the conference season along with in-depth player interviews and features that will give fans a behind-thescenes look at Illinois basketball Jolette Law Show Broadcast Times Episode WICD/WICS Big Ten Network #9 March 1 at 11 pm March 4 at 3 pm *All times central NEW TIE BREAKERS IN 09 The tiebreaking procedure for determining seeding for the men s and women s basketball tournaments has been modified slightly for Breaking ties between teams shall be determined by winning percentage. A winning percentage shall be the same regardless of a 2-0 or 1-0 record. Likewise, a.000 record shall be the same regardless of a 0-2 or 0-1 record. GET TO KNOW THE ILLINI Illinois and the Big Ten Conference have launched the Get to Know Her campaign this season, a fully integrated effort that will allow fans to see the non-basketball sides of their favorite student-athletes. Elements of the Get to Know Her campaign include a fan club, theme nights, a weekly newsletter, Big Ten Network-produced PSAs, video and print feature stories, a Facebook page and fan rewards. At Illinois games, a Fighting Illini player will be featured on the game poster and in video segments throughout the game to help fans Get to Know the student-athlete better. Popular video segments include Pop-up Video, This or That and Movie Quotes. In addition, as part of the Get to Know Her campaign, each Illinois player has been adopted by an area grade school. The adopted player will visit the school once a month to act as a positive role model for students University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 7

8 FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES SPECIALTY STATS 2nd Fast Game In Paint Off TO Chance Break Bench at IPFW Eastern Illinois Missouri Temple vs. Montana vs. S. Dakota St vs. Maryland Virginia vs. Bradley at Milwaukee vs. North Carolina Purdue at Penn State Wisconsin Minnesota at Michigan Ohio State Iowa at Wisconsin at Ohio State Indiana at Northwestern Michigan State at Indiana Northwestern at Purdue Penn State at Iowa at Minnesota TOTAL Ave/Game Totals are displayed in the ILL/OPP format HOW MANY TIMES... Double-Doubles Career Jenna Smith 9 31 Lacey Simpson Point Games Career Jenna Smith Point Games Career Jenna Smith Chelsea Gordon Rebound Games Career Jenna Smith 9 33 Lacey Simpson 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 IPFW (1) Josil Blinn Gordon Simpson Smith Eastern Illinois (2) Josil Gordon Toone Simpson Smith Missouri (3) Josil McCully Gordon Simpson Smith Temple (4) Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith vs. Montana Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith vs. South Dakota State Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith vs. Maryland Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith Virginia Josil McCully Gordon Simpson Smith vs. Bradley (5) McCully Gordon Simpson Rukavina Smith at Milwaukee Josil McCully Gordon Simpson Smith vs. North Carolina Josil McCully Gordon Simpson Smith Purdue Josil McCully Gordon Simpson Smith at Penn State Josil McCully Gordon Simpson Smith Wisconsin Josil McCully Gordon Simpson Smith Minnesota Josil McCully Gordon Simpson Smith at Michigan Josil McCully Gordon Simpson Smith Ohio State (6) McCully Blinn Gordon Simpson Smith Iowa McCully Blinn Gordon Simpson Smith at Wisconsin (7) McCully Gordon Toone Simpson Smith at Ohio State McCully Gordon Toone Simpson Smith Indiana McCully Blinn Gordon Simpson Smith at Northwestern Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith Michigan State Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith at Indiana Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith Northwestern Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith at Purdue Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith Penn State Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith at Iowa Josil McCully Blinn Simpson Smith at Minnesota 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 21+ 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 Wearing Pink jerseys In Day Games (start before 5 p.m.) In Night Games (start 5 p.m. or later) Record by Month November December January February March University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 8

9 University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 9 THE LAST TIME... Illinois scored 100 points or more feb. 4, 2001 vs. Minnesota (Illinois 101, Minnesota 91) Illinois scored 90 points or more nov. 23, 2007 vs. South Carolina at FIU Thanksgiving Classic (Illinois 91, S. Carolina 58) Illinois scored 50 points or less feb. 15, 2009 at Purdue (Purdue 68, Illinois 50) Illinois scored 40 points or less jan. 12, 2009 vs. Ohio State (Ohio State 67, Illinois 35) 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 nov. 28, 2008, vs. Montana at Cancun Caribbean Challenge (Montana 59, Illinois 57) Illinois made 10 or more three-pointers feb. 4, 2008, 10-26, at Michigan (Illinois 66, Michigan 61) An Illinois opponent made 10 or more three-pointers jan. 15, 2009, Iowa (Iowa 72, Illinois 62) An Illinois player scored 30+ points feb. 21, 2008 vs. Penn State, Jenna Smith, 30, (Illinois 69, Penn State 49) An Illinois player scored 40+ points jan. 14, 1996 at Minnesota, Ashley Berggren, 43, (Illinois 87, Minnesota 76) An opposing player scored 30+ points jan. 22, 2009, Jantel Lavender, Ohio State, 30 (Ohio State 68, Illinois 51) 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 State at BTT (PSU 61, Illinois 49 - Rebecca Harris had 8) No opposing player scored double figures nov. 16, 2008 vs. Eastern Illinois (Illinois 49, Eastern Illinois 45) Two Illini Players had a double-double in the same game jan. 29, 2009 at Northwestern, Jenna Smith 19 p, 12 r and Lacey Simpson 11 p, 10 r (Illinois 45, Northwestern 44) An Illini had 15+ rebounds jan. 25, 2009, Jenna Smith, 15, vs Indiana (Illinois 61, Indiana 52) 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 feb. 12, 2009, Amy Jaeschke, Northwestern, 16, (Illinois 60, Northwestern 46) 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 dec. 8, 2007, Lacey Simpson, 12, vs. Chicago State (Illinois 73, Chicagao State 46) 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 dec. 19, 2007, Lori Bjork, 5, at. Missouri (Illinois 66, Missouri 52) 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 jan. 15, 2009, Kristi Smith, Iowa, 5, (Iowa 72, Illinois 62) 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 jan. 12, 2009,.250 (14-56), vs. Ohio State (Ohio State 67, Illinois 35) 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 jan. 25, 2009,.286 (18-63), vs Indiana (Illinois 61, Indiana 52) 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. 3, 2009, 10, vs Minnesota (Minnesota 52, Illinois 48) 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 dec. 20, 2008-Jan. 22, 2009, 10-game streak Illinois lost 10+ games in a row dec. 20, 2008-Jan. 22, 2009, 10-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 nov. 23, 2008-Jan. 15, 2009, 7-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

10 FIGHTING ILLINI NOTES DATE OPPONENT RESULT REC. ATTEN. HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS 11/14 at IPFW W, Smith 9 - Simpson 11/16 Eastern Illinois W, , Smith 11 - Simpson 11/19 Missouri W, , Simpson 9 - Smith 11/23 Temple L, , Smith 12 - Smith 11/26 vs. Montana^ L, (OT) Smith 8 - Simpson 11/27 vs. South Dakota State^ L, Smith 7 - Smith, Simpson 11/28 vs. #10/14 Maryland^ L, Smith 13- Simpson 12/4 #20/19 Virginia& L, , Smith 7 - Rukavina 12/6 vs. Bradley$ L, , Smith 10 - Simpson 12/10 at Milwaukee W, Smith 12 - Smith 12/20 vs. #2/2 North Carolina! L, , Smith 9 - Smith, Simpson 12/22 Purdue L, , 0-1 1, Simpson 7 - Simpson 12/28 at Penn State L, , 0-2 4, Smith 12 - Smith, Simpson 1/1 Wisconsin L, , 0-3 1, Smith 7 - Smith, Simpson 1/3 Minnesota L, , 0-4 7, Blinn 12 - Simpson 1/8 at Michigan L, , 0-5 1, McCully 8 - Smith 1/12 #16/17 Ohio State L, , 0-6 1, Smith 7 - Smith 1/15 Iowa L, , 0-7 1, Smith 18 - Smith 1/18 at Wisconsin L, , 0-8 5, Smith 12 - Smith, Simpson 1/22 at #19/17 Ohio State L, , 0-9 2, Smith 8 - Simpson 1/25 Indiana W, , 1-9 2, Smith 15 - Smith 1/29 at Northwestern W, , Smith 12 - Smith 2/5 Michigan State L, , , Smith 12 - Simpson 2/8 at Indiana W, , , Smith 14 - Simpson 2/12 Northwestern W, , , Smith 10 - Simpson 2/15 at Purdue L, , , Simpson 13 - Smith 2/22 Penn State L, , , Smith 13 - Smith 2/26 at Iowa L, , , Smith 9 - Simpson 3/1 at Minnesota ^ Cancun Caribbean Challenge MTE (Cancun, Mexico) & ACC/Big Ten Challenge $ Lexus December to Remember Classic, United Center, Chicago, Ill.! Carolina Challenge, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Rankings are AP/Coaches on date of game ATTENDANCE SUMMARY GAMES TOTAL AVG. HIGH HOME 13 24,368 1,874 7,052 BIG TEN HOME 9 18,850 2,094 7,052 AWAY 10 32,249 3,225 9,847 NEUTRAL 5 6,332 1,266 2,500 TOTAL 28 62,939 2,248 9,847 Led Team in Scoring Smith Simpson Blinn McCully Led Team in Rebounding Simpson Smith Rukavina NUMBER OF TIMES... Double-Digit Scoring Games Smith Simpson McCully Blinn Josil Gordon Double Digit Rebound Games Simpson Smith University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 10

11 GAME-BY-GAME TEAM COMPARISON Opponent 1st 2nd Score Mar. Tot. FG FG% 3-Ptrs. 3-FG % FT FT % Rebs. Assts. TO Blk Stl Fouls at IPFW 44/21 20/23 64/ / / / / / / /25 15/12 16/16 0/1 11/8 14/14 Eastern Illinois 16/28 33/17 49/ / / / / / / /32 10/9 13/19 7/2 6/2 12/17 Missouri 30/26 35/29 65/ / / / / / / /40 9/11 19/19 1/5 10/7 11/19 Temple 23/29 24/37 47/ / / / / / / /41 10/15 16/17 3/1 2/8 10/15 vs. Montana 25/26 24/23 57/ / / / / / / /42 10/11 16/23 3/0 9/6 20/12 vs. S. Dakota State 38/25 22/37 60/ / / / / / / /26 17/7 15/19 5/0 13/5 17/7 vs. Maryland 23/39 29/40 52/ / / / / / / /35 13/13 20/15 1/1 3/10 20/11 Virginia 14/40 25/23 39/ / / / / / / /43 10/8 24/20 2/3 7/14 17/14 vs. Bradley 27/40 26/31 53/ / / / / / / /46 15/15 16/19 6/6 9/9 13/12 at Milwaukee 35/25 28/36 63/ / / / / / / /34 20/16 14/21 2/1 14/7 12/11 vs. North Carolina 25/23 34/45 59/ / / / / / / /39 11/15 19/16 4/2 9/13 16/11 Purdue 21/25 21/28 42/ / / / / / / /36 10/12 15/13 7/2 8/8 13/11 at Penn State 31/23 20/31 51/ / / / / / / /40 12/12 18/15 6/3 5/11 16/12 Wisconsin 17/28 21/25 38/ / / / / / / /34 7/9 12/13 5/4 4/3 17/16 Minnesota 23/20 25/32 48/ / / / / / / /30 11/10 18/12 10/2 3/11 14/11 at Michigan 14/23 30/29 44/ / / / / / / /33 10/9 20/17 4/3 7/11 20/6 Ohio State 20/27 15/40 35/ / / / / / / /46 4/18 18/21 5/2 12/9 10/10 Iowa 23/30 39/42 62/ / / / / / / /29 8/21 11/8 2/5 5/5 17/16 at Wisconsin 17/27 26/34 43/ / / / / / / /28 9/10 15/5 5/3 3/7 13/12 at Ohio State 27/36 24/32 51/ / / / / / / /39 10/15 16/13 3/2 10/8 15/13 Indiana 20/22 41/30 61/ / / / / / / /39 14/10 21/15 8/3 5/12 17/16 at Northwestern 24/27 21/17 45/ / / / / / / /37 10/8 16/20 3/5 9/11 9/11 Michigan State 18/36 32/27 50/ / / / / / / /30 11/17 22/18 5/5 9/11 10/15 at Indiana 28/24 38/35 66/ / / / / / / /42 9/10 20/19 3/2 9/9 16/19 Northwestern 26/20 34/26 60/ / / / / / / /41 9/9 7/18 6/9 9/4 16/13 at Purdue 24/35 26/33 50/ / / / / / / /38 9/17 18/14 4/4 3/10 18/17 Penn State 31/30 25/37 56/ / / / / / / /36 17/12 19/16 3/2 5/10 16/13 at Iowa 19/32 37/37 56/ / / / / / / /38 11/18 11/4 3/0 3/3 12/10 at Minnesota Note: Totals are displayed in the ILLINOIS/OPPONENT format ILLINOIS TEAM GAME HIGHS Points at Indiana (2/8/09) Field Goals Made at UW-Milwaukee (12/10/08) Field Goals Attempted vs Northwestern (2/12/09) Field Goal % (20-41) vs Minnesota (1/3/09) 3-Pt. Field Goals Made five times, last at Michigan (1/8/09) 3-Pt. Field Goals Attempted vs Bradley (12/6/08) 3-Pt. Field Goal Percentage (4-7) at Indiana (2/8/09) Free Throws Made at Indiana (2/8/09) Free Throws Attempted at Indiana (2/8/09) Free Throw Percentage (7-8) vs Ohio State (1/12/09) Rebounds vs Iowa (1/15/09) Assists at UW-Milwaukee (12/10/08) Steals at UW-Milwaukee (12/10/08) Blocked Shots vs Minnesota (1/3/09) Turnovers vs Virginia (12/4/08) Fouls at Michigan (1/8/09) vs Maryland (11/28/08) vs Montana (11/26/08) ILLINOIS INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS Points Jenna Smith (11/14/08) Field Goals Made Jenna Smith (11/14/08) Field Goals Attempted Jenna Smith (11/28/08) Field Goal % (Min. 5 made) (8-9) Lacey Simpson (11/14/08) (6-7) Fabiola Josil (2/26/09) (11-14) Jenna Smith (11/27/08) 3-Pt. Field Goals Made Lydia McCully (11/28/08) 3-Pt. Field Goals Attempted Macie Blinn (1/29/09) Lacey Simpson (12/6/08) Lydia McCully (11/28/08) 3-Pt. Field Goal % (Min. 3 made) lydia McCully (1/8/09) Macie Blinn (12/10/08) Free Throws Made Jenna Smith (2/8/09) Free Throws Attempted Jenna Smith (2/8/09) Free Throw % (Min. 7 made) (9-9) Jenna Smith (1/1/09) Rebounds Jenna Smith (1/15/09) Assists Lacey Simpson (2/22/09) Steals Lacey Simpson (11/14/08) Blocked Shots Lacey Simpson (1/3/09) Jenna Smith (11/16/08) Turnovers Lydia McCully (11/28/08) Fouls Lacey Simpson (2/22/09) Jenna Smith (1/8/09) Chelsea Gordon (12/28/08) Lana Rukavina (11/14/08) University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 11

12 21 MACIE BLINN 5-11 // FRESHMAN // GUARD GREENVILLE, OHIO GREENVILLE HS PLAYER BIO UPDATES BIO UPDATE Has stepped up to average 8.9 points over the last eight games since taking over the injured Chelsea Gordon s spot in the starting lineup Had a career-high five rebounds against Northwestern on Feb. 12, also scoring seven points Scored in double figures for the second time in three games with 10 points against Michigan State on Feb. 5 Played the entire 40 minutes for the second straight game on Jan. 29 at Northwestern, hitting three-three pointers for nine points Played all 40 minutes for the first time in her career on Jan. 25 against Indiana, scoring 12 points and hitting two three-pointers Had 10 points at Michigan on Jan. 8, also dishing out a career-high four assists Scored a career-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting on Jan. 3 against Minnesota Scored 12 points at UW-Milwaukee on Dec. 10, hitting a career-best three three-pointers and dishing out three assists in 34 minutes Broke out against Missouri on Nov. 19, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, hitting two three-pointers and grabbing three rebounds in 29 minutes Started and made her Illinois debut at IPFW on Nov. 14, contributing five points, three assists and two rebounds in 21 minutes SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 16 (vs Minnesota, 1/3/09) Rebs: 5 (vs Northwestern, 2/12/09) FGM: 7 (vs Minnesota, 1/3/09) FGA: 12 (3x, last vs Penn State, 2/22/09) FTM: 5 (vs Penn State, 2/22/09) FTA: 6 (vs Penn State, 2/22/09) 3FGM: 3 (2x, last at Northwestern, 1/29/09) 3FGA: 7 (at Northwestern, 1/29/09) Asst: 4 (at Michigan, 1/8/09 Blk: 2 (at Purdue, 2/15/09) Stl: 2 (2x, last vs Ohio State, 1/12/09) Min: 40 (2x, last at Northwestern, 1/29/09) GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/14 at IPFW * /16 Eastern Illinois /19 Missouri /23 Temple * /26 vs. Montana * /27 vs. SDSU * /28 vs. Maryland * /4 Virginia /6 vs. Bradley /10 at Milwuakee /20 vs. UNC /22 Purdue /28 at Penn State /1 Wisconsin /3 Minnesota /8 at Michigan /12 Ohio State * /15 Iowa * /18 at Wisconsin /22 at Ohio State /25 Indiana * /29 at Northwestern * /5 Michigan State * /8 at Indiana * /12 Northwestern * /15 at Purdue * /22 Penn State * /26 at Iowa * /1 at Minnesota BLINN S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /2.0 46/ /5.9 TOTAL / / / / /2.0 46/ / University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 12

13 PLAYER BIO UPDATES 33 CHELSEA GORDON 6-0 // SENIOR // FORWARD ERIE, PA. MERCYHURST PREP BIO UPDATE Will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee on Jan. 25 in the win over Indiana Played in 116 career games at Illinois, tied for the sixth most in school history Tied her career-high with three blocks on Jan. 18 at Wisconsin, also playing all 40 minutes for the third consecutive game Scored a season-high 14 points against Iowa on Jan. 15, going a perfect 5-of- 5 from the free throw line and playing all 40 minutes for the fourth time this season Played all 40 minutes against #2 North Carolina on Dec. 20, scoring seven points and pulling down six rebounds Missed two games after injuring her ankle during the Missouri game on Nov. 11. Returned to the Illini lineup on Nov. 27 against South Dakota State in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge Had a career-high four steals against Eastern Illinois on Nov. 16 to go along with six points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks Pulled down seven rebounds in opener at IPFW on Nov. 14 SEASON BESTS GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS CAREER BESTS Pts: 14 (vs Iowa, 1/15/09) 21 (at Ole Miss, 12/2/06) Rebs: 7 (at IPFW, 11/14/08) 9 (2x, last vs Wisconsin, 3/6/08) FGM: 4 (vs Iowa, 1/15/09) 8 (at Ole Miss, 12/2/06) FGA: 14 (vs Iowa, 1/15/09) 19 (at Ole Miss, 12/2/06) FTM: 5 (vs Iowa, 1/15/09) 8 (at Indiana, 2/18/07) FTA: 5 (vs Iowa, 1/15/09) 9 (at Indiana, 2/18/07) 3FGM: 1 (8x, last at Ohio State, 1/22/09) 4 (vs Iowa, 1/21/08) 3FGA: 4 (4x, last at Ohio State, 1/22/09) 10 (vs Iowa, 1/21/08) Asst: 3 (4x, last at Penn State, 12/28/08) 4 (5x, last at Indiana, 1/6/08) Blk: 3 (at Wisconsin, 1/18/09) 3 (2x, last at Wisconsin, 1/18/09) Stl: 4 (vs Eastern Illinois, 11/16/08) 4 (vs Eastern Illinois, 11/16/08) Min: 40 (6x, last at Ohio State, 1/22/09) 40 (15x, last at Ohio State, 1/22/09) Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/14 at IPFW * /16 Eastern Illinois * /19 Missouri * /23 Temple DNP - Injury 11/26 vs. Montana DNP - Injury 11/27 vs. SDSU /28 vs. Maryland /4 Virginia * /6 vs. Bradley * /10 at Milwuakee * /20 vs. UNC * /22 Purdue * /28 at Penn State * /1 Wisconsin * /3 Minnesota * /8 at Michigan * /12 Ohio State * /15 Iowa * /18 at Wisconsin * /22 at Ohio State * /25 Indiana * /29 at Northwestern DNP - Injury 2/5 Michigan State DNP - Injury 2/8 at Indiana DNP - Injury 2/12 Northwestern DNP - Injury 2/15 at Purdue DNP - Injury 2/22 Penn State DNP - Injury 2/26 at Iowa DNP - Injury 3/1 at Minnesota GORDON S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /1.5 19/ / / / / / /3.7 48/ / / / / / /4.1 60/ / / / / / /2.9 33/ /4.1 TOTAL / / / / / / / University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 13

14 3 FABIOLA JOSIL 5-7 // FRESHMAN // GUARD CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. CORAL SPRINGS HS PLAYER BIO UPDATES BIO UPDATE Had the best game of her career on Feb. 26 at Iowa, scoring a career-high 13 points in shooting 6-of-7 from the field Scored eight points and tied her career-high with four rebounds against Northwestern on Feb. 12 Scor ed 10 points against Indiana on Jan. 25 Played all 40 minutes and scored eight points on Jan. 3 against Minnesota Scored eight points and pulled down four rebounds against Purdue on Dec. 22 Played all 40 minutes for the first time in her career on Dec. 20 against #2 North Carolina, scoring seven points while notching two assists and two steals and turning the ball over just once Dished out a career-high four assists and scored four points against South Dakota State in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge on Nov. 27, also recording a career-high three steals against Montana on Nov. 26 Scored 10 points against Temple on Nov. 23 for her first career double scoring game Scored five points - her first as an Illini - on Nov. 16 vs. Eastern Illinois, also pulling down four rebounds and dishing two assists while committing no turnovers in 37 minutes SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 13 (at Iowa, 2/26/09) Rebs: 4 (4x, last vs Northwestern, 2/12/09) FGM: 6 (at Iowa, 2/26/09) FGA: 9 (vs Temple, 11/23/08) FTM: 4 (vs Northwestern, 2/12/09) FTA: 5 (vs Northwestern, 2/12/09) 3FGM: 2 (3x, last vs Indiana, 1/25/09) 3FGA: 3 (2x, last vs Temple, 11/23/08) Asst: 4 (vs SDSU, 11/27/08) Blk: 0 Stl: 3 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) Min: 40 (2x, last vs Minnesota, 1/3/09) GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/14 at IPFW * /16 Eastern Illinois * /19 Missouri * /23 Temple * /26 vs. Montana * /27 vs. SDSU * /28 vs. Maryland * /4 Virginia * /6 vs. Bradley /10 at Milwuakee * /20 vs. UNC * /22 Purdue * /28 at Penn State * /1 Wisconsin * /3 Minnesota * /8 at Michigan * /12 Ohio State /15 Iowa /18 at Wisconsin /22 at Ohio State /25 Indiana /29 at Northwestern * /5 Michigan State * /8 at Indiana * /12 Northwestern * /15 at Purdue * /22 Penn State * /26 at Iowa * /1 at Minnesota JOSIL S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /1.9 48/ /4.5 TOTAL / / / / /1.9 48/ / University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 14

15 12 LYDIA McCULLY 5-9 // RS FRESHMAN // GUARD BEDFORD HEIGHTS, OHIO BEDFORD HS PLAYER BIO UPDATES BIO UPDATE Hit the game-winning jumper against Milwaukee with 3.4 seconds left Scored in double figures on Feb. 22 against Penn State for the first time in seven games, with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists Grabbed a career-high seven rebounds and also notched eight points and three assists against Northwestern on Feb. 12 Scored 11 points and had career-highs in rebounds (6) and steals (3) at Ohio State on Jan. 22 Scored nine points against Iowa on Jan. 15, despite sitting out much of the first half due to foul trouble Hit three three-pointers and scored 11 points at Michigan on Jan. 8 Scored 13 points on Dec. 6 against Bradley and recorded a career-high five assists Hit a career-best four three-pointers while playing all 40 minutes against Maryland in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge finale on Nov. 28 Scored a career-high 15 points against South Dakota State on Nov. 27 in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge, also notching three rebounds, two assists and two steals Played all 45 minutes in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge opener on Nov. 26 against Montana Started the first game of her career on Nov. 19 against Missouri, playing all 40 minutes and contributing 10 points, four rebounds and three assists Had five points, two steals and two assists in her Illinois debut on Nov. 14 at IPFW SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 15 (vs SDSU, 11/27/08) Rebs: 7 (vs Northwestern, 2/12/09) FGM: 6 (2x, last at UW-Milwaukee, 12/10/08) FGA: 15 (3x, last vs Northwestern, 2/12/09) FTM: 4 (vs Temple, 11/23/08) FTA: 4 (3x, last at Ohio State, 1/22/09) 3FGM: 4 (vs Maryland, 11/28/08) 3FGA: 7 (vs Maryland, 11/28/08) Asst: 5 (vs Bradley, 12/6/08) Blk: 1 (4x, last at Iowa, 2/26/09) Stl: 3 (2x, last at Indiana, 2/8/09) Min: 45 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/14 at IPFW /16 Eastern Illinois /19 Missouri * /23 Temple * /26 vs. Montana * /27 vs. SDSU * /28 vs. Maryland * /4 Virginia * /6 vs. Bradley * /10 at Milwuakee * /20 vs. UNC * /22 Purdue * /28 at Penn State * /1 Wisconsin * /3 Minnesota * /8 at Michigan * /12 Ohio State * /15 Iowa * /18 at Wisconsin * /22 at Ohio State * /25 Indiana * /29 at Northwestern * /5 Michigan State * /8 at Indiana * /12 Northwestern * /15 at Purdue * /22 Penn State * /26 at Iowa * /1 at Minnesota McCULLY S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /2.9 72/ /7.5 TOTAL / / / / /2.9 72/ / University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 15

16 PLAYER BIO UPDATES 11 EBONI MITCHELL 5-7 // FRESHMAN // GUARD DECATUR, GA. SOUTHWEST DEKALB HS BIO UPDATE Is still limited in practice because of a stress fracture in her leg Hit the first three-pointer of her career on Feb. 26 at Iowa, her first points since Dec. 6 against Bradley Played 22 minutes on Nov. 26 against Montana in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge opener, scoring the first six points of her career and dishing out three assists Made her Illinois debut on Nov. 16 against Eastern Illinois, playing two minutes Did not play in season opener at IPFW due to injury SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 6 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) Rebs: 2 (2x, last at Michigan, 1/8/09) FGM: 1 (4x, last at Iowa, 2/26/09) FGA: 7 (vs Maryland, 11/28/08) FTM: 4 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) FTA: 6 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) 3FGM: 1 (at Iowa, 2/26/09) 3FGA: 2 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) Asst: 3 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) Blk: 0 Stl: 1 (3x, last at Northwestern, 1/29/09) Min: 22 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/14 at IPFW DNP - Injured 11/16 Eastern Illinois /19 Missouri DNP 11/23 Temple /26 vs. Montana /27 vs. SDSU /28 vs. Maryland /4 Virginia /6 vs. Bradley /10 at Milwuakee /20 vs. UNC DNP 12/22 Purdue /28 at Penn State /1 Wisconsin /3 Minnesota DNP 1/8 at Michigan /12 Ohio State DNP 1/15 Iowa DNP 1/18 at Wisconsin /22 at Ohio State DNP 1/25 Indiana /29 at Northwestern /5 Michigan State /8 at Indiana DNP 2/12 Northwestern /15 at Purdue DNP 2/22 Penn State DNP 2/26 at Iowa /1 at Minnesota MITCHELL S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / /.417 7/0.4 17/ /0.8 TOTAL / / / /.417 7/0.4 17/ / University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 16

17 PLAYER BIO UPDATES 34 LANA RUKAVINA 6-3 // FRESHMAN // FORWARD WHEELING, ILL. WHEELING HS BIO UPDATE Played 15 minutes on Jan. 1 against Wisconsin, pulling down four rebounds Made the first start of her career on Dec. 6 against Bradley Played a career-high 26 minutes on Dec. 4 against Virginia, pulling down a career-high seven rebounds and scoring six points Scored eight points in seven minutes on Nov. 26 against Montana in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge opener, going a perfect 4-of-4 from the field Made the first field goal of her career on Nov. 19 against Missouri Pulled down five rebounds and scored her first career point in her Illinois debut on Nov. 14 at IPFW SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 8 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) Rebs: 7 (vs Virginia, 12/4/08) FGM: 4 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) FGA: 8 (vs Virginia, 12/4/08) FTM: 2 (2x, last at Indiana, 2/8/09) FTA: 2 (5x, last at Indiana, 2/8/09) 3FGM: 0 3FGA: 1 (vs Purdue, 12/22/08) Asst: 1 (3x, last vs Wisconsin, 1/1/09) Blk: 1 (vs Virginia, 12/4/08) Stl: 1 (vs Virginia, 12/4/08) Min: 26 (vs Virginia, 12/4/08) GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/14 at IPFW /16 Eastern Illinois /19 Missouri /23 Temple /26 vs. Montana /27 vs. SDSU /28 vs. Maryland /4 Virginia /6 vs. Bradley * /10 at Milwuakee /20 vs. UNC DNP 12/22 Purdue /28 at Penn State /1 Wisconsin /3 Minnesota /8 at Michigan /12 Ohio State /15 Iowa /18 at Wisconsin /22 at Ohio State /25 Indiana /29 at Northwestern DNP 2/5 Michigan State /8 at Indiana /12 Northwestern /15 at Purdue /22 Penn State /26 at Iowa /1 at Minnesota RUKAVINA S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /1.4 26/ /1.3 TOTAL / / / / /1.4 26/ / University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 17

18 PLAYER BIO UPDATES 22 LACEY SIMPSON 6-1 // JUNIOR // FORWARD ZION, ILL. ZION-BENTON HS ALL-BIG TEN AND DEFENSIVE POY CANDIDATE BIO UPDATE Ranks first in the Big Ten in steals (3.14/game) for all games and is third in rebounding (9.0) Ranks second in the Big Ten with seven double-doubles in conference play, with four straight double-doubles from Jan. 29 through Feb. 12 Is close to averaging a double-double in Big Ten play (10.5 pts / 9.6 reb) Is one of only three players in the nation currently averaging over 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game Is the only player to rank in the top-10 in the conference in rebounding, steals and assists Ranks tied for second on Illinois career steals list with 246 and fifth on the career blocks list with 114 Dished out a season-high seven assists on Feb. 22 against Penn State Was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Feb. 10 for averaging 14.0 points, 13.0 rebounds 5.0 steals and 2.5 blocks in games against Michigan State and Indiana Had her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against Iowa on Jan. 15 Pulled down 12 rebounds and tied her career-high with five blocks against Minnesota on Jan. 3 Matched her career-high with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting against Purdue on Dec. 22, also pulling down seven rebounds and notching four steals Just missed a double-double against #2 North Carolina on Dec. 20, scoring 15 points and pulling down nine rebounds while also recording four assists and four steals Grabbed 13 rebounds against #10 Maryland in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge finale on Nov. 28, also scoring eight points Matched her career-high with 18 points against Missouri, also recording six steals and five rebounds Recorded her first double-double of the season on Nov. 16 against Eastern Illinois, with 14 points and 11 rebounds Just missed a triple-double in season-opener at IPFW on Nov. 14, scoring 17 points while shooting 89 percent from the field (8-of-9), pulling down nine rebounds and recording a career-high nine steals SEASON BESTS GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS CAREER BESTS Pts: 18 (2x, last vs Purdue, 12/22/08) 18 (3x, last vs Purdue, 12/22/08) Rebs: 15 (vs Iowa, 1/15/09) 15 (vs Iowa, 1/15/09) FGM: 8 (at IPFW, 11/14/08) 8 (at IPFW, 11/14/08) FGA: 19 (3x, last vs Bradley, 12/6/08) 19 (3x, last vs Bradley, 12/6/08) FTM: 6 (vs Eastern Illinois, 11/16/08) 6 (vs Eastern Illinois, 11/16/08) FTA: 6 (vs Eastern Illinois, 11/16/08) 7 (vs Wisconsin, 3/6/08) 3FGM: 2 (vs Bradley, 12/6/08) 2 (14x, last vs Bradley, 12/6/08) 3FGA: 7 (vs Bradley, 12/6/08) 7 (vs Bradley, 12/6/08) Asst: 7 (vs Penn State, 2/22/09) 12 (vs Chicago State, 12/8/07) Blk: 5 (vs Minnesota, 1/3/09) 5 (3x, last vs Minnesota, 1/3/09) Stl: 9 (at IPFW, 11/14/08) 9 (at IPFW, 11/14/08) Min: 44 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) 44 (vs Montana, 11/26/08) Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/14 at IPFW * /16 Eastern Illinois * /19 Missouri * /23 Temple * /26 vs. Montana * /27 vs. SDSU * /28 vs. Maryland * /4 Virginia * /6 vs. Bradley * /10 at Milwuakee * /20 vs. UNC * /22 Purdue * /28 at Penn State * /1 Wisconsin * /3 Minnesota * /8 at Michigan * /12 Ohio State * /15 Iowa * /18 at Wisconsin * /22 at Ohio State * /25 Indiana * /29 at Northwestern * /5 Michigan State * /8 at Indiana * /12 Northwestern * /15 at Purdue * /22 Penn State * /26 at Iowa * /1 at Minnesota SIMPSON S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /2.5 3/ / / / / / /6.6 68/ / / / / / /5.0 92/ / / / / / /9.0 82/ /11.1 TOTAL / / / / / / / University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 18

19 v One of the most athletic and versatile players in the conference v Leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the nation in steals at 3.14 per game v Third in the Big Ten in rebounding in both all games (9.0) and conference games (9.6) v One of only three players in the nation averaging at least 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals v One of only two players that appear in the Big Ten rankings in nine categories v Only player ranked in the Big Ten s top-10 in rebounding, assists and steals v Tied second in the Big Ten in double-doubles during conference play with seven v Named Big Ten Player of the Week on Feb. 10 v Already ranks in the top-5 on the Illinois career steals (second) and blocks (fifth) list in less than three full seasons v Check out her blog Lacing Up with Lacey at Simpson s Statistics G-GS Min. Pts O Reb. D Reb. Tot. Reb. Asst. Blk. Stl. Overall BT Rank G-GS Min. Pts O Reb. D Reb. Reb. Asst. Blk. Stl. Big Ten BT Rank * All statistics and rankings through games of Feb. 26

20 22 JENNA SMITH 6-3 // JUNIOR // CENTER BLOOMINGTON, MINN. KENNEDY HS PLAYER BIO UPDATES ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE BIO UPDATE Is third in the Big Ten in scoring (18.2 ppg), leads the conference in minutes (38.64) and has scored in double figures in every game this season Ranks tied for second among active Big Ten players with 31 career double-doubles Has scored in double-figure in 36 consecutive games, the seventh-longest current streak in the nation, and in 64 of the last 65 games overall Ranks second on Illinois career blocks list with 153, seventh on the career rebounding list with 802 and 10th on the career scoring list with 1,481 points Named to the 50-player Naismith Award Watch List Surpassed the 1,000 point milestone in season opener at IPFW, scoring 29 points and pulling down eight rebounds Scored 20 points against Iowa on Feb. 26, her fourth game scoring at least 20 points in the last five games Had a big game of 22 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks against Penn State on Feb. 22, her ninth double-double of the season Led the Illini to their upset win over Indiana on Jan. 25 with 24 points (9-of-14 shooting) 15 rebounds and three blocks Had a double-double of 18 points and a season-best 18 rebounds against Iowa on Jan. 15 Had her third double-double of the season at Penn State on Dec. 28, with 23 points and 12 rebounds Just missed a double-double on Dec. 20 against #2 North Carolina, scoring 20 points and pulling down nine rebounds while also blocking three shots Had her second double-double of the season at UW-Milwaukee on Dec. 10, with 20 points and 12 rebounds to go along with five assists and four steals Averaged 20.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in the Illini s three games in the Cancun Caribbean Challenge on Nov , scoring 19 points against Montana, 22 against South Dakota State and 21 against Maryland Notched first double-double of season on Nov. 23 against Temple, with 17 points and 12 rebounds while also blocking three shots Was an honorable mention AP All-American and first team All-Big Ten selection in SEASON BESTS GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS CAREER BESTS Pts: 29 (at IPFW, 11/14/08) 32 (vs Southern Illinois 11/18/07) Rebs: 18 (vs Iowa, 1/15/09) 19 (at Eastern Illinois, 11/9/07) FGM: 12 (at IPFW, 11/14/08) 13 (vs Southern Illinois 11/18/07) FGA: 23 (vs Maryland, 11/28/08) 23 (vs Maryland, 11/28/08) FTM: 13 (at Indiana, 2/8/09) 13 (2x, last at Indiana, 2/8/09) FTA: 16 (at Indiana, 2/8/09) 16 (at Indiana, 2/8/09) 3FGM: 2 (vs Temple, 11/23/08) 2 (4x, last vs Temple, 11/23/08) 3FGA: 3 (vs Temple, 11/23/08) 4 (at Purdue, 1/27/08) Asst: 5 (at UW-Milwaukee, 12/10/08) 6 (vs UW-Milwaukee, 11/11/07) Blk: 5 (vs Eastern Illinois, 11/16/08) 5 (3x, last vs Eastern Illinois, 11/16/08) Stl: 4 (2x, last at UW-Milwaukee, 12/10/08) 4 (3x, last at UW-Milwaukee, 12/10/08) Min: 40 (14x, last at Iowa, 2/26/09) 40 (24x, last at Iowa, 2/26/09) Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/14 at IPFW * /16 Eastern Illinois * /19 Missouri * /23 Temple * /26 vs. Montana * /27 vs. SDSU * /28 vs. Maryland * /4 Virginia * /6 vs. Bradley * /10 at Milwaukee * /20 vs. UNC * /22 Purdue * /28 at Penn State * /1 Wisconsin * /3 Minnesota * /8 at Michigan * /12 Ohio State * /15 Iowa * /18 at Wisconsin * /22 at Ohio State * /25 Indiana * /29 at Northwestern * /5 Michigan State * /8 at Indiana * /12 Northwestern * /15 at Purdue * /22 Penn State * /26 at Iowa * /1 at Minnesota SMITH S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /7.8 56/ / / / / / /9.4 66/ / / / / / /8.6 72/ /18.2 TOTAL / / / / / / ,481/ University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 19

21 v Is the only player in the confence that ranks in the top-10 in eight different Big Ten statistical categories v Is the only player in the Big Ten who ranks in the top-5 in scoring (third), rebounding (fifth) and blocks (third) v Has scored double-figures in 36 straight games, the seventh-longest current streak in the nation, and in 64 of the last 65 games overall v Has 31 career double-doubles, which is one off the Big Ten s active lead v Has seven double-doubles in Big Ten play, tied for second in the conference v Is one of the most durable players in the nation, playing a Big Ten-best 38.6 minutes per game. In Big Ten play, she has rested only 10 of 680 minutes v Named to the 2009 Naismith Award Watch List v Already ranks in the Illinois career top-10 in scoring (10th), rebounding (seventh) and blocks (second) and has a chance to be the school s all-time leader in all three before her career is over v Was an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press and a First Team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore in Smith s Statistics G-GS Min. Pts O Reb. D Reb. Tot. Reb. Blk. FG% FT% Overall BT Rank G-GS Min. Pts O Reb. D Reb. Tot. Reb. Blk. FG% FT% Big Ten BT Rank * All statistics and rankings through games of Feb. 26

22 PLAYER BIO UPDATES 10 MELISSA THOMPSON 5-8 // FRESHMAN // GUARD CHICAGO, ILL. JOHN HOPE HS BIO UPDATE Joined the team as a walk-on prior to the season Recovering from a knee injury suffered during her senior season in high school. SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: - Rebs: - FGM: - FGA: - FTM: - FTA: - 3FGM: - 3FGA: - Asst: - Blk: - Stl: - Min: GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/14 at IPFW DNP - Injured 11/16 Eastern Illinois DNP - Injured 11/19 Missouri DNP - Injured 11/23 Temple DNP - Injured 11/26 vs. Montana DNP - Injured 11/27 vs. SDSU DNP - Injured 11/28 vs. Maryland DNP - Injured 12/4 Virginia DNP - Injured 12/6 vs. Bradley DNP - Injured 12/10 at Milwuakee DNP - Injured 12/20 vs. UNC DNP - Injured 12/22 Purdue DNP - Injured 12/28 at Penn State DNP - Injured 1/1 Wisconsin DNP - Injured 1/3 Minnesota DNP - Injured 1/8 at Michigan DNP - Injured 1/12 Ohio State DNP - Injured 1/15 Iowa DNP - Injured 1/18 at Wisconsin DNP - Injured 1/22 at Ohio State DNP - Injured 1/25 Indiana DNP - Injured 1/29 at Northwestern DNP - Injured 2/5 Michigan State DNP - Injured 2/8 at Indiana DNP - Injured 2/12 Northwestern DNP - Injured 2/15 at Purdue DNP - Injured 2/22 Penn State DNP - Injured 2/26 at Iowa DNP - Injured 3/1 at Minnesota THOMPSON S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG TOTAL University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 20

23 1 WHITNEY TOONE 5-10 // JUNIOR // FORWARD BROOKLYN, N.Y. OAK HILL ACADEMY OKALOOSA-WALTON COLLEGE PLAYER BIO UPDATES BIO UPDATE Had a career-best two steals against Northwestern on Feb. 12 Played 13 minutes in the win over Indiana on Feb. 8, notching three points and three rebounds and coming up with a key steal Made her second career start and played 18 minutes on Jan. 18 at Wisconsin Scored four points against Iowa on Jan. 15 Played 18 minutes against Wisconsin on Jan. 1 Pulled down seven rebounds in 21 minutes against Temple on Nov. 23 Earned the first start of her career on Nov. 16 against Eastern Illinois Scored the first four points of her Illinois career on Nov. 14 at IPFW, also pulling down five rebounds in 21 minutes of play Transferred to Illinois this year after playing two seasons at Okaloosa-Walton College in Niceville, Florida SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 4 (2x, last vs Iowa, 1/15/09) Rebs: 7 (vs Temple, 11/23/08) FGM: 1 (7x, last vs Northwestern, 2/12/09) FGA: 4 (vs Wisconsin, 1/1/09) FTM: 2 (2x, last vs Iowa, 1/15/09) FTA: 3 (at IPFW, 11/14/08) 3FGM: 0 3FGA: 0 Asst: 1 (7x, last vs Penn State, 2/22/09) Blk: 1 (4x, last at Purdue, 2/15/09) Stl: 2 (vs Northwestern, 2/12/09) Min: 21 (2x, last vs Temple, 11/23/08) GAME-BY-GAME STATISTICS Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/14 at IPFW /16 Eastern Illinois * /19 Missouri /23 Temple /26 vs. Montana /27 vs. SDSU /28 vs. Maryland /4 Virginia /6 vs. Bradley /10 at Milwuakee DNP 12/20 vs. UNC DNP 12/22 Purdue /28 at Penn State /1 Wisconsin /3 Minnesota /8 at Michigan /12 Ohio State /15 Iowa /18 at Wisconsin * /22 at Ohio State * /25 Indiana /29 at Northwestern DNP 2/5 Michigan State /8 at Indiana /12 Northwestern /15 at Purdue /22 Penn State /26 at Iowa /1 at Minnesota TOONE S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /1.2 15/ /0.8 TOTAL / / / / /1.2 15/ / University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 21

24 GAME 1: ILLINOIS 64, IPFW 46 NOV. 14, 2008 // GATES SPORTS CENTER, FORT WAYNE, IND. Junior center Jenna Smith surpassed the 1,000 career point mark against the Mastadons, pouring in 29 points to lead the Illini in the season-opening victory. Smith and junior guard Lacey Simpson dominated the first half, combining for 31 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and six steals to help the Illini lead IPFW at half. Illinois pulled away even more in the second half, opening with a 12-3 run to make the lead 56-24, and then coasting from there. Smith scored her 1,000th point on a lay-up with 6:12 remaining in the game, becoming the 22nd player in Illinois history to reach the milestone. Simpson nearly had a triple-double, with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine steals. GAME-BY-GAME BOX SCORES AND SUMMARIES GAME 3: ILLINOIS 65, MISSOURI 55 NOV. 19, 2008 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Illinois improved to 3-0 on the season with a victory over border rival Missouri at Assembly Hall. Junior Lacey Simpson led a balanced attack and equaled her career-high with 18 points and six steals in a game that featured seven ties and 10 lead changes. The game see-sawed back and forth in the second half until the Fighting Illini went on a decisive 8-0 run that turned a slim lead into a advantage with just under four minutes to play. Four different Illini scored in the run as junior center Jenna Smith started it with a bucket and a foul and then freshman Lana Rukavina scored on a putback after Smith missed the free throw. VISITORS: Illinois 64 (1-0) 03 Josil, Fabiola g Smith, Jenna c Blinn, Macie g Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea g Toone, Whitney McCully, Lydia Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 48.1% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.5% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 73.3% 1,3 HOME TEAM: IPFW 44 (0-1) 14 Reed, Courtney g Zuppe, Jordan g Moen, Tina g Jackson, Chelsey g Ivanova, Eva c Haluska, Sarah Kovach, Kayla Moore, Nanyamka Boese, Anne TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 29.1% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 36.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 60.0% 0,2 Illinois Eastern Illinois Attendance: 262 GAME 2: ILLINOIS 49, EASTERN ILLINOIS 44 NOV. 16, 2008 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. The Illini started out slow in their home opener against Eastern Illinois, surging in the second half for a victory. Illinois trailed by 12 at the break, 28-16, and went down by 14 after an EIU lay-up three seconds into the second half, but took over from there. After a 12-0 Illinois run, a three-point play by junior center Jenna Smith gave the Illini their first lead since the opening minutes, 38-35, with 7:29 to play and they would not relinquish it from there. Smith scored 12 of her game-high 16 points in the second half despite seeing constant double and triple-teams. She was also imposing on the defensive end, blocking five EIU shots to go over 100 for her career. Junior forward Lacey Simpson followed up her near triple-double performance on Friday with another big game, pouring in 14 points and pulling down 11 rebounds for her fifth career double-double. VISITORS: Missouri 55 (0-2) 04 Johnson, Jessra f Jones, Shakara f Richbow, Toy g Hollins, Alyssa g Brown, RaeShara g Mills, Bekah Gee, Bailey Hanneman, Amanda Scott, Marissa Frazier, Kendra Flores, Christine TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 35.5% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.5% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 66.7% 2 HOME TEAM: Illinois 65 (3-0) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Toone, Whitney Blinn, Macie Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 43.9% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.5% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 85.7% 1 Missouri Illinois Attendance: 1192 GAME 4: TEMPLE 66, ILLINOIS 47 NOV. 23, 2008 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. The Fighting Illini fell to 3-1 on the season with a loss to Temple at Assembly Hall. Junior center Jenna Smith led Illinois with 17 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn t enough. Illinois started off sluggish for the third straight game, hitting just one of its 12 shots, but the defense kept the game close early. Temple closed the half on a 10-0 run to take a lead into halftime, continuing the run in the second half to open up a lead. The Owls would stretch the lead to as many as 23 thanks to hot second-half shooting (56 percent) and a strong transition game (14-2 edge in fast break points). While Smith tallied her 23rd career double-double and also added three blocks, she struggled from the field, hitting 7-of-21 shots. Smith wasn t alone, however, as the Illini shot 30 percent for the game (18-of-60) and 28 percent from three-point range (5-of-18). VISITORS: Eastern Illinois 45 (1-1) 42 Kluempers, Lindsey f Galligan, Rachel f Canale, Ellen g Edwards, Megan g Sims, Dominique g Sturtevant, Lauren Thomas, Ashley Kloak, Maggie Pressley, Chantelle TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.8% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 30.8% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 70.0% 2 HOME TEAM: Illinois 49 (2-0) 01 Toone, Whitney f Simpson, Lacey f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g Gordon, Chelsea g Mitchell, Eboni McCully, Lydia Blinn, Macie Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 31.4% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 13.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 71.4% 4 Eastern Illinois Illinois Attendance: University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 22 VISITORS: Temple 66 (2-1) 14 Landry, Shenita f Cotton, Shanea f Eaddy, LaKeisha g Watkins-Day, Kristie g Kimmel, Lindsay g Williams, BJ McCarthy, Kristen Brinkley, Danielle Wallace, Shaqwedia Fields, Ranecia Bennettt, Marli TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 49.1% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 30.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 70.0% 1,1 HOME TEAM: Illinois 47 (3-1) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 30.0% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 27.8% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 66.7% 0 Temple Illinois Attendance: 1067

25 GAME 5: MONTANA 59, ILLINOIS 57 (OT) NOV. 26, 2008 // CANCUN, MEXICO // CARIBBEAN CHALLENGE Illinois dropped a heartbreaker to Montana on day one of the Caribbean Challenge at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun, Mexico. Mandy Morales hit a running 15-footer with 0.7 seconds left in overtime to give Montana a victory. The Fighting Illini had a chance to win at the end of regulation with the score tied Illinois got the ball to All-American Jenna Smith with less than five seconds left, but Smith was double-teamed at the high post and found an open Lacey Simpson on the baseline. Simpson got a good look from 15 feet, but her shot rattled in-and-out as the buzzer sounded sending the game to overtime. In the extra period, redshirt freshman Lydia McCully got an open three for the lead with 8.3 seconds left but it was off the mark, setting up Morales' heroics. GAME-BY-GAME BOX SCORES AND SUMMARIES GAME 7: #10/14 MARYLAND 79, ILLINOIS 52 NOV. 28, 2008 // CANCUN, MEXICO // CARIBBEAN CHALLENGE Illinois finished out the Caribbean Challenge with a loss to No. 10/14 Maryland. Jenna Smith led three Illini in doublefigures with 21 points as Illinois dropped it's fourth straight. The Illini came out cold and fell into a big hole early as the Terrapins raced out to a 17-5 lead. They would stay hot and extend it to a advantage with just over four minutes to play in the half, but Illinois finished with a13-2 run to close the gap to at halftime. In the second half, Maryland blew the game open with an early 10-0 run and cruised from there. For Illinois, Lydia McCully knocked down 4-of-7 from three-point land to finish with 12 points and Lacey Simpson had eight points and 13 rebounds. VISITORS: Illinois 57 (3-2) 13 Smith, Jenna f Simpson, Lacey f Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % OT: % Game: 37.7% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % OT: % Game: 0.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % OT: % Game: 78.6% 0,2 HOME TEAM: Montana 59 (3-0) 14 Ena, Sarah f Lohman, Britney f Morales, Mandy g Rogers, Sonya g Beck, Lauren g Nance-Johnson, S Linford, Jessa Robison, Shadra TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % OT: % Game: 42.3% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % OT: % Game: 11.1% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % OT: % Game: 70.0% 2,1 Score by Periods 1st 2nd OT Total Illinois Montana Attendance: 482 VISITORS: Illinois 52 (3-4) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Gordon, Chelsea Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 34.9% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 29.4% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% 2 HOME TEAM: Maryland 79 (6-1) 13 Liles, Demauria f Coleman, Marissa f Kizer, Lynetta c Strickland, Marah g Toliver, Kristi g Wiley-Gatewood, Sa de Barrett, Anjale Oyefuwa, Yemi Mingo, Drey TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 53.1% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 41.7% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 84.6% 3 Illinois Maryland Attendance: 401 GAME 6: SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 62, ILLINOIS 60 NOV. 27, 2008 // CANCUN, MEXICO // CARIBBEAN CHALLENGE Illinois dropped its second heartbreaker in as many days, falling to South Dakota State in the Caribbean Challenge. Jenna Smith led the way with 22 points on 11-of-14 shooting and Lydia McCully had a career-high 15 points. The Illini led by 13 at halftime and by as many as 15 early in the second half, but the Jackrabbits surged ahead with an 11-0 run midway through the second half to take the lead. Illinois would tie it up four times after that, but couldn't get over the hump down the stretch. The back-breaking shot came after SDSU's Jennifer Warkenthien got an offensive rebound with just over a minute left and then knocked down an three later in the possession to put Illinois down with 36.6 seconds left. VISITORS: South Dakota State 62 (5-1) 22 Cornemann, Ketty f Boever, Maria f Warkenthien, J. f Rotert, Kristin g Muckenhirn, Ashlea g Johnson, Vanessa Young, Jil Anderson, Alison Meier, Morgan Oistad, Stacie TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 47.5% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 46.2% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 78.3% 2,1 HOME TEAM: Illinois 60 (3-3) 13 Smith, Jenna f Simpson, Lacey f Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Gordon, Chelsea Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 47.3% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 44.4% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 66.7% 2 South Dakota State Illinois Attendance: 573 GAME 8: #20/19 VIRGINIA 63, ILLINOIS 39 DEC. 4, 2008 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. After facing No. 10 Maryland in its last game, Illinois faced another ranked ACC foe in No. 20 Virginia at Assembly Hall. The Cavaliers defeated the Illini in the second annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, handing the Orange and Blue their fifth consecutive loss. Junior All-American Jenna Smith paced Illinois again with a team-high 14 points. The Cavaliers took advantage in the opening minutes, outscoring the hosts 12-0 on fast break points on their way to a halftime lead. The Illini battled in the second half, forcing 12 second-half turnovers and outscoring UVA 25-23, but it wasn t enough to get back into the game. For Virginia, All-American Monica Wright finished with a game-high 23 points and nine steals. VISITORS: Virginia 63 (6-2) 42 Hartig, Kelly f Mohammed, Aisha c Millner, Britnee g Moorer, Ariana g Wright, Monica g Edwards, Whitny London, Kristen Hartig, Jayna Edwards, Britny Shine, Chelsea TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 42.1% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 14.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 72.2% 5,1 HOME TEAM: Illinois 39 (3-5) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Blinn, Macie Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 29.4% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 16.7% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 58.3% 2,2 Virginia Illinois Attendance: University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 23

26 GAME 9: BRADLEY 71, ILLINOIS 53 DEC. 6, 2008 // CHICAGO, ILL. // LEXUS DECEMBER TO REMEMBER CLASSIC Illinois dropped a contest to Bradley in the Lexus December to Remember Classic at the United Center. The loss snapped a fivegame Illinois winning streak at the annual event in Chicago. Jenna Smith led the Illini with 14 points, while redshirt freshman Lydia McCully scored 13 points and had five assists and junior Lacey Simpson had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Bradley came out on fire in the opening minutes and jumped out to a quick 11-0 lead and led at half. VISITORS: Bradley 71 (6-1) 13 Van Kirk, Jenny f Harris, Sonya f Rogers, Monica f Lund, Michelle c Johnson, Skye g Kassing, Leah Niemiera, Lauren Frericks, Renee Westcott, MacKenzie Taylor, Raisa Itiavkase, Aseer Krumwiede, Kelly Muegge, Hanna TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 44.3% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 93.3% 0 HOME TEAM: Illinois 53 (3-6) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Rukavina, Lana f Smith, Jenna c McCully, Lydia g Toone, Whitney Josil, Fabioloa Mitchell, Eboni Blinn, Macie TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 32.3% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 26.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 75.0% 0 Bradley Illinois Attendance: 2376 GAME-BY-GAME BOX SCORES AND SUMMARIES GAME 11: #2 NORTH CAROLINA 68, ILLINOIS 59 DEC. 20, 2008 // MYRTLE BEACH CONVENTION CENTER, MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. In the return to her home state of South Carolina, Jolette Law nearly led the Fighting Illini to a stunning upset of No. 2 North Carolina in the Carolinas Classic at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Illinois led by as many as nine early in the second half and still were tied with 10 minutes to play, but the Tar Heels took control down the stretch and held on for a victory. Led by a spirited defensive effort against the run-and-gun Tar Heels, Illinois led nearly the entire first half and took a lead into the break. By holding the Tar Heels to just 23 points, the Illini held the nation's fifth-highest scoring team to its lowest scoring output of the season in a half by eight points. Their 68 points for the game were also a season-low. VISITORS: Illinois 59 (4-7) 13 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 43.6% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 63.6% 3 HOME TEAM: North Carolina 68 (12-0) 32 McCants, Rashanda f Breland, Jessica f McFarland, Iman c DeGraffenreid, Cet. g Lucas, Italee g White, She la Miller, Alex Clayton, Heather Dewitt, Christina Shegog, Chay Wood, Martina Broomfield, Laura TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 42.4% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 23.5% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 70.0% 2 Illinois North Carolina Attendance: 2,500 GAME 10: ILLINOIS 63, MILWAUKEE 61 DEC. 10, 2008 // KLOTSCHE CENTER, MILWAUKEE, WIS. Lydia McCully hit a 15-foot jumper with 3.4 seconds left to give Illinois a thrilling victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. McCully finished with 13 points and Jenna Smith had 20 points and 12 rebounds as the Fighting Illini ended a six-game losing streak. Illinois led by 10 at the half and by as many as 20 in the second half before the hosts made a furious rally to tie the game in the final minutes. After UWM's Traci Edwards scored on a putback with 14.7 seconds left, tying the game at 61, the stage was set for McCully's heroics. With the Illini out of timeouts, McCully took the inbounds pass, dribbled the length of the floor, came off a screen at the top of the key, pulled-up from the right elbow and drained the shot to give Illinois the victory. VISITORS: Illinois 63 (4-6) 13 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Mitchell, Eboni Blinn, Macie Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 45.9% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 66.7% 2 HOME TEAM: Milwaukee 61 (3-5) 00 McCain, Turquoise f Fournier, Katie f Edwards, Traci c McClain, Jodie g Williams, Jineen g Hickman, Maurika Laur, Lindsay Viehauser, Amanda Barnes, Markita Jorgenson, Danielle Klomstad, Jenilee TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 46.0% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.5% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 64.3% 3 Illinois UW-Milwaukee Attendance: 451 GAME 12: PURDUE 53, ILLINOIS 42 DEC. 22, 2008 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. The Fighting Illini opened Big Ten Conference play at Assembly Hall with a loss to Purdue. Lacey Simpson tied her career-high with 18 points and added seven rebounds and four steals, while Jenna Smith scored in double-figures for the 20th consecutive game. Illinois came out of the gates strong, going toe-to-toe with the preseason conference favorites, leading midway through the first half but then going cold. After a lay-up by Fabiola Josil at the 6:57 mark of the first half, knotting the score at 18-18, the Illini would muster just one field goal the rest of the half. The Illini remained cold at the start of the second half, as Boilermakers slowly pulled out to a 12-point lead, 39-27, with under 12 minutes to play. The Orange and Blue would get no closer than eight from that point. VISITORS: Purdue 53 (7-4, 1-0) 24 Freeman, Lakisha f Wisdom-Hylton, L. f Campbell, Danielle c Howell, Jodi g Malone, FahKara g Bogdanova, Natasha Rayburn, Brittany Mioton, Lauren Guyton, Alex TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 41.5% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 62.5% 3 HOME TEAM: Illinois 42 (4-8, 0-1) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Blinn, Macie Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 32.1% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 20.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 83.3% 0 Purdue Illinois Attendance: 1, University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 24

27 GAME 13: PENN STATE 54, ILLINOIS 51 DEC. 28, 2008 // BRYCE JORDAN ARENA, UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. Illinois led most of the way, but couldn't hold on in a defeat to Penn State. Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson each had doubledoubles, as Smith had 23 points and 12 rebounds and Simpson had 10 points and 12 boards, but the Lady Lions overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to pull the game out in the final minute. Smith had a three to tie it in the final seconds, but it was off the mark. The Illini led nearly the entire way until PSU took the lead with 1:08 to play. VISITORS: Illinois 51 (4-9, 0-2) 03 Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Smith, Jenna c Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Blinn, Macie Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.7% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 21.4% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 66.7% 3 HOME TEAM: Penn State 54 (6-6, 1-1) 01 Grant, Tyra g O Rourke, Brianne g Williams, Mashea f Trogele, Julia f Mark, Rashida f Phillips, Emily Gray, Zhaque Womack, Renee Quinn, Meggan Monroe, Meredith Lewis, Evelyn Wolff, Janessa TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 18.8% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 68.8% 2,1 Illinois Penn State Attendance: 4294 GAME-BY-GAME BOX SCORES AND SUMMARIES GAME 15: MINNESOTA 52, ILLINOIS 48 JAN. 3, 2009 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Illinois dropped another close contest, falling to Minnesota in front of a season-high crowd of 7,052 orange-clad fans at Assembly Hall. The game was billed as "Pack the Hall" and was nationally televised on CBS. Macie Blinn came off the bench to lead the Illini offensively, pouring in a career-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Jenna Smith had 11 points to score in double figures for the 23rd straight game, while Lacey Simpson had a standout defensive game, grabbing 12 rebounds and tying her career-high with five blocked shots. Minnesota freshman guard Kiara Buford was the difference in the game, scoring 14 points off the bench and hit the game's keys shot, a three-pointer with 46 seconds left, allowing the Gophers to sneak out of Assembly Hall with the win. VISITORS: Minnesota 52 (10-4, 2-1) 21 Ellis-Milan, Ashley f Voigt, Jackie f Fox, Emily g McCoy, Brittany g Ohm, Katie g Sylva, Kay Harper, Zoe Buford, Kiara TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 35.2% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 26.7% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 76.9% 1,1 HOME TEAM: Illinois 48 (4-11, 0-4) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Toone, Whitney Blinn, Macie Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 48.8% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 60.0% 2,1 Minnesota Illinois Attendance: 7,052 GAME 14: WISCONSIN 53, ILLINOIS 38 JAN. 1, 2009 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. The Fighting Illini struggled offensively in a loss to Wisconsin at Assembly Hall. Junior center Jenna Smith once again led Illinois with 21 point and seven rebounds, but the Illini shot just 27 percent from the field. Wisconsin opened the second half on a 10-2 run to blow the game wide open, taking a lead at the 15:42 mark. They would extend it to as many as 25, with 4:45 to play, before Illinois closed the game with a 10-0 run. The Illini held the Badgers to 37 percent shooting, but shot a season-low 27 percent themselves. Smith struggled from the field (6-of-16) but hit 9-of-9 from the free throw line for her game-high 21 points. VISITORS: Wisconsin 53 (12-2, 2-1) 14 Dunham, Mariah f Zastrow, Lin f D Alie, Rae Lin g Gant, Teah g Karel, Alyssa g Davis, Jade Russell, Jamie Steinbauer, Tara Trotter, Alana Thomas, Ashley Covington, Anya Gibson, Caitlin TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.2% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 50.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 75.0% 3,1 HOME TEAM: Illinois 38 (4-10, 0-3) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Blinn, Macie Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 26.5% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 20.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 78.6% 1 Wisconsin Illinois Attendance: 1353 GAME 16: MICHIGAN 52, ILLINOIS 44 JAN. 8, 2009 // CRISLER ARENA, ANN ARBOR, MICH. Illinois played another tough defensive game, but wasn't able to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit in a road loss to Michigan. Trailing at the break, Illinois went on a 13-3 run over the first 4:35 of the second half to take a lead after a lay-up by Jenna Smith. The Illini led again, 31-30, after a Chelsea Gordon bucket with 10:39 to play, but Michigan responded right back to take the lead both times. The Illini would get within three late, after a three-pointer by Lydia McCully pulled them within with under six minutes left, but that was as close as they would get. It was a frustrating night for Smith, who had just seven shot attempts, the lowest for her in a game since Feb. 22, With two or three Michigan defenders on her at nearly all times, she managed to finish with 10 points and eight rebounds. McCully had 11 points, while Macie Blinn had 10 points. VISITORS: Illinois 44 (4-12, 0-5) 03 Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Smith, Jenna c Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Blinn, Macie Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 31.2% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 83.3% 1 HOME TEAM: Michigan 52 (9-6, 2-2) 03 Hicks, Veronica g Skrba, Stephany f Benson, Carly f Minnfield, Jessica g Queen, Melinda f Phillips, Krista Boylan, Courtney McPherson, Kalyn TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.8% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 23.5% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 66.7% 4 Illinois Michigan Attendance: 1, University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 25

28 GAME 17: #16/17 OHIO STATE 67, ILLINOIS 35 JAN. 12, 2009 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Illinois hung tough for a half against No. 16 Ohio State, but the Buckeyes pulled away in the second half for a victory. The game featured two of the premier post players in the league in Jenna Smith and Ohio State s Jantel Lavender. Smith finished with 14 points and seven boards, while Lavender also had 14 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. However, it was Ohio State's Star Allen who made the difference inside with 13 points and 12 rebounds. The Illini jumped out to a 12-7 lead, but the Buckeyes took control with a 15-2 run midway through the first half and took a lead into the locker room. Ohio State broke the game open early in the second half and then pulled away down the stretch. VISITORS: Ohio State 67 (14-2, 5-0) 55 Allen, Star f Lavender, Jantel c Trebilcock, Ashlee g Little, Shavelle g Prahalis, Samantha g Jackson, Alison Moeller, Maria Daniel, Cherise Johnson, Brittany Schulze, Sarah Walker, Andrea TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 48.2% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 38.5% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 66.7% 3 HOME TEAM: Illinois 35 (4-13, 0-6) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Josil, Fabiola Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals GAME-BY-GAME BOX SCORES AND SUMMARIES GAME 19: WISCONSIN 61, ILLINOIS 43 JAN. 18, 2009 // KOHL CENTER, MADISON, WIS. Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson each notched double-doubles for the second straight game, but it wasn't enough for a victory as the Illini fell in Madison, Smith had a 15 points, 12 rebound game against the Badgers for her 27th career double-double, while Simpson had 11 points, 12 boards and five assists. The Illini fell into a big hole early, falling behind 10-0 to start. The Orange and Blue crept back within three, 14-11, with 9:13 left in the half, but the Badgers countered with a 7-0 to push the lead back to doublefigures and kept it at 10 at the break, Wisconsin started the second half on a 9-2 run to make it and cruised from there. VISITORS: Illinois 43 (4-15, 0-8) 01 Toone, Whitney f Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c McCully, Lydia g Josil, Fabiola Mitchel, Eboni Blinn, Macie Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 39.1% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 40.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 55.6% 2 HOME TEAM: Wisconsin 61 (14-5, 4-4) 14 Dunham, Mariah f Zastrow, Lin f D Alie, Rae Lin g Gant, Teah g Karel, Alyssa g Davis, Jade Russell, Jamie Steinbauer, Tara Trotter, Alana Thomas, Ashley Covington, Anya TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 25.0% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 0.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 87.5% 0 Ohio State Illinois Attendance: 1,017 GAME 18: IOWA 72, ILLINOIS 62 JAN. 15, 2009 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson both recorded double-doubles, but the Illini fell to Iowa at Assembly Hall. Illinois committed a season low 11 turnovers and out-rebounded the Hawkeyes by 17, but was unable to overcome hot three-point shooting by Iowa. Smith had 18 points and a season-high 18 rebounds for the Illini and twelve of her 18 boards were on the offensive end. Simpson had 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Illinois had a season-high 46 rebounds, including 20 offensive boards, and held a significant advantage on the glass over Iowa, largely due to Smith and Simpson. The difference in the game proved to be three-point shooting, however, as Iowa was 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) from behind the arc compared to Illinois' 1-of-7 (14.3 percent) from downtown. Hawkeyes senior point guard Kristi Smith hit five-of-six of her three-point attempts. TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 47.2% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 77.8% 0 Illinois Wisconsin Attendance: 5,944 GAME 20: #19 OHIO STATE 68, ILLINOIS 51 JAN. 22, 2009 // VALUE CITY ARENA, COLUMBUS, OHIO Jenna Smith had 19 points, but it wasn t enough to knock-off #19 Ohio State as the Buckeyes pulled away late for a victory at Value City Arena. Illinois hung tough early, leading 8-6 in the opening minutes and trailing by just three, 18-15, midway through the first half, but an 8-0 run by the Buckeyes gave them a cushion with seven minutes left and they led by nine at the half, Ohio State pulled out to a 15-point lead early in the second half behind six quick points from Jantel Lavender, who finished with a game-high 30 points on 15-of-24 shooting. The Illini battled back to within eight, 55-47, with just over five minutes to play after Smith s third old fashioned three-point play of the night, but OSU responded with seven straight points to push the lead back to 15 and cruised in the final minutes for the victory. VISITORS: Iowa 72 (10-7, 3-3) 32 Ausdemore, Wendy f Hamlin, JoAnn f Skouby, Megan c Smith, Kristi g Alexander, Kachine g Wahlin, Kamille Krei, Kelly Cermak, Kelsey Draxten, Hannah Nyenhuis, Lindsey TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 50.0% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 62.5% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 66.7% 1,1 HOME TEAM: Illinois 62 (4-14, 0-7) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Josil, Fabiola Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.8% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 14.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 81.0% 1 Iowa Illinois Attendance: 1, University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 26 VISITORS: Illinois 51 (4-16, 0-9) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c Toone, Whitney g McCully, Lydia g Josil, Fabiola Blinn, Macie Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.9% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.5% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 76.9% 1 HOME TEAM: Ohio State 68 (15-3, 6-1) 55 Allen, Star f Lavender, Jantel c Trebilcock, Ashlee g Prahalis, Samantha g Johnson, Brittany g Jackson, Alison Moeller, Maria Little, Shavelle Daniel, Cherise Schulze, Sarah Walker, Andrea TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 48.3% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 0.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 90.9% 1 Illinois Ohio State Attendance: 2,934

29 GAME 21: ILLINOIS 61, INDIANA 52 JAN. 25, 2009 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Jenna Smith had 24 points and 15 rebounds to lead Illinois to a convincing victory over first-place Indiana at Assembly Hall. Macie Blinn and Fabiola Josil each scored in double figures and Lacey Simpson had one of her trademark all-around performances for the Illini. The Fighting Illini defense held the Hoosiers to a season-low 28.6 percent shooting from the field. After Indiana made a threepointer on its opening possession, the Illini forced the Hoosiers into 14 consecutive missed shots over the next nine and a half minutes. Illinois would pick it up offensively before the break and went into halftime trailing by just two, In the second half, Illinois used a 15-2 run to turn a tie into a lead with 6:05 remaining. Illinois shot a sizzling 57.7 percent after the intermission and hit 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) from the charity stripe to pull away for the upset win, which snapped a 10-game losing streak. VISITORS: Indiana 52 (14-4, 7-2) 11 Thomas, Whitney f Jackson, Amber f Braun, Jamie g Davis, Jori g Roberson, Kim g Mells, Ashlee McGuirt, Andrea Lindsay, Whitney Andujar, Danilsa Linn, Haylie TEAM Totals GAME-BY-GAME BOX SCORES AND SUMMARIES GAME 23: MICHIGAN STATE 63, ILLINOIS 50 FEB. 5, 2009 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. Illinois won the rebounding battle and got big production from its stars, but it wasn t enough as the Illini dropped a contest to Michigan State at Assembly Hall. Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson once again led the way for Illinois, as Smith scored a game-high 19 points and Simpson had her seventh double-double of the year with 12 points and 12 rebounds along with seven steals and four blocks. Michigan State entered the game leading the Big Ten in rebounding with a +9.5 margin but Illinois held own on the glass, outrebounding the Spartans, 33-30, and snaring 14 offensive boards. Turnovers, however, proved to be costly for Illinois as 22 miscues turned into 32 points on the other end for MSU. The Spartans also held a edge in the paint. After trailing at halftime, the Orange and Blue slowly crept back into the game in the second half, cutting the Michigan State lead to seven points at with 7:14 to play. The Spartans scored the next six points to push the lead back to 13, effectively putting the game away. VISITORS: Michigan State 63 (16-7, 9-3) 22 Jefferson, Aisha f Schiffauer, Courtney f Johnson, Lykendra f DeHaan, Allyssa c Thomas, Brittney g Poole, Porsche Washington, Cetera Keane, Kalisha Aitch, Lauren TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 28.6% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 26.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 64.7% 2 HOME TEAM: Illinois 61 (5-16, 1-9) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Gordon, Chelsea f Smith, Jenna c McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Josil, Fabiola Mitchell, Eboni Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 46.0% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 84.6% 0 Indiana Illinois Attendance: 2,476 TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 49.1% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 27.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 75.0% 0 HOME TEAM: Illinois 50 (6-17, 2-10) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.7% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 12.5% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 81.8% 1,1 Michigan State Illinois Attendance: 1,003 GAME 22: ILLINOIS 45, NORTHWESTERN 44 JAN. 29, 2009 // WELSH-RYAN ARENA, EVANSTON, ILL. Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson led the Illini to their second straight win, a thriller over Northwestern. Smith led all scorers with 19 points and also added 12 rebounds, while Simpson's late steal and assist proved to be the difference in the nail-biting victory. With the game tied and just over a minute to play, Simpson stole the ball from NU's Jenny Eckhart and passed ahead to Fabiola Josil, who's fast break lay-up with 1:13 remaining proved to be the deciding points. A frantic final minute ensued that culminated in a traveling call on NU's Cartwright with four seconds left. The win was the 18th straight for Illinois over Northwestern and was the 10th straight for the Fighting Illini in Evanston. It was also the 500th victory in program history for Illinois. VISITORS: Illinois 45 (6-16, 2-9) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Smith, Jenna c McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Josil, Fabiola g Mitchell, Eboni TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 34.0% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 27.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 75.0% 1 HOME TEAM: Northwestern 44 (5-16, 1-9) 25 Orban, Brittany f Cartwright, Kristin f Jaeschke, Amy c Eckhart, Jenny g Mocchi, Maggie g Dickerson, Erin Reed, Meshia Boyd, Shantina Jaeschke, Ellen TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 34.7% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 11.1% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 75.0% 2 Illinois Northwestern Attendance: 645 GAME 24: ILLINOIS 66, INDIANA 59 FEB. 8, 2009 // ASSEMBLY HALL, BLOOMINGTON, IND. The Illini look to be clicking on all cylinders after a road win at Indiana to complete a season sweep of the Hoosiers. Lacey Simpson had 16 points, 14 rebounds and three steals to pace the Illini, while Jenna Smith led all scorers with 21 points. The Illini led at the break, but Indiana took a lead with just under 16 minutes to play. The Hoosiers still led midway through the half, but Illinois responded with a quick 7-0 run to take a lead with 9:34 remaining and would never trail again. The game s key sequence came with Illinois up and just under three minutes to play. Indiana s Jamie Braun missed a three-pointer and two Hoosiers misfired from point-blank range after back-to-back offensive rebounds. After Simpson pulled down the board for the Illini, IU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack was whistled for a technical foul. Smith knocked down both free throws to put the Illini up seven. VISITORS: Illinois 66 (7-17, 3-10) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 41.3% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 57.1% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 82.8% 1 HOME TEAM: Indiana 59 (15-7, 8-5) 11 Thomas, Whitney f Davis, Jori g Lindsay, Whitney g Braun, Jamie g Roberson, Kim g Mells, Ashlee McGuirt, Andrea Andujar, Danilsa Enterline, Lindsay Jackson, Amber TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 31.1% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 78.9% 2 Illinois University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 27

30 GAME 25: ILLINOIS 60, NORTHWESTERN 46 FEB. 12, 2009 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. The Fighting Illini continued their winning ways over Northwestern, defeating the Wildcats at Assembly Hall. Junior stars Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson led Illinois on both ends of the court. Smith scored a game-high 21 points, also contributing six rebounds and four blocks. Simpson, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, had 14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. The difference in the game was turnovers, with Illinois committing a season-low seven miscues and forcing Northwestern into 18 turnovers. The Orange and Blue then capitalized on the other end, outscoring the Wildcats 17-1 on points off turnovers. The Illini broke the game open in the second half, as a three-pointer by freshman Macie Blinn pushed the lead to 10 points, 35-25, at the 16:02 mark. Northwestern clawed back to get as close as four points, 48-44, with 5:11 to play. From that point on it was all Orange and Blue, however, as Illinois held Northwestern without a field goal the rest of the way and went on a 12-2 run to close out the game. VISITORS: Northwestern 46 (6-18, 2-11) 22 Jaeschke, Amy f Orban, Brittany f Jaeschke, Ellen c Eckhart, Jenny g Cartwright, Kristin g Dickerson, Erin Reed, Meshia Mocchi, Maggie TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 31.4% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 10.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 61.9% 7 HOME TEAM: Illinois 60 (8-17, 4-10) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Smith, Jenna f Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 37.9% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 14.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 75.0% 1,1 Northwestern Illinois Attendance: 1,032 GAME-BY-GAME BOX SCORES AND SUMMARIES GAME 27: PENN STATE 67, ILLINOIS 56 FEB. 22, 2009 // ASSEMBLY HALL, CHAMPAIGN, ILL. It was an action-packed day with several events taking place including Senior Day for lone UI senior Chelsea Gordon, the raising of all-time great Ashley Berggren s jersey to the rafters and WBCA Pink Zone day to raise awareness for breast cancer. In the game, Penn State pulled away in the final minutes for a victory over the Fighting Illini. Jenna Smith hit back-to-back jumpers to give the Orange and Blue a lead with 7:48 remaining, but PSU went on a 20-7 run to close out the game. The Fighting Illini got back within three, 55-52, with 4:23 left and were within five with just over a minute remaining, but PSU hit its free throws to pull away down the stretch. Smith had a huge game, hitting 10-of-16 from the field for 22 points and also added 13 rebounds and three blocks. VISITORS: Penn State 67 (10-16, 5-11) 11 Trogele, Julia f Lewis, Evelyn f Grant, Tyra g O Rourke, Brianne g Williams, Mashea g Phillips, Emily Gray, Zhaque Womack, Renee Quinn, Meggan Mark, Rashida Wolff, Janessa TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 40.7% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 79.2% 3,1 HOME TEAM: Illinois 56 (8-19, 4-12) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 44.2% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 20.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 57.1% 2 Penn State Illinois Attendance: 2,386 GAME 26: PURDUE 68, ILLINOIS 50 FEB. 15, 2009 // MACKEY ARENA, WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. The Illini fell behind Purdue early and couldn t recover, falling to the Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. The game was designated as Purdue s WBCA Pink Zone game, with both teams donning pink uniforms to support cancer awareness. Jenna Smith had the 30th double-double of her career, with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Lacey Simpson had 16 points. In the opening minutes of the second half the Illini scored five consecutive points to get within eight points, 39-31, with 16:03 to play. Purdue opened the game up at that point, going on a 14-2 run to lead with 8:54 remaining and held on for a win. VISITORS: Illinois 50 (8-18, 4-11) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 34.5% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 22.2% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 66.7% 2,1 HOME TEAM: Purdue 68 (18-8, 11-4) 32 Wisdom-Hylton, L. f Campbell, Danielle c Howell, Jodi g Malone, FahKara g Freeman, Lakisha g Bogdanova, Natasha Rayburn, Brittany Mioton, Lauren Clark, Michelle Jones, Chelsea Guyton, Alex Poston, Chantel Garriga, Laura TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 47.5% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 50.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 76.9% 1,1 Illinois Purdue Attendance: 9,847 GAME 28: IOWA 69, ILLINOIS 56 FEB. 26, 2009 // CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA, IOWA CITY, IOWA The Fighting Illini cut a 17-point second-half deficit to four at one point, but Iowa pulled away down the stretch for a win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Jenna Smith had 20 points and eight rebounds and Fabiola Josil poured in a career-high 13 points to lead Illinois. Iowa led by as many as 17, 43-26, at the 16:39 mark after three straight three-pointers, but Illinois responded with a 17-4 run to close the gap to four. However, the Illini would get no closer, as the Hawkeyes pushed the lead back out to double-figures and cruised down the stretch for the 13-point win on senior day. VISITORS: Illinois 56 (8-20, 4-13) 22 Simpson, Lacey f Smith, Jenna c Josil, Fabiola g McCully, Lydia g Blinn, Macie g Toone, Whitney Mitchell, Eboni Rukavina, Lana TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 43.4% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 30.0% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 77.8% 1 HOME TEAM: Iowa 69 (19-9, 12-5) 21 Alexander, Kachine f Ausdemore, Wendy f Skouby, Megan c Wahlin, Kamille g Smith, Kristi g Jones, Shante Krei, Kelly Cermak, Kelsey Draxten, Hannah VanderPol, Nicole Hamlin, JoAnn Nyenhuis, Lindsey TEAM Totals TOTAL FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 40.0% DEADBALL 3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 33.3% REBOUNDS F Throw % 1st Half: % 2nd Half: % Game: 88.2% 2 Illinois Iowa Attendance: 3, University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 28

31 BIG TEN STATISTICS University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 29

32 OVERALL STATISTICS University of Illinois Women s Basketball Game Notes // 30