UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS WOMEN S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES

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1 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS WOMEN S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES WNIT PRELIMINARY ROUND Illinois (15-14) vs. Western Illinois (23-6) March 15, p.m. Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Women s Basketball SID Contact: Derek Neal (office) (cell) drneal@uiuc.edu UI SCHEDULE overall, 6-10 Big Ten (6-5 Home, 6-7 Away, 3-2 Neutral) N 18 at Loyola W, N 23 at Northern Colorado L, N 25 vs. Utah State (@ Colorado) W, N 26 vs. Northern Iowa (@ Colorado) L, N 29 NORTHERN ILLINOIS W, D 3 vs. St. Louis (@ Chicago) W, D 5 at Bradley W, D 9 at Florida L, D 18 No. 15/15 OKLAHOMA W, D 22 ILLINOIS STATE W, D 29 MICHIGAN W, J 1 at Iowa L, J 5 at Rhode Island W, J 8 NORTHWESTERN W, J 12 PENN STATE W, J 15 at Wisconsin W, J 19 at No. 12/14 Michigan State L, J 22 No. 11/11 Purdue L, J 26 at Indiana L, J 29 at No. 7/7 Ohio State L, F 2 No. 12/12 MINNESOTA L, F 5 No. 17/17 Michigan State L, F 9 Wisconsin L, F 12 at Penn State L, F 16 at Northwestern W, F 23 Iowa L, F 26 at Michigan W, M 2-6 Big Ten Tournament (Indianapolis, In d.) M 2 vs. No rt h we s t e r n W, M 3 vs. No. 14/11 Pu rd u e L, M 15-A 1 W N I T M 15 WESTERN ILLINOIS 7 p. m. Home games in CAPS and played at Assembly Hall. Times listed are Central and subject to change ON T H E AI R R a d i o : Illini Sp o rts Ne t w o rk - W DWS-AM LIVE (Da ve Loane and Mike Ko o n ) In t e r n e t : Fi g h t i n g i l l i n i. c o m l i ve streaming video and audio TI C K E T IN F O Tickets are on sale now at the Illinois Athletic Ticket office and are also available by phone ( ) and on f i g h t i n g i l l i n i. c o m. Cost is $5 for adults and $4 for students and children. TH E SE R I E S Illinois leads 7-2 Last meeting: Illinois 88, Western Illinois 67 Champaign, Il l.) St reak: Illinois has won four in a row overall and has won all five meetings in Champaign HE A D CO A C H E S Illinois: T h e resa Grentz, overall (32nd season), at Illinois (11th season) W I U : Leslie Crane, overall and at WIU (8th season) ILLINOIS (15-14 Overall) Probable Starters Pos. No. Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG APG Notes G 21 Maggie Acuna 5-6 Sr School and Kohl Center record 16 assists at Wi s. G 1 Janelle Hughes 5-8 Sr Honorable mention All-Big Ten selection G 20 Lori Bjork 5-11 Fr Ranks fifth on Illinois single-season 3FG list F 34 Erin Wigley 6-1 Jr Honorable mention All-Big Ten pick by media F/C 15 Audrey Tabon 6-2 Jr Has led team in rebounding team-high 13 times Off the Bench C 00 Erin McCarthy 6-5 Fr Poured in season-high 12 points vs. St. Louis F 32 Danyel Crutcher 6-2 So Averaging 10.0 pts, 7.3 rebs. in last six games F 33 Chelsea Gordon 6-0 Fr Game-winning 3-pt play at NU 2/16 F 44 Brittney Daugherty 6-2 Sr Started half of UI s games in F 50 Stephanie Chelleen 6-3 So Had 4 pts., 4 rebs. in 6 min. at NU 2/16 Out for Today s Game F 11 Victoria Arndt 6-2 Fr Intends to redshirt the season G 14 Megan Nyquist 5-10 r-fr Out for season with knee injury (1/27) F 22 Lacey Simpson 5-11 Fr Will apply for medical re d s h i rt after internal surgery G 35 Danielle Gratton 6-0 Fr Out for season with stress fracture in foot (2/7) Table of Contents Tournament Bracket Roster/Pronunciation Guide Fighting Illini Game Notes Big Ten Standings/Statistics Expanded Illinois Results The Last Time Overall Statistics Game-by-Game Team Comparison Player Game Highs Illinois Post-Season History Fighting Illini Player Bio Updates Illinois Box Scores and Summaries

2 POSTSEASON WNIT BRACKET For Up-to-Date Tournament Information visit Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

3 For Openers Illinois (15-14) heads to the postseason for the ninth time in the last 10 years with its second straight postseason WNIT bid. The Illini host Western Illinois (23-6) on Wednesday, March 15, at Assembly Hall in one of eight preliminary round games. Illinois finished tied for seventh place in the Big Ten with a 6-10 record and was ousted from the Big Ten Tournament in the quarterfinals, falling to No. 14 and second-seeded Purdue, Down the Road... The winner of the Illinois-Western Illinois preliminary round game will advance to the round of 32 to face Marquette in Milwaukee, Wis., on Friday, March 17. Illinois in the WNIT Illinois is 2-3 overall in three previous postseason WNIT appearances. In 01, the Illini beat Wisconsin-Green Bay in the first round, 96-79, before falling to Mississippi State in the second, In 2002, the Illini followed the same pattern, beating Western Kentucky in the opening round, 91-84, and then dropping decision to Michigan State in the second round. Last season, the Illini dropped a first round road game to Indiana State, at Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Round 1 - Illinois 96, Wisconsin-Green Bay 79 Round 2 - Mississippi State 86, Illinois at Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Round 1 - Illinois 91, Western Kentucky 84 Round 2 - Michigan State 70, Illinois at Hulman Center, Terre Haute, Ind. Round 1 - Indiana State 72, Illinois 60 ILLINOIS NOTES WNIT Expands to 40 This year the WNIT added eight teams to bring the field to 40 for the first time. The Illinois-WIU game is one of eight preliminary round games that will feed into the round of 32. The eight additional slots were added to reward teams that won their regular season conference title but did not win the conference tournament or get an NCAA at-large bid. Western Illinois is one of the teams that fits those criteria this year. Scouting the Westerwinds Western Illinois has won a school-record 23 games this season and was the Mid-Continent Conference regular season champion with a 13-3 record. The Westerwinds fell to Oakland, 65-56, in the title game of the MCC Tournament to miss out on the conference s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. WIU is making its second postseason WNIT appearance. The Westerwinds are 0-1 in the tournament, losing to Missouri, 72-69, in double overtime in WIU is centered around 6-7 senior Zane Teilane, the 2006 Mid-Continent Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Teilane leads the Mid- Con in scoring (16.6) and rebounding (10.7) and ranks third in the NCAA in blocks (4.2). She is also WIU s all-time leader in scoring, rebounding and blocks. Senior forward Samantha Greer also scores in double figures (10.3), while senior guard Rachel Reed is dangerous from downtown (55-125,.440). Western is tough defensively, ranking third in the NCAA in scoring defense (51.8) and sixth in FG percentage defense (.350). It also leads the Mid-Con in scoring margin (+9.8), FT percentage (.720), FG percentage (.441) and rebounding margin (+3.9). SPORTS INFORMATION CONTACT DEREK NEAL drneal@uiuc.edu Office Phone: Cell Phone: TALE OF THE TAPE ILL vs. WIU 63.3 Points Scored Points Allowed Scoring Margin FG% FG% Defense FG% FG% Defense FT% Rebounding Off Reboundng Def Reb. Margin Assists Turnovers Turnover Margin Steals Blocks ILLINOIS BASKETBALL ROSTER No. Player Pos Ht Yr Hometown/High School 00 Erin McCarthy C 6-5 Fr./Fr. Tulsa, Okla./Bishop Kelly H.S. 1 Janelle Hughes G 5-8 Sr./Sr. Country Club Hills, Ill./Hillcrest H.S. 11 Victoria Arndt F 6-2 Fr./Fr. Damascus, Ohio/West Branch H.S. 14 Megan Nyquist G 5-10 So./Fr. Lee's Summit, Mo./Lee's Summit H.S. 15 Audrey Tabon F/C 6-2 Jr./Jr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic H.S. 20 Lori Bjork G 5-11 Fr./Fr. Johnston, Iowa/Johnston H.S. 21 Maggie Acuna G 5-6 Sr./Sr. Oak Brook, Ill./Hinsdale Central H.S. 22 Lacey Simpson F 5-11 Fr./Fr. Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton H.S. 32 Danyel Crutcher F 6-2 So./So. Orange, N.J./Orange H.S. 33 Chelsea Gordon F 6-0 Fr./Fr. Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep H.S. 34 Erin Wigley G 6-1 Jr./Jr. Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area H.S. 35 Danielle Gratton G 6-0 Fr./Fr. Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park H.S. 44 Brittney Daugherty F/C 6-2 Sr./Sr. Peoria, Ill./Peoria Central H.S. 50 Stephanie Chelleen F 6-3 So./So. Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Lincoln H.S. Head Coach: Theresa Grentz (11th season) Associate Head Coach: Marsha Frese (third season) Assistant Coaches: Stacie Terry (second season) Blaine Patterson (second season) Assistant to the Head Coach: Diane Hobin (first season) Athletic Trainer: Caroline Johnson (first season) PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Maggie Acuna Uh-COON-uh Lori Bjork BYORK Stephanie Chelleen Shell-LEAN Danyel Crutcher Dan-YELL CRUTCH-ur Danielle Gratton GRAH-ton Audrey Tabon TAY-bun 2006 Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 3

4 BIG TEN SEASON ALL-BIG TEN BASKETBALL TEAMS As selected by the Coaches FIRST TEAM Jessica Davenport, Ohio State* Katie Gearlds, Purdue Liz Shimek, Michigan State Crystal Smith, Iowa Cyndi Valentin, Indiana FINAL BIG TEN STANDINGS Big Ten Overall W L Pct. W L Pct. 1. Ohio State Purdue Michigan State Minnesota Iowa Indiana Illinois Penn State Wisconsin Northwestern Michigan SECOND TEAM Jolene Anderson,Wisconsin Lindsay Bowen, Michigan State Jamie Broback, Minnesota Amanda Brown, Penn State Jenny DeMuth, Indiana Aya Traore, Purdue 2006 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Nov Stephany Skrba, Michigan Nov Liz Shimek, Michigan State Nov Crystal Smith, Iowa Dec Kamela Gissendanner, Penn State Liz Shimek, Michigan State Dec Liz Shimek, Michigan State DEC DANYEL CRUTCHER, ILLINOIS Dec Ta Shia Walker, Michigan Jan Aya Traore, Purdue Jan Liz Shimek, Michigan State Jan Jessica Davenport, Ohio State Jan Jessica Davenport, Ohio State Jan Jamie Broback, Minnesota Feb Jessica Davenport, Ohio State Feb Cyndi Valentin, Indiana Aya Traore, Purdue Feb Cyndi Valentin, IND Marscilla Packer, OSU Feb Jessica Davenport, Ohio State THIRD TEAM Debbie Merrill, Ohio State Marscilla Packer, Ohio State Megan Skouby, Iowa Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, Purdue *unanimous selection HONORABLE MENTION Kamela Gissendanner, Penn State Brandie Hoskins, Ohio State JANELLE HUGHES, ILLINOIS Victoria Lucas-Perry, Michigan State Ifeoma Okonkwo, Northwestern COACHES' ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM LORI BJORK, ILLINOIS; Aisha Jefferson, Michigan State; Brianne O Rourke, Penn State; Megan Skouby, Iowa;Whitney Thomas, Indiana COACHES' ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM Shannon Bolden, Minnesota; Jessica Davenport, Ohio State; Crystal Smith, Iowa; Kim Wilburn, Ohio State; Lindsay Wisom-Hylton, Purdue PLAYER OF THE YEAR FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jessica Davenport, Ohio State Megan Skouby, Iowa Cherelle George, Purdue COACH OF THE YEAR Jim Foster, Ohio State As selected by the Media FIRST TEAM Jessica Davenport, Ohio State* Katie Gearlds, Purdue Liz Shimek, Michigan State Crystal Smith, Iowa Cyndi Valentin, Indiana THIRD TEAM Amanda Brown, Penn State Jenny DeMuth, Indiana Brandie Hoskins, Ohio State Marscilla Packer, Ohio State Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, Purdue DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Kim Wilburn, Ohio State SECOND TEAM Jolene Anderson,Wisconsin Lindsay Bowen, Michigan State Jamie Broback, Minnesota Megan Skouby, Iowa Aya Traore, Purdue *unanimous selection HONORABLE MENTION Janese Banks,Wisconsin; Kamela Gissendanner, Penn State; JANELLE HUGHES, ILLINOIS; Erin Lawless, Purdue;Victoria Lucas-Perry, Michigan State; Debbie Merrill, Ohio State; Ifeoma Okonkwo, Northwestern; Brianne O Rourke, Penn State; Krista VandeVenter, Iowa; ERIN WIGLEY, ILLINOIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jessica Davenport, Ohio State* FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Megan Skouby, Iowa COACH OF THE YEAR: Jim Foster, Ohio State ILLINOIS BIG TEN STATISTICS Team Stats Big Ten Only All Games Scoring Offense 59.8 (9) 63.3 (8) Scoring Defense 63.6 (6) 61.3 (5) Scoring Margin -3.8 (8) +2.0 (7) FT Percentage.734 (5).730 (5) FG Percentage.402 (8).417 (7) FG Pct. Defense.406 (4).393 (3) 3-FG Percentage.329 (6).340 (5) 3-FG Pct. Defense.333 (5).337 (5) Rebounding Offense 35.9 (5) 37.7 (3) Rebounding Defense 37.4 (9) 35.3 (8) Rebounding Margin -1.4 (8) +2.3 (7) Blocked Shots 3.25 (5) 3.21 (7) Assists 11.0 (11) (10) Steals 6.63 (10) 8.00 (7) TO Margin (10) (9) Assist/TO Ratio 0.66 (10) 0.71 (9) Offensive Rebounds 9.94 (10) (10) Defensive Rebounds 26.0 (1) (1) 3-FG Made 4.25 (8) 4.52 (8) Individual Leaders Category Big Ten Only All Games Maggie Acuna Assists 4.13 (4) 4.41 (3) Def. Rebs (12) 4.17 (12) Steals 2.06 (9) 2.28 (4) A/TO Ratio 1.27 (9) 1.31 (9) Minutes (11) (7) Lori Bjork Scoring 10.6 (22) 10.3 (23) 3FG%.390 (8).345 (13) 3FGM 1.88 (7) 1.72 (9) FT (10) Janelle Hughes Scoring 12.2 (14) 13.0 (13) 3FGM (13) Audrey Tabon Rebounds 6.9 (8) 7.0 (9) Off. Rebs (6) 2.48 (8) Def. Rebs (10) 4.52 (9) FT%.739 (15) - Blocks 0.88 (10) 0.83 (12) Erin Wigley Scoring 11.6 (16) 11.4 (18) Rebounds 5.8 (14) 5.5 (15) Def. Rebs (15) - Off. Rebs (10) 2.10 (12) FT%.786 (11) - Blocks 0.81 (13) - Danyel Crutcher FG%.532 (4).548 (5) Rebounds 5.6 (17) 5.2 (20) Def. Rebs. 4.0 (13) 3.62 (15) Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

5 Head coach Leslie Crane is in her eighth season at WIU. This will be her first meeting with Illinois. The Illinois-WIU Series Illinois leads the all-time series 7-2 and has won the last four in a row, but the two teams have not met in over 22 years. The Illini have won all five meetings in Champaign, the most recent an victory on Nov. 30, Theresa Grentz has never faced WIU. Common Ties Illinois and WIU have five common opponents this season - Northern Illinois, Bradley, St. Louis, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Illini went 4-2 against those teams, beating NIU (57-43), Bradley (80-64), SLU (75-40) and Wisconsin (84-54), and falling to Ohio State (75-49) and in a second meeting vs. Wisconsin (66-61). The Westerwinds went 4-1 vs. the same five schools, also topping NIU (50-34), Bradley (57-54), SLU (57-44) and Wisconsin (70-61), and falling to Ohio State (75-36). Last Time Out For the second straight year, Illinois played a nationally-ranked No. 2 seed tough in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament presented by Xbox Live, only to fall short. Last season, the Illini fell to eighthranked and second seeded Michigan State in overtime. This year, it was 14th-ranked and second-seeded Purdue who ended Illinois' tournament hopes, 68-57, at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on March 3. Janelle Hughes and Erin Wigley had 13 points each to lead Illinois (15-14). The Illini jumped out to an 8-0 lead and led at one point in the second half (36-35 at the 15:25 mark), but Purdue countered with a 7-0 run and pulled away down the stretch. Illinois dominated the glass, holding a rebounding edge, but 19 UI turnovers, compared to just five for the Boilers, proved to be the difference. Illinois Big Ten Tournament Notes With the first-round victory over Northwestern, Illinois advanced to the quarterfinals for the seventh All-Time Winninest Div. I Coaches (Through Games of 3/12/06) No. Coach School Yrs. Wins 1. Pat Summitt* Tennessee Jody Conradt* Texas C. Vivian Stringer* Rutgers Sylvia Hatchell* North Carolina Sue Gunter LSU Kay Yow* NC State Rene Portland* Penn State Tara Vanderveer* Stanford Andy Landers* Georgia Theresa Grentz* Illinois Robin Selvig* Montana Debbie Ryan* Virginia Mike Granelli St. Peter s Joe Ciami Auburn Jim Foster* Ohio State *active ILLINOIS NOTES time overall and the second year in a row. The Illini dominated the glass in its two tournament games, out-rebounding Northwestern and Purdue in the two games. Illinois is now in the Big Ten Tournament since it went to its current format in The conference held a double-elimination tournament for one season (1982). Illini Claim Big Ten SuperFan Cup Illinois was the winner of the fourth annual Big Ten SuperFan Cup, which rewards the conference school that had the highest percentage attendance increase in league games from one year to the next. Illinois averaged 3,468 fans in eight Big Ten home games this year, compared to 2,034 last season - an increase of 71 percent. Illinois had five Big Ten crowds of over 3,500 fans and had a season-high crowd of 6,459 for the Feb. 5 match-up with Michigan State, which was the largest crowd at Assembly Hall since 8,967 fans witnessed the Illini beat Michigan on Jan. 27, Hughes, Wigley, Bjork Named to All- Big Ten Teams Senior Janelle Hughes and junior Erin Wigley were both honorable mention selections to the Big Ten All-Conference teams. Hughes was an honorable mention pick by both the coaches and media, while Wigley was only selected to the media team. It is the first All-Big Ten honor of any kind for both players. Illini freshman Lori Bjork also earned Big Ten honors as a member of the five-player All-Freshman team, selected by league coaches. The media does not select an All-Freshman team. Last season, Illinois Danyel Crutcher was an All-Freshman team selection. Illini Headlines Grentz gets #650: Illinois win over Michigan on Feb. 26 was the 650th of Theresa Grentz s Hall of Fame career. Grentz, who is (.686) in her 32-year career, is the 10th Division I women s basketball coach to reach the 650-win milestone. A win over Western Illinois would......be the first over WIU since the season...snap a five-game home losing streak Illini Trends: This year the Fighting Illini are when scoring 70 or more points when shooting 45% or better when having fewer turnovers than their opp when holding opponents under 35% shooting when leading at halftime when allowing fewer than 60 points when shooting better then their opponent at home in the postseason WNIT Associated Press Poll (March 13, 2006) No. School Rec. Votes Pvs. 1 North Carolina Ohio State Maryland Duke LSU Tennessee Oklahoma Connecticut Rutgers Baylor Purdue Georgia DePaul Stanford Arizona State Michigan State Louisiana Tech Utah Temple Texas A&M UCLA _ 22 BYU Cougars Bowling Green New Mexico Minnesota OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Vanderbilt 53, Florida 51, Kentucky 44, Tulsa 33, Chattanooga 26, St. John's 20, N.C. State 17, George Washington 15, Virginia Tech 14, Boston College 11, Florida St. 7, Indiana St. 6, Old Dominion 6, Hartford 4, Virginia 3, Wyoming 3, Liberty 2, Army 1. ESPN/USA Today Poll (March 13, 2006) Rk. School Rec. Pts. Pvs. 1. North Carolina (30) Ohio State (1) Maryland Duke LSU Tennessee Connecticut Oklahoma Rutgers Baylor Purdue Georgia DePaul Stanford Arizona State Louisiana Tech Michigan State Temple Utah Brigham Young Bowling Green Texas A&M UCLA NR 24. New Mexico Vanderbilt OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Chattanooga 30; Tulsa 25; Minnesota 23; George Washington 19; Old Dominion 16; St. John's 8; Kentucky 6; Hartford 5; Liberty 4; Indiana State 3; Florida 2; Florida State 2; Western Kentucky 2; Marist 1; Middle Tennessee 1; Virginia Tech 1. *Illinois opponents in BOLD 2006 Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 5

6 Injury Report: Three Illini are currently unavailable due to injury. Freshman Danielle Gratton suffered a stress fracture in her right foot on Feb. 7 and will miss the rest of the season. Megan Nyquist had exploratory surgery on her knee last week and is also out for the season, while Lacey Simpson plans to apply for a medical redshirt after having internal surgery in December. In addition, freshman Tori Arndt is taking a non-medical redshirt this season, bringing the number of Illini unavailable to four. Crowd Pleasers: A season-high crowd of 6,459 rowdy fans cheered the Illini in their Feb. 5 matchup with Michigan State. That total was the largest crowd at Assembly Hall since 8,967 fans witnessed the Illini beat Michigan on Jan. 27, Illinois averaged 2,930 fans in 11 homes games this season, up over 65 percent from last season. Record Day in Madison: A pair of Illini had record-breaking games in the win over Wisconsin on Jan. 15. Maggie Acuna dished out 16 assists, which broke both Illinois and Kohl Center records. The old UI record was 15, by Kim Brombolich on 1/22/ RPI Ratings (From CollegeRPI.com through games of March 12, 2006) SOS Polls School Rec. RPI RK Rating AP C 1 North Carolina Tennessee Duke Connecticut Oklahoma LSU Ohio State Maryland Rutgers Baylor North Carolina St DePaul Old Dominion Georgia Arizona St Virginia Tech Western Kentucky Utah Michigan St Stanford BYU UCLA Kentucky Purdue Hartford Minnesota Iowa Indiana Northern Iowa Penn State Wisconsin Illinois Northern Illinois Illinois St Northwestern Michigan Rhode Island Bradley Northern Colorado Saint Louis Utah St Loyola (Chicago) ILL opponents in BOLD. Records are vs. D-I opponents only. ILLINOIS NOTES Lori Bjork, meanwhile, hit 5 of 6 three-pointers to break the Kohl Center record for three-point accuracy. Bjork Provides Deep Threat Freshman Lori Bjork was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team as selected by league coaches. Bjork currently leads all Big Ten freshmen in 3FG made (50) and is second among freshmen in scoring (10.3). Bjork has been hot as of late, hitting 12 of her last 26 (.462) from beyond the arc in the last five games. In Big Ten play, she shot.390 from three-point land, which ranked eighth in the league. Bjork popped up on some Illinois single-season charts thanks to her stellar play. She currently ranks fifth on the UI single-season three-point field goals list and is second on the freshman three-point field goals list with 50. She is also eighth on the freshman points list with 299. The Johnston, Iowa, native had a career night against Wisconsin on Feb. 9, pouring in a careerand Illinois season-high 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Earlier this season at Wisconsin, the sharpshooter nailed 9-of-12 shots for 24 points, including 5-of- 6 from behind the arc, which set a new Kohl Center record for single-game 3FG accuracy and equaled the fifth-most threes made in a game in school history. Bjork got her career off to a blazing start, leading the Illini in scoring in four of the first five games, including a career-high 20 points and four threepointers vs. NIU on 11/29. Bjork was named to the Coors Classic All- Tournament Team after leading the Illini in scoring for both tournament games, averaging 14.0 points and shooting.583 from the field. Sweet J After coming off the bench at Northwestern, Janelle Hughes, known as J by her teammates, seems to have regained her mid-season scoring form. Coming off the bench for the only time this season, Hughes scored 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting and tallied six assists and five rebounds against the Wildcats on Feb. 16. In five games since then she has been above her season scoring average (13.6). Hughes, who was recently named an honorable mention All-Big Ten performer by both the coaches and media, has been the team s most consistent scoring threat this season. She has scored in double-figures 21 times and has led the Illini in scoring on 13 occasions, both team bests. Hughes currently ranks 10th on both the Illinois single-season (40) and career (74) three-point field goal lists. Hughes had a stellar night in Illinois win over Bradley, hitting a career-best 4 of 6 from downtown en route to a career-high 22 points. She later equaled that 22-point performance at Rhode Island. In the win over No. 15 Oklahoma, Hughes scored 11 consecutive points in a span of 2:39 to turn a deficit into a lead. The Illini took their first lead during the run and would not relinquish it. Number of Times... Led Team in Scoring Janelle Hughes 13 Lori Bjork 9 Erin Wigley 8 Danyel Crutcher 3 Led Team in Rebounding Audrey Tabon 13 Danyel Crutcher 12 Erin Wigley 6 Maggie Acuna 5 Janelle Hughes 3 Lacey Simpson 1 Double-Digit Scoring Games Janelle Hughes 21 Erin Wigley 20 Lori Bjork 15 Audrey Tabon 10 Danyel Crutcher 8 Maggie Acuna 1 Chelsea Gordon 1 Erin McCarthy 1 Double Digit Rebound Games Audrey Tabon 7 Danyel Crutcher 3 Maggie Acuna 1 Career Double-Doubles Danyel Crutcher (4) Pts. Reb. Opp. 11/20/ Ark-PB 12/19/ UCLA 12/18/ Oklahoma 12/22/ Illinois St. Audrey Tabon (2) Pts. Reb. Opp. 12/5/ Bradley 12/9/ Florida Erin Wigley (3) Pts. Reb. Opp. 2/13/ Penn St. 2/22/ IPFW 3/4/ Michigan St Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

7 Air Gordon In her first career start, freshman guard Chelsea Gordon converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 2.6 seconds left to give Illinois a thrilling road victory over Northwestern on Feb. 16. Gordon put-back a Lori Bjork miss to tie the game, and then, after a timeout, hit the winning free throw. Gordon pulled down a career-high eight rebounds in a career-high 22 minutes of action Feb. 9 vs. Wisconsin. The Erie, Pa., native has seen more playing time down the stretch with Danielle Gratton out due to injury. Gordon scored a career-high 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting at MSU on Jan. 19. She hit back-to-back treys that sparked a furious Illini rally that turned a 25-point deficit into a seven-point game with just over three minutes to go. Erin Wigging Out After averaging 7.3 points in Illinois' first seven games, junior forward Erin Wigley has lived up to expectations as Illinois' leading returning scorer from last season. Wigley has scored in double figures in 19 of Illinois last 23 games, averaging 12.6 points in that span. Wigley, who was recently named an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the media, has led the Illini in scoring eight times and in rebounding six times, which both rank third on the team. The junior scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed eight boards in just 25 minutes vs. Illinois State. She later dropped 20 at Iowa. Wigley had what Coach Grentz called the best allaround game of her career vs. MSU on 2/5. Wigley scored 14 points, 12 in the second half, had eight rebounds and a career-high tying four blocks vs. the Spartans. She followed that up with a 17-point, nine rebound performance vs. Wisconsin three days later. All-Around Acuna Senior Maggie Acuna blew the doors off the Kohl Center in Illinois win at Wisconsin on 1/15, posting a school-record and Kohl Center record 16 assists. The old Illinois record was 15, by Kim Brombolich way back on Jan. 22, Acuna currently ranks third in the Big Ten in assists (4.41) and ranks in the top-12 in the Big Ten in five different categories according to 3/7 stats, including assists (3rd), steals (4th), minutes played (7th), assist-to-turnover ratio (9th) and defensive rebounds (12th). Acuna has been climbing the Illinois career charts all season. She currently ranks 12th on the UI assists list with 293 and 15th on the steals list with 155. The diminutive 5-6 guard is a demon on the glass. She pulled down a career-high 12 boards vs. Purdue and is averaging 4.8 per game on the season, which ILLINOIS NOTES ranks fourth on the Illini. She s especially tenacious on the defensive glass, averaging 4.2 per game, which ranks 12th in the Big Ten. She has led the team in rebounding five times this season. Tabon Doubles Her Fun Junior center Audrey Tabon busted out of a minislump vs. MSU on 2/5 with 14 points - 12 in the first half - on 6 of 8 shooting, while also adding six rebounds. In Big Ten play, she ranked eighth in rebounding (6.9), sixth in offensive boards (2.3) and 10th in defensive boards (4.6). She is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game in the last four games including tournament. Tabon posted back-to-back double-doubles - the first two of her career - against Bradley and Florida. She had a career-high 15 points to go along with 11 rebounds vs. Bradley for her first career double-dip, then came back with 13 points and a career-best 15 boards at Florida. Crutcher Tears Up Sooners Danyel Crutcher, a Big Ten All-Freshman team selection last season, has been a force in the paint for the Illini ever since her breakout 24-point, 11- rebound performance vs. No. 15 Oklahoma back on Dec. 18. She finished the regular season ranked fourth in the Big Ten in FG% (.532), 13th in defensive rebounding (4.0) and 17th in overall rebounding (5.6) in Big Ten games despite averaging just 19.1 minutes. Prior to the breakout OU game, Crutcher had just 23 points on the season and was averaging only 9.0 minutes per game. In the game against the Sooners in December, Crutcher hit 10 of 15 shots to shatter her previous career-high of 13 points, and hit the glass hard against Courtney Paris, one of the top centers in the nation, to earn her third career double-double. Crutcher was named Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 19) following the Oklahoma performance and then followed that up with another double-double (12 pts., 10 rebs.) vs. Illinois State. In the last six games leading including the tournament, Crutcher is averaging 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Gratton Grounded Freshman Danielle Gratton, who had been one of Coach Grentz s first two players off the bench for most of the year, suffered a stress fracture in her right foot on Feb. 7 and is out for the rest of the season. Gratton provided a scoring punch off the bench for Illini, averaging 4.5 points in just 13.0 minutes per game. She scored a career-high nine points on two occasions, at Bradley and vs. Michigan. The 6-0 guard was an impressive 12-of-27 (.444) from three point and 12-of-15 (.800) from the line. Nyquist Sidelined Again Redshirt-freshman guard Megan Nyquist, who sat out all of last season and missed the first five games Illini Record Book Career Assists Jill Estey Jenny Johnson Michelle Vossen Allison Curtin Krista Reinking Maggie Acuna Career Steals Allison Curtin Jill Estey Cindy Dallas Tiffanie Guthrie Kendra Gantt Jonelle Polk Maggie Acuna Career Three-point Field Goals Krista Reinking Mandy Cunningham Melissa Parker Katie Coleman Shavonna Hunter Janelle Hughes Single Season Three-point Field Goals Krista Reinking Melissa Parker Mandy Cunningham Aminata Yanni Lori Bjork Katie Coleman Krista Reinking Allison Curtin Mandy Cunningham Janelle Hughes Allison Curtin Freshman Points Allison Curtin Iveta Marcauskaite Mandy Cunningham Anne O Neil Robbyn Preacely Kendra Gantt Lisa Bradley Lori Bjork Freshman Three-point Field Goals Mandy Cunningham Lori Bjork Katie Coleman Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 7

8 this year recovering from an ACL tear in her right knee, will be sidelined once again after injuring the same knee in practice on Jan. 27. Nyquist made her UI debut vs. St. Louis at the United Center, scoring two points in her first collegiate action. Later, vs. Michigan, she scored seven points in only seven minutes. On the year, she has appeared in four games and is averaging 2.3 points. She had exploratory surgery on Feb. 15 and will not return this season. Arndt to Redshirt Freshman Victoria Arndt (Damascus, Ohio) plans to redshirt the season, head coach Theresa Grentz said before the season opener at Loyola. Arndt was the 91st ranked senior in last year's class according to All-Star Girls Report. She led West Branch HS to the 2004 Ohio Division II state title and graduated as the all-time leading scorer. More Illini Tidbits Hitting the Boards: Illinois leads the Big Ten in defensive rebounds (26.5) and ranks third in the league in rebounding offense (37.7). Illinois grabbed a Big Ten season-high 59 boards vs. St. Louis and is 12-7 when it out-rebounds the opponent. D-D-D-Defense: The Fighting Illini defense has been stout this season. Illinois ranks third in the league in FG percentage defense (.393) and fifth in points allowed (61.3). In its six conference wins, Illinois has held opponents to just.352 ( ) shooting from the field and just.244 (24-98) from behind the arc, while allowing only 55.0 points per game. Trey-mendous: Illinois has been hot from behind the arc in the last five games, hitting 26-of-63 (.412) in the last three regular season games and the Big Ten Tournament. The Illini had hit just 20-of-94 (.213) from downtown in the eight games prior to that, including just 8-of-51 (.157) in the last five before the 2/16 NU game. For the season, the Illini are shooting.340 from three-point land and are averaging 4.5 treys per game, up from.278 and 2.9 in those two areas last season. Crutcher named Big Ten POW: Sophomore forward Danyel Crutcher was named Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec ) after her 24-point, 11- rebound performance in the upset of No. 15 Oklahoma. Ranked Opponent Win Streak Extended: With the victory over the Sooners, the Illini have now beaten at least one ranked team in 12 straight seasons. UI has beaten 26 ranked foes during the streak. No. 15 OU was the highest ranked team knocked off by the Illini since they beat No. 10 Minnesota, 94-80, on Jan. 26, Home Cookin : After a 6-0 home start, Illinois dropped its final five home games to finish the home slate at 6-5. The Jan. 22 loss to Purdue snapped a nine-game home winning streak dating back to last season, which was the longest since an ILLINOIS NOTES 18-game streak from The current fivegame home losing streak is the longest since a sixgame streak during the 1988 season. All-time, Illinois is (.646) at home and (.647) at Assembly Hall. Sumo Championship: The title match of the crowd favorite Sumo Challenge, which pitted Illini players dressed in sumo wrestling costumes against each other in a tournament format, was shown on the video board during a second-half timeout during the Feb. 23 home finale. The championship match of the season-long tournament, which was filmed in October and was aired throughout the season, pitted freshmen Chelsea Gordon and Lacey Simpson against one another. Simpson won the best-of-five title match 3-1 to claim the sumo title. Frosh Start As expected, Illinois highly touted freshman class (No. 18 in the nation) has made big contributions so far this season. All five active freshmen played and scored in the opener and haven t let up since. Lori Bjork has started 26 games on the season and currently leads all Big Ten freshmen in three-point FG made (50) while averaging 10.3 points per game, second-best among league rookies. Chelsea Gordon, Erin McCarthy and Danielle Gratton have all seen significant playing time and have combined to account for over 10 points per game. Freshman Victoria Arndt has decided to redshirt the season, while Lacey Simpson played in four games early on but is now out indefinitely after having internal surgery. Recently, Gratton went down (Feb. 7) with a stress fracture in her foot and is out 4-6 weeks. Season of Youth With nine underclassmen, the Illini rank as one of the youngest teams in the nation. Illinois has six true-freshmen, joining sophs Stephanie Chelleen and Danyel Crutcher and redshirt frosh Meg Nyquist as underclassmen. That total ties Illinois as the 15th youngest team in the country in terms of most underclassmen on the roster. Reaching New Heights With nine players measured at 6-0 or taller, Illinois has become one of the tallest teams in the country. Led by 6-5 freshman center Erin McCarthy, the Illini have an average height of 6 feet, 0.21 inches, which ties New Mexico as the seventh-tallest team in the nation. Tennessee tops the list with an average height of 6 feet, 1.55 inches. Below is an unofficial pre-season listing of the tallest teams in the country this season by average height: Rk. Team Avg. Ht. (Inches) 1. Tennessee Auburn Duke Iowa State Oregon Georgia t. ILLINOIS t. New Mexico F IGHTING I LLINI B Y T HE N UMBERS Big Ten ranking of the freshman class by Blue Star Report Second left when Chelsea Gordon hit the game-winning three-point play at Northwestern on Feb Post-seson trips in the last 10 years Grentz s rank on the all-time wins list Consecutive points by Janelle Hughes in the winover #15 Oklahoma Consecutive years with a win over a ranked opponent The Associated Press ranking of the Oklahoma Sooners when the Illini beat them on Dec Assists Maggie Acuna dished out on Jan. 15 vs. Wisconsin,..... setting Illinois and Kohl Center records National ranking of the freshman class by Blue Star Report Points Lori Bjork scored against.... Wisconsin on Feb. 9, an Illinois season high Teams in this year s WNIT field, eight more than last season Rebounds for Illinois on Dec against St. Louis, a Big Ten season high Percentage increase in Illinois Big Ten attendance from last your to this year, the largest increase in the league Average height, in inches, of the Illini, making them the seventh tallest team in the nation Career wins by Theresa Grentz Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

9 Illini Sign Jenna Smith Jenna Smith, a 6-3 Power forward from Kennedy High School in Bloomington, Minn. signed a letter of intent to join the Fighting Illini in the fall of Smith is ranked as the 69th senior in the class of 2006 by Blue Star Report and is listed as the No. 24 center in the class by All-Star Girls Report. She is a physical, lefthanded post player who is considered by many to be the frontrunner for this year s Minnesota Ms. Basketball. Smith averaged 20.8 points and 8.6 rebounds as a junior last year while leading Bloomington Kennedy to the Minnesota Class AAAA State Title. Smith chose Illinois over Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State and Nebraska. Angel One Tough Rookie 2005 Illinois alum Angelina Williams recently wrapped up her rookie season WNBA. Williams saw action in 16 games for the Phoenix Mercury, averaging 2.5 points, 1.4 rebounds in 9.3 minutes per game. She is currently playing pro ball in Israel during the WNBA offseason. In April, Williams was chosen by Phoenix in the second round of the 2005 WNBA Draft. As the 18th overall selection and the fifth pick of the second round, Williams was the highest-ever UI draft pick. When she took the court in the Mercury s season opener in June, she became the first former Illini to play in a WNBA game. Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll 1 Ohio State 2 Michigan State 3 Minnesota 4 Purdue 5 Iowa 6 Wisconsin 7 Penn State 8 Indiana 9 Illinois 10 Michigan 11 Northwestern Watch Illinois on fightingillini.com For the second straight season, fans unable to make it to Assembly Hall can catch live streaming video of Illinois women s basketball home games on the web. Wednesday s WNIT game vs. WIU will be webcast and, although the regular season is over, archives of all home games are still available for viewing. The video feed is taken from the Assembly Hall video board and is synced up with the Illinois radio broadcast. Wednesday s game and all 11 regular-season home games and post-game press conferences can be viewed with the purchase of an Illini All-Access subscription ($6.95 per month, $49.95 per year). Subscribers will have access to all Illinois multimedia offerings, including women s basketball audio coverage for away games, plus coverage of men s basketball and football. For more information, go to fightingillini.com and look for the Audio/Video link on the left-hand menu. GameTracker, as well as statistics, box scores, recaps, game notes, blogs and much more is available on fightingillini.com. Women s BasketBlog on the Web Checkout fightingillini.com for a weekly Women s BasketBlog written by an Illinois student-athlete. Lori Bjork, Maggie Acuna and Danielle Gratton will rotate writing the blog each week and will discuss what s going on in their lives, both on and off the court. ILLINOIS NOTES Scoring 90+ points Scoring points Scoring points Scoring points Scoring less than 60 points Giving up points Giving up 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 55 percent or better Opponents shooting percent 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 Starting Line-ups Game G G G/F F F/C at Loyola Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon at N. Colorado Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon vs. Utah State Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon vs. N. Iowa Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon N. ILLINOIS Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon vs. St. Louis Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon at Bradley Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon at Florida Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon OKLAHOMA Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon ILLINOIS STATE Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon MICHIGAN Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon at Iowa Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon at Rhode Island Acuna Hughes Crutcher Wigley Tabon NORTHWESTERN Acuna Hughes Crutcher Wigley Tabon PENN STATE Acuna Hughes Crutcher Wigley Tabon at Wisconsin Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon at Michigan St. Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon PURDUE Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon at Indiana Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon at Ohio State Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon MINNESOTA Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon MICHIGAN STATE Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Crutcher WISCONSIN Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Crutcher at Penn State Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Crutcher at Northwestern Acuna Gordon Bjork Wigley Crutcher IOWA Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Crutcher at Michigan Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon vs. Northwestern Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon vs. Purdue Acuna Hughes Bjork Wigley Tabon Illinois record when Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 9 When leading at halftime When tied at halftime When trailing at halftime When Illini shoot more free throws than opponent When teams shoot same number of FTs When opponents shoot more FT than Illinois Margin is five points or less Margin is 6-10 points Margin is points Margin is points Margin is 20+ points Overall Record Big Ten Record Record at Home Record on Road Record in Neutral Site Games Record vs. Ranked Teams Record in Overtime Games Coming off a win Coming off a loss Wearing White jerseys Wearing Blue jerseys Wearing Orange jerseys Record by Month November December January February March

10 EXPANDED RESULTS DATE OPPONENT RESULT REC. ATTEN. HIGH PTS. HIGH REB. 11/18 at Loyola W, Bjork 4 - Wigley, Hughes, Simpson, Acuna, Crutcher 11/23 at Northern Colorado L, Hughes 7 - Hughes, Acuna 11/25 vs. Utah State (@ Colorado) W, Bjork 8 - Acuna 11/26 vs. N. Iowa (@ Colorado) L, , Bjork 5 - Wigley 11/29 Northern Illinois W, , Bjork 12 - Tabon 12/3 vs. St. Louis (@ Chicago) W, , Hughes 9 - Crutcher 12/5 at Bradley W, , Hughes 11 - Tabon 12/9 at Florida L, , Hughes 15 - Tabon 12/18 No. 15/15 Oklahoma W, , Crutcher 11 - Crutcher 12/22 Illinois State W, , Wigley 10 - Crutcher 12/29 Michigan W, , 1-0 1, Wigley 8 - Crutcher 1/1 at Iowa L, , 1-1 3, Wigley, Hughes 7 - Tabon 1/5 at Rhode Island W, , Hughes 10 - Tabon 1/8 Northwestern W, , 2-1 3, Hughes 14- Tabon 1/12 Penn State W, , 3-1 1, Hughes 8 - Tabon, Crutcher 1/15 at Wisconsin W, , 4-1 9, Bjork 9 - Tabon 1/19 at No. 12/14 Michigan State L, , Wigley 9 - Wigley 1/22 No. 11/11 Purdue L, , 4-3 4, Wigley 12 - Acuna 1/26 at Indiana L, , Wigley, Hughes 7 - Wigley, Tabon 1/29 at No. 7/7 Ohio State L, , , Hughes 8 - Acuna 2/2 No. 12/12 Minnesota L, , 4-6 1, Bjork 4 - Hughes, Crutcher 2/5 No. 17/17 Michigan State L, , 4-7 6, Hughes 8 - Wigley 2/9 Wisconsin L, , 4-8 4, Bjork 9 - Wigley 2/12 at Penn State L, , 4-9 7, Crutcher 9 - Crutcher 2/16 at Northwestern W, , Hughes 7 - Crutcher 2/23 Iowa L, , , Bjork, Wigley 11 - Crutcher 2/26 at Michigan W, , , Bjork 8 - Crutcher, Tabon 3/2 vs. Northwestern& W, , Crutcher 11 - Tabon 3/3 vs. No. 14/11 Purdue& L, , Hughes, Wigley 9 - Tabon & - Big Ten Tournament presented by Xbox Live (Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.) ATTENDANCE SUMMARY GAMES TOTALS AVG./HIGH GAME HOME 11 32,229 2,930/6,459 BIG TEN HOME 8 27,743 3,468/6,549 AWAY 13 44,926 3,456/11,622 NEUTRAL 5 19,367 3,873/7,681 TOTAL 29 97,097 3,348/11, Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

11 THE LAST TIME... Illinois scored 100 points or more feb. 4, 2001 vs. Minnesota (Illinois 101, Minnesota 91) Illinois scored 90 points or more feb. 1, 2004 vs. Michigan (Illinois 94, Michigan 78) Illinois scored 50 points or less feb. 2, 2006 vs. Minnesota (Minnesota 64, Illinois 49) Illinois scored 40 points or less january 14, 1994 at Iowa (Iowa 53, Illinois 37) Illinois gave up 100 points or more feb. 15, 2001 at Penn State (Penn State 101, Illinois 80) Illinois gave up 90 points or more jan. 2, 2004 at Iowa (Iowa 91, Illinois 73) Illinois gave up 40 points or less november 18, 2005 at Loyola (Illinois 79, Loyola 39) Illinois won by 40+ points november 18, 2005, 40, at Loyola (Illinois 79, Loyola 39) An Illinois player scored 30+ points dec. 19, 2004 vs. UCLA, Angelina Williams, 30, (Illinois 78, UCLA 63) An Illinois player scored 40+ points jan. 14, 1996 at Minnesota, Ashley Berggren, 43, (Illinois 87, Minnesota 76) An opposing player scored 30+ points jan. 30, 2005, Jessica Davenport, 34 (Ohio State 69, Illinois 55) An opposing player scored 40+ points dec. 16, 1989, Carol Owens, N. Illinois, 41(NIU 110, Illinois 93) No Illini in double figures jan. 10, 1995 at Alabama (Alabama 84, Illinois 47 (Dupps, Smith each had 8) No opposing player in double figures dec. 28, 2004 vs. Central Michigan (Illinois 82, Central Michigan 44) An Illini had 15+ rebounds dec. 9, 2005, Audrey Tabon, 15, at Florida (Florida 69, Illinois 64) 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 20+ rebounds jan. 4, 1985, Laura Coener, Minnesota, 21, (Minnesota 77, Illinois 61) An opposing player had 25+ rebounds never An Illini had 10+ assists jan. 15, 2006, Maggie Acuna, 16, at Wisconsin (Illinois 84, Wisconsin 54) An Illini had 15+ assists jan. 15, 2006, Maggie Acuna, 16, at Wisconsin (Illinois 84, Wisconsin 54) An opposing player had 10+ assists feb. 12, 2006, Brianne O Rourke, 10, at Penn State (Penn State 78, Illinois 52) An opposing player had 15+ assists march 12, 1983, Debbie Hunter, 15, vs. Minnesota (Minnesota 89, Illinois 65) An Illini made 5+ three-pointers jan. 15, 2006, Lori Bjork, 5, at Wisconsin (Illinois 84, Wisconsin 54) An Illini made 8+ three-pointers nov. 29, 1997, Katie Coleman, 9, vs. Providence, at Puerto Rico (UI 106, PC 74) An Illini made 10+ three-pointers never An opposing player made 5+ threes feb. 12, 2006, Adrienne Squire, 7, Penn State (Penn State 78, Illinois 52) An opposing player made 8+ threes never Illinois shot 60 pct. FG or better dec. 19, 2004,.608 (31-51), vs. UCLA (Illinois 78, UCLA 63) Illinois shot 30 pct. FG or lower feb. 15, 2004,.279 (17-61), vs. Minnesota (Minnesota 63, Illinois 54) An opponent shot 60 pct. FG or better feb. 13, 2003,.608 (31-51), vs. UCSB (UCSB 77, Illinois 72) An opponent shot 30 pct. FG or lower december 29, 2005,.266 (17-64), vs. Michigan (Illinois 67, Michigan 48) An opponent shot 20 pct. FG or lower december 3, 2005,.190 (12-63), vs. St. Louis (Illinois 75, St. Louis 40) Illinois forced 30 or more turnovers november 18, 2005, 36, at Loyola (Illinois 79, Loyola 39) Illinois had 20 or more steals november 18, 2005, 20, at Loyola (Illinois 79, Loyola 39) Illinois won 5+ games in a row dec. 11, 2004-Dec. 30, 2004, 5-game streak Illinois won 10+ games in a row nov. 20, 1981-Jan. 2, 1982, 10-game streak Illinois lost 5+ games in a row jan. 19, 2006-Feb. 12, 2006, eight-game streak Illinois lost 10+ games in a row jan. 3, 1988-Feb. 12, 1988, 11-game streak Illinois won 5+ in a row at home feb. 16, 2005-Jan 12, 2006, 9-game streak Illinois won 10+ in a row at home dec. 20, 1997-Jan. 5, 1999, 18-game streak Illinois won 15+ in a row at home dec. 20, 1997-Jan. 5, 1999, 18-game streak Illinois lost 5+ in a row at home jan. 22, 2006-current, 5-game streak Illinois lost 10+ in a row at home never Illinois won 5+ in a row away from home dec. 4, 2004-Jan. 9, 2005, 5-game streak Illinois won 10+ in a row away from home never 2006 Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 11

12 OVERALL STATS Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

13 GAME-BY-GAME TEAM COMPARISONS Opponent 1st 2nd Score Mar. Tot. FG FG% 3-Ptrs. 3-FG % FT FT % Rebs. Assts. TO Blk Stl Fouls at Loyola 29/12 50/27 79/ / / / / / / /33 +/-0 22/7 13/36 5/4 20/8 7/10 at N. Colorado 21/31 34/34 55/ / / / / / / / /18 16/16 4/3 10/10 14/18 vs. Utah State 35/17 27/26 62/ / / / / / / / /7 16/24 4/2 15/9 21/14 vs. N. Iowa 23/36 24/35 47/ / / / / / / /34-5 5/16 24/16 1/3 11/6 21/16 N. ILLINOIS 18/14 39/29 57/ / / / / / / / /10 14/11 7/3 5/3 14/13 vs. St. Louis 36/11 39/29 75/ / / / / / / / /9 27/19 3/1 9/19 17/16 at Bradley 36/29 44/35 80/ / / / / / / / /16 15/15 3/0 13/7 13/14 at Florida 31/41 33/28 64/ / / / / / / / /18 16/10 3/5 6/8 13/11 OKLAHOMA 39/45 47/30 86/ / / / / / / / /10 15/20 2/4 7/10 13/22 ILLINOIS STATE 47/36 38/38 85/ / / / / / / / /15 12/22 1/1 13/7 19/24 MICHIGAN 33/26 34/22 67/ / / / / / / / /8 19/13 8/4 5/7 17/22 at Iowa 34/29 31/55 65/ / / / / / / / /22 18/17 2/4 13/9 19/14 at Rhode Island 28/34 45/28 73/ / / / / / / / /12 20/15 3/0 7/16 16/16 NORTHWESTERN 26/23 38/32 64/ / / / / / / / /10 21/17 3/2 10/10 14/21 PENN STATE 36/26 30/31 66/ / / / / / /750 41/ /9 15/13 4/6 6/9 13/15 at Wisconsin 39/30 45/24 84/ / / / / / / / /11 15/19 1/2 9/6 7/10 at Michigan St. 17/27 44/45 72/ / / / / / / / /18 20/18 4/2 10/13 14/15 PURDUE 24/30 29/27 53/ / / / / / / / /7 19/9 2/5 5/12 14/19 at Indiana 14/29 34/34 48/ / / / / / / / /16 22/13 4/4 5/15 10/14 at Ohio State 20/34 29/41 49/ / / / / / / / /19 20/14 2/3 6/7 12/14 MINNESOTA 23/39 26/25 29/ / / / / / / / /15 12/12 4/4 4/7 12/15 MICHIGAN STATE 30/29 21/28 51/ / / / / / / /37-5 9/7 13/12 6/1 6/10 15/12 WISCONSIN 20/29 41/37 61/ / / / / / / /37-2 8/11 15/14 3/2 3/7 17/21 at Penn State 21/30 31/48 52/ /29/56.365/ / / / / / /19 18/14 0/1 6/10 17/14 at Northwestern 27/26 33/33 60/ / / / / / / / /18 16/16 2/2 10/10 13/13 IOWA 35/40 25/31 60/ / / / / / / / /15 14/10 5/4 3/9 14/10 at Michigan 33/26 34/31 67/ / / / / / / / /12 10/11 2/2 5/5 13/17 vs. Northwestern 30/25 30/24 60/ / / / / / / / /12 21/16 4/1 9/8 11/18 vs. Purdue 22/29 35/39 57/ / / / / / / / /18 19/5 1/6 1/7 13/13 Note: Totals are displayed in the ILLINOIS/OPPONENT format ILLINOIS INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS Points Lori Bjork vs. Wisconsin (2/9/06) Field Goals Made Danyel Crutcher vs. Oklahoma (12/18/05) Field Goals Attempted Janelle Hughes at Iowa (1/1/06) Field Goal % (Min. 5 made) (5-5) Danyel Crutcher vs. Purdue (3/3/06) (5-5) Erin Wigley vs. Oklahoma (12/18/05) 3-Pt. Field Goals Made Lori Bjork at Wisconsin (1/15/06) 3-Pt. Field Goals Attempted Janelle Hughes at Northwestern (2/16/06) 3-Pt. Field Goal % (Min. 3 made) (5-6) Lori Bjork at Wisconsin (1/15/06) Free Throws Made Lori Bjork vs. Illinois State (12/22/05) Free Throws Attempted Audrey Tabon vs. Northern Illinois (11/29/05) Free Throw % (Min. 5 made) (7-7) Lori Bjork vs. Wisconsin (2/9/06) (7-7) Erin Wigley at Michigan State (1/19/06) (6-6) Erin Wigley at Penn State (2/12/06) (5-5) Audrey Tabon at Bradley (12/5/05) (5-5) Janelle Hughes at Florida (12/9/05) (5-5) Danyel Crutcher vs. Northwestern (1/8/06) Rebounds Audrey Tabon at Florida (12/9/05) Assists Maggie Acuna at Wisconsin (1/15/06) Steals Maggie Acuna at Bradley (12/5/05) Blocked Shots Erin Wigley vs. Michigan State (2/5/06) Turnovers Maggie Acuna at Rhode Island (1/5/06) Maggie Acuna vs. Purdue (1/22/06) Fouls Maggie Acuna at Florida (12/9/05) Erin Wigley at Northern Colorado (11/23/05) Erin Wigley vs. Purdue (1/22/06) Erin Wigley vs. Michigan State (2/5/06) Lori Bjork at Penn State (2/12/06) 2006 Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 13

14 Postseason WNIT Record: 2-3 Overall Postseason Record: ILLINOIS POST-SEASON HISTORY /28/75 W, vs. Augustana, IAIAW State Tournament, Champaign, Ill. 3/1/75 W, vs. Northern Illinois, IAIAW State Tournament, Champaign, Ill. 3/1/75 L, (OT) vs. Southern Illinois, IAIAW State Tournament, Champaign, Ill. 3/2/75 L, vs. Eastern Illinois, IAIAW State Tournament, Champaign, Ill. 3/6/75 L, vs. Indiana, AIAW Midwest Regional, Normal, Ill. 3/7/75 L, vs. Ball State, AIAW Midwest Regional, Normal, Ill /4/76 W, vs. Eastern Illinois, IAIAW State Tournament, Champaign, Ill. 3/5/76 L, vs. Illinois St., IAIAW State Tournament, Macomb, Ill. 3/6/76 W, vs. Illinois-Chicago, IAIAW State Tournament, Macomb, Ill. 3/11/76 L, vs. Indiana State, MAIAW Midwest Regional, Mt. Pleasant, Mich. 3/12/76 L vs. Ball State, MAIAW Midwest Regional, Mt. Pleasant, Mich /3/77 L, vs. Illinois-Chicago, IAIAW State Tournament, DeKalb, Ill. 3/3/77 W, vs. Chicago State, IAIAW State Tournament, DeKalb, Ill. 3/4/77 W, vs. SIU-Edwardsville, IAIAW State Tournament, Dekalb, Ill. 3/5/77 W, vs. Eastern Illinois, Fifth Place IAIAW State Tournament, DeKalb, Ill /2/78 W, vs. SIU Edwardsvile, IAIAW State Tournament, Normal, Ill. 3/4/78 L, vs. Illinois-Chicago, IAIAW State Tournament, Normal, Ill /1/79 W, vs. SIU Edwardsville, 1st Round IAIAW State Tourn., Carbondale, Ill. 3/2/79 L, vs. Northwestern, IAIAW State Championship, Carbondale, Ill /29/80 L, vs. DePaul, IAIAW State Tournament, Champaign, Ill /5/81 W, vs. Illinois-Chicago, IAIAW State Tournament, Chicago, Ill. 3/6/81 L, vs. Illinois State, IAIAW State Tournament, Chicago, Ill. 3/7/81 L, vs. DePaul, IAIAW State Tournament, Chicago, Ill. 3/13/81 L, vs. Illinois State, MAIAW Regionals, Normal, Ill /12/82 #W, vs. Michigan State, Big Ten Tourney Rd. 1, E. Lansing, Mich. 2/13/82 #W, vs. Indiana, Big Ten Tourney Semis, E. Lansing, Mich. 2/14/82 #L, vs. Ohio State, Big Ten Tourney Championship, E. Lansing, Mich. 3/14/82 L, vs. Kentucky, 1st Round NCAA Tournament, Lexington, Ky /12/86 W, vs. Ohio University, 1st Round NCAA Tournament, Athens, Ohio 3/15/86 L, vs. Georgia, 2nd Round Mideast Regional, Athens, Ga /11/87 W, vs. Bowling Green, 1st Round NCAA Tournament, Champaign 3/13/87 L, vs. Auburn, 2nd Round NCAA Tournament, Auburn, Ala /3/95 L, vs. Ohio State, 1st Round Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis /1/97 W, vs. Minnesota, Quarterfinal Round Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis 3/2/97 W, vs. Michigan State, Semifinal Round Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis 3/3/97 L, vs. Iowa, Championship Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis 3/14/97 W, vs. Drake, 1st Round NCAA Tournament, Champaign, Ill. 3/16/97 W, vs. Duke, 2nd Round NCAA Tournament, Champaign, Ill. 3/22/97 L, vs. Connecticut, NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal, Iowa City, Iowa /28/98 L, vs. Penn State, Quarterfinal Round Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis 3/14/98 W, vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay, 1st Round NCAA Tourn., Champaign, Ill. 3/16/98 W, vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 2nd Round NCAA Tourn., Champaign, Ill. 3/21/98 L, vs. North Carolina, NCAA Midwest Regional Semi., Nashville, Tenn /27/99 W, vs. Michigan, Quarterfinal Round, Big Ten Tournament, Ind. 2/28/99 W, vs. Penn State, Semifinal Round, Big Ten Tournament, Ind. 3/1/99 L, vs. Purdue, Finals, Big Ten Tournament 3/12/99 W, vs. Louisville, NCAA Tournament First Round, Clemson, S.C. 3/14/99 L, vs. Clemson, Second Round, NCAA Tournament, Clemson, S.C /3/00 W, vs. Michigan State, Quarterfinal Round, Big TenTournament, Ind. 3/4/00 L, vs. Penn State, Semi-Final Round, Big Ten Tournament, Ind. 3/17/00 W, vs. Utah, NCAA Tournament First Round, Ames, Iowa 3/19/00 L, vs. Iowa State, Second Round, NCAA Tournament, Ames, Iowa /1/01 W, vs. Northwestern, Big Ten Tournament 1st Rd., Grand Rapids, Mich. 3/2/01 W, vs. Wisconsin, Big Ten Tournament Qtr., Grand Rapids, Mich. 3/3/01 L, vs. Iowa, Big Ten Tournament Semifinal, Grand Rapids, Mich. 3/15/01 W, vs. UW-Green Bay, WNIT 1st. Rd., Champaign, Ill. 3/17/01 L, vs. Mississippi State, WNIT 2nd Rd /28/02 L, vs. Michigan, First Round, Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis, Ind. 3/14/02 W, vs. Western Kentucky, WNIT First Round, Champaign, Ill. 3/16/02 L, vs. Michigan State, WNIT Second Round, Champaign, Ill /6/03 L, vs. Michigan, First Round, Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis, Ind. 3/22/03 L, vs. Virginia, First Round, NCAA Tournament, Knoxville, Tenn /4/04 L, vs. Michigan, First Round, Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis, Ind /3/05 W, vs. Northwestern, Big Ten Tourn. First Round, Indianapolis, Ind. 3/4/05 L, (OT) vs. Michigan State, Big Ten Tournament Qtr., Indianapolis, Ind. 3/16/05 L, vs. Indiana State, WNIT First Round, Terre Haute, Ind /2/06 W, vs. Northwestern, Big Ten Tourn. First Round, Indianapolis, Ind. 3/3/06 L, vs. Purdue, Big Ten Tournament Qrt., Indianapolis, Ind /1/96 W, vs. Indiana, 1st Round Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis 3/2/96 L, vs. Iowa, Quarterfinal Round Big Ten Tournament, Indianapolis # The Big Ten held a double-elimination in These games are not counted in the overall postseason records because they are not included in the Big Ten record book Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

15 #21 MAGGIE ACUNA Senior 5-6 Guard Oak Brook, Ill. Hinsdale Central HS QUICK HITS Had a career-best 16 assists at Wisconsin, breaking Illinois and Kohl Center records Enters the WNIT ranked 12th on the Illinois career assists list and 15th on the UI career steals list Scored a career-high 11 points at Loyola on Nov. 18 Grabbed a career-best 12 rebounds vs. Purdue on Jan. 22 Ranks third on the Big Ten assists list with 4.41 per game (all games) Ranks in the top-12 in the Big Ten in five categories (assists, def. rebs., steals, assist-to-turnover ratio and minutes) Leads team in assists, steals and minutes, and is second in defensive rebounds AT ILLINOIS Junior: Started all 30 games at point guard, averaging a career-high 24.3 minutes per game Ranked sixth in the Big Ten in steals (2.19 per game) and tied for 15th in assists (2.75 per game) Led team in assists with 97 and was tied for the lead in steals with 63 Ranked sixth in the Big Ten and led the team in assistturnover ratio on the team (1.41) Scored a career-high 10 points on 5-6 FG shooting at Michigan on 12/30/04 Posted career-bests in steals (six vs. Arkansas- Pine Bluff on 11/21/04), assists (seven vs. Bradley on 12/11/04) and rebounds (eight vs. Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament on 3/3/05) Led the team in rebounding on four occasions Academic All-Big Ten selection Sophomore: Saw action in 27 games, starting 16 times Tallied 52 assists, third-most on the team Had a career-high six assists against Illinois St. on 12/6/03 Grabbed a career-high three steals against Michigan on 2/1/04 Recorded the only two blocked shots of her career with one against Purdue on 1/11/04 and another against Michigan on 3/4/ Freshman: Appeared in 23 games at both point and off guard Made first career start vs. Virginia in the NCAA Tournament Played a season best 22 minutes vs. Missouri Scored five points and made her first career three-pointer vs. Eastern Michigan after missing four games due to injury. HIGH SCHOOL Point guard for state tournament champion Hinsdale Central Red Devils in 2002 Hinsdale Central posted a record in her four years, including a 94-4 mark the last three seasons Team posted four Hinsdale South Tournament titles, four regional titles, three sectional crowns and the 2002 state championship Two-time all-state selection Four-time All-West Suburban Silver honoree Named to all tournament teams at the Hinsdale South Thanksgiving Tournament and the Wheaton North Christmas Tournaments four times Averaged 10.5 points per game while totaling 176 assists and 137 steals as a junior As a senior had 259 assists while averaging 8.2 points per game Totaled 754 assists for her high school career High School coach was Steve Gross Also played for Illinois Hustle AAU team, coached by Dave Power and Derril Kipp. PERSONAL Born April 10, 1984 in Chicago, Ill. Daughter of Henry and Deborah Acuna Member of A.C.E (Athletes Committed to Excellence) Club Has two brothers, Sam, 22, and Aaron, 18 Majoring in community health. SEASON BESTS CAREER BESTS Pts: 11 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) 11 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) Rebs: 12 (vs. Purdue, 1/22/06) 12 (vs. Purdue, 1/22/06) FGM: 4 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) 5 (at Michigan, 12/30/04) FGA: 9 (at Bradley, 12/5/05) 9 (at Bradley, 12/5/05) FTM: 2 (4 times, last vs. Purdue, 1/22/06) 3 (at Northwestern, 1/9/05) FTA: 4 (twice, last vs. Purdue, 1/22/06) 4 (4 times, last vs. Purdue, 1/22/06) 3FGM: 1 (7 times, last at Michigan, 2/26/06) 1 (11 times, last at Michigan, 2/26/06) 3FGA: 3 (vs. Northwestern, 3/2/06) 3 (vs. Northwestern, 3/2/06) Asst: 16 (at Wisconsin, 1/15/06) 16 (at Wisconsin, 1/15/06) Blk: 1 (twice, last at Bradley, 12/5/05) 1 (5 times, last at Bradley, 12/5/05) Stl: 6 (at Bradley, 12/5/05) 6 (twice, last at Bradley, 12/5/05) Min: 40 (three times, last at Michigan, 2/26/06) 43 (vs. Michigan St., 3/4/05) Acuna s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola * /23 at N. Colorado * /25 vs. Utah State * /26 vs. N. Iowa * /29 Northern Illinois * /3 vs. St. Louis * /5 at Bradley * /9 at Florida * /18 Oklahoma * /22 Illinois State * /29 Michigan * /1 at Iowa * /5 at Rhode Island * /8 Northwestern * /12 Penn State * /15 at Wisconsin * /19 at Michigan State * /22 Purdue * /26 at Indiana * /29 at Ohio State * /2 Minnesota * /5 Michigan State * /9 Wisconsin * /12 at Penn State * /16 at Northwestern * /23 Iowa * /26 at Michigan * /2 vs. Northwestern * /3 vs. Purdue * Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Michigan@ Virginia# 2003 * Michigan@ 2004 * N western@ 2005 * Michigan St.@ 2005 * Indiana State$ 2005 * N western@ 2006 * Purdue@ 2006 * Totals (8 games) Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT ACUNA S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /0.9 12/ / / / / / /1.9 35/ / / / / / /3.6 44/ / / / / / /4.8 55/ /3.6 TOTAL / / / / / / / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 15

16 #11 VICTORIA ARNDT Freshman 6-2 Forward Damascus, Ohio West Branch HS QUICK HITS Is sitting out as a non-medical redshirt during the season Top-100 recruit as a senior Led West Branch HS to an Ohio State Division II title in 2004 Named MVP of the 2004 Ohio Division II State Tournament HIGH SCHOOL Listed as the 91st-ranked senior in the country by All-Star Girls Report Led West Branch to a record of during her career, including the 2004 Ohio Division II state title Is the all-time leading scorer at West Branch and is the third all-time leading rebounder in school history Shot.540 from the field and.660 from the free throw line during her high school career Averaged 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game as a senior in Averaged 14.5 points and 8.1 rebounds in Was named MVP of the 2004 Ohio Division II State Tournament after leading the Warriors to the championship Was a second team All-State selection her junior and senior years after being selected as a third-teamer as a sophomore and an honorable mention pick as a freshman Was a first team All-Northeast Buckeye Conference selection all four years High school coach was Charles Campbell Also played for the Ohio Air Attack AAU team under coach Brian Krzynowek. PERSONAL Born on May 19, 1986, in Midville, Georgia Goes by Tori Daughter of Joseph and Debbie Arndt Has one brother, Victor National Honor Society member Has yet to declare a major Chose Illinois over Wake Forest, Kentucky and Providence. SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: - Rebs: - FGM: - FGA: - FTM: - FTA: - 3FGM: - 3FGA: - Asst: - Blk: - Stl: - Min: - Arndt s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Redshirting season Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN None Totals (No Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT ARNDT S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG Has not played redshirting the season TOTAL Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

17 #20 LORI BJORK Freshman 5-11 Guard Johnston, Iowa Johnston HS QUICK HITS Selected to the Big Ten All-Freshmen Team by conference coaches Named to the Coors Classic All-Tournament Team Scored a career-high and team season-high 27 points on 8 for 14 shooting and 4 of 8 three-pointers on Feb. 9 Scored 24 points at Wisconsin on Jan. 15, hitting 5 of 6 three pointers to set a Kohl Center record for 3FG accuracy Leads all Big Ten freshmen in 3FGM (1.72) and FT% (.818) and ranks second among Big Ten freshmen in scoring (10.3 ppg) Ranks ninth in the Big Ten in 3FGM (1.72), 10th in FT% (.818) and 13th in 3FG% (.345) for all games Ranked eighth in the conference in 3FG% (.390) and seventh in 3FGM (1.88) for Big Ten games Enters the WNIT fifth on the Illinois single season 3FG list and second on the Illinois freshman 3FG list with 47 Currently ranks eighth on the Illinois freshman scoring list with 299 points HIGH SCHOOL Listed as the 130th-ranked senior in the country by All-Star Girls Report Scored 1,253 career points for Johnston HS and hit 120 of 317 three point shots (.384) Averaged 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a senior in while shooting.460 from the field,.379 from three-point range and.849 from the free throw line Averaged 12.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in and shot.417 from behind the arc Scored 14.7 points per game while shooting.407 from three-point land as a sophomore in Named first team All-State by both the Iowa Girls Coaches Association and Des Moines Register as a senior Was a second team All-State pick as a junior Was a three-time unanimous All-Central Iowa Metro League (CIML) first team selection Started every game of her high school career High School coach was Rich Gradoville Also played for the Iowa Elite AAU team under coach Dave Wessling. PERSONAL Born on April 19, 1986 Daughter of Alan and Louila Bjork Alan played basketball at Cornell College Has twin siblings, Kevin and Janna, both 22 Kevin played golf at Beloit College Ranked No. 1 in her high school class of 309 with a four-plus G.P.A National Merit Scholorship Finalist Named the Johnston HS Student of the Year Honored as an AP scholar with Distinction Also competed on the cross-country and track & field teams at Johnston HS Has yet to declare a major Chose Illinois over Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Drake and Creighton. SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 27 (vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) Rebs: 6 ( twice last vs. Utah State, 11/25/05) FGM: 9 (at Wisconsin, 1/15/06) FGA: 14 (vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) FTM: 9 (vs. Illinois State, 12/22/05) FTA: 10 (vs. Illinois State, 12/22/05) 3FGM: 5 (at Wisconsin, 1/15/06) 3FGA: 8 (three times, last vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) Asst: 5 (twice, last at Iowa, 1/1/06) Blk: 2 (twice, last vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) Stl: 3 (twice, last at Northwestern, 2/16/06) Min: 37 (at Michigan, 2/26/06) Bjork s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola * /23 at N. Colorado * /25 vs. Utah State * /26 vs. N. Iowa * /29 Northern Illinois * /3 vs. St. Louis * /5 at Bradley * /9 at Florida * /18 Oklahoma /22 Illinois State * /29 Michigan * /1 at Iowa * /5 at Rhode Island /8 Northwestern /12 Penn State /15 at Wisconsin * /19 at Michigan State * /22 Purdue * /26 at Indiana * /29 at Ohio State * /2 Minnesota * /5 Michigan State * /9 Wisconsin * /12 at Penn State * /16 at Northwestern * /23 Iowa * /26 at Michigan * /2 vs. Northwestern * /3 vs. Purdue * Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN N western@ 2006 * Purdue@ 2006 * Totals (2 games) Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT BJORK S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /2.6 33/ /10.3 TOTAL / / / / /2.6 33/ / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 17

18 #50 STEPHANIE CHELLEEN Sophomore 6-3 Forward Des Moines, Iowa Lincoln HS QUICK HITS Post player with a soft outside touch and nifty footwork can provide instant offense off the bench Has seen action in 11 games this season and 25 during her career Had six points on 3 for 3 shooting and four rebounds in six minutes against Northern Iowa Scored four points and grabbed four rebounds in six minutes at Northwestern AT ILLINOIS Freshman: Saw action in 14 games during her freshman campaign Averaged 2.4 points per game Had a career-game vs. Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne on 2/22/05, scoring a career-high 13 points on 5-5 shooting, including 1-1 from beyond the arc and 2-2 from the free throw line Played a career-high 16 minutes and pulled down six rebunds vs. Pacific at the United Center in Chicago Blocked a career-best three shots vs. Central Michigan on 12/28/04 George Huff Award recipient. HIGH SCHOOL Averaged 20.0 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game during her senior season at Lincoln High Set school records for career rebounds and blocked shots as a junior, only to break them as a senior Totaled 112 blocks during her junior and senior seasons Named first team All-State in 2004 by all four major sets of voters the Des Moines Register, the Iowa Girls Coaches Association, the Iowa Newspaper Association and the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association Named All- Conference by the 18-team Central Iowa Metro League (CIML) Led Lincoln in scoring in 22 of 25 games her senior season Helped Lincoln to an record during her four years Propelled Lincoln into the state tournament in Iowa s largest class, 4A, all four seasons Coached by Jerry Schartner. PERSONAL Born on Aug. 15, 1986 Daughter of Greg and Mary Chelleen Majoring in community health & nursing Sister Ashley plays basketball for Bradley Involved in the National Council of Youth Leadership Plans to be a traveling registered nurse after graduation. SEASON BESTS CAREER BESTS Pts: 6 (vs. N. Iowa, 11/26/05) 13 (vs. IP-Fort Wayne, 2/22/05) Rebs: 4 (twice, last at Northwestern, 2/16/06) 6 (vs. Pacific, 12/11/04) FGM: 3 (vs. N. Iowa, 11/26/05) 5 (vs. IP-Fort Wayne, 2/22/05) FGA: 3 (vs. N. Iowa, 11/26/05) 6 (vs. Pacific, 12/11/04) FTM: 4 (at Northwestern, 2/16/06) 4 (twice, last at 2/16/06) FTA: 4 (at Northwestern, 2/16/06) 4 (3 times, last at Northwestern, 2/16/06) 3FGM: 0 1 (vs. IP-Fort Wayne, 2/22/05) 3FGA: 0 1 (three times, last vs. Northwestern, 3/3/05) Asst: 1 (at Northwestern, 2/16/06) 2 (vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 11/20/04) Blk: 1 (vs. Northwestern, 1/8/06) 3 (vs. Central Michigan, 12/28/04) Stl: 1 (at Iowa, 1/1/06) 1 (at Iowa, 1/1/06) Min: 9 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) 16 (vs. Pacific, 12/11/04) Chelleen s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola /23 at N. Colorado /25 vs. Utah State /26 vs. N. Iowa /29 Northern Illinois /3 vs. St. Louis /5 at Bradley DNP 12/9 at Florida DNP 12/18 Oklahoma DNP 12/22 Illinois State DNP 12/29 Michigan DNP 1/1 at Iowa /5 at Rhode Island DNP 1/8 Northwestern /12 Penn State DNP 1/15 at Wisconsin /19 at Michigan State DNP 1/22 Purdue DNP 1/26 at Indiana DNP 1/29 at Ohio State /2 Minnesota DNP 2/5 Michigan State DNP 2/9 Wisconsin DNP 2/12 at Penn State DNP 2/16 at Northwestern /23 Iowa DNP 2/26 at Michigan DNP Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Northwestern@ Totals (1 game) Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT CHELLEEN 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 7/ / / / / / /1.4 5/ /1.9 TOTAL / / / / /1.7 12/ / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

19 #32 DANYEL CRUTCHER Sophomore 6-2 Forward Orange, N.J. Orange HS QUICK HITS Named Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 19) after a 24-point, 11-rebound performance against No. 15 Oklahoma Notched second double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds vs. ISU on Dec. 22 Averaging 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in the last six games Made a career-best 10 field goals on 15 attempts against Oklahoma Leads team in FG% (.548) Was named to the 2005 Big Ten All-Freshman Team AT ILLINOIS Freshman: Named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team by conference coaches Played in all 30 games, starting 24 during her freshman season Averaged 5.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game Led all Big Ten Freshmen and posted the second-highest all-time UI freshman field goal percentage (.578) Had the second-most rebounds by an Illinois freshman (176) Posted a double-double in her first collegiate game (11 pts., 11 rebs. vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff on 11/20/04) and had another one vs. No. 16 UCLA on 12/19/04 (12 pts., 11 rebs.) Led the team in rebounding on 12 occasions and reached doublefigures in boards four times Scored a career-high 13 points vs. Central Michigan on 12/28/04 Winner of the team s Best Attitude Award. HIGH SCHOOL Listed 98th in the class of 2004 by Blue Star Report First player in Orange (N.J.) High School history to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds Averaged a double-double for her career Blocked over 200 shots in her career Shot over.600 from the field in her four years Named first team All-State Group III in 2003 Earned Northern Hill Conference Skyline Division MVP honors in 2003 after leading the league in scoring (467 points), rebounds (303) and blocked shots (80) Named first team All-Area by the Orange Transcript Named first team All-Essex County by the Star-Ledger Only player in school history to average a double-double consecutive season Only the 12th player in Essex County history to compile 1,000 rebounds Coached by Pia Frazier Also played for the New Jersey Pioneers AAU Team, coached by Marquis Smalls. PERSONAL Born Sept. 2, 1986 Daughter of the late William Crutcher, Jr. and Cynthia Hector Has a sister Kristel Hector (33 years old), and a brother William Crutcher III (31) Planning on majoring in aviation and becoming a pilot. SEASON BESTS CAREER BESTS Pts: 24 (vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) 24 (vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) Rebs: 11 (twice, last vs. Iowa, 2/23/06) 12 (at St. Joe s, 11/23/04) FGM: 10 (vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) 10 (vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) FGA: 16 (at Penn State, 2/12/06) 16 (at Penn State, 2/12/06) FTM: 6 (at Rhode Island, 1/5/06) 6 (at Rhode Island, 1/5/06) FTA: 7 (twice, last at Rhode Island, 1/5/06) 7 (twice, last at Rhode Island, 1/5/06) 3FGM: 1 (vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) 1 (vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) 3FGA: 2 (vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) 2 (vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) Asst: 2 (twice, last vs. Michigan St., 2/5/06) 2 (4 times, last vs. Michigan St., 2/5/06) Blk: 1 (6 times, last vs.northwestern, 3/2/06) 4 (at Saint Peter s, 11/27/04) Stl: 2 (twice, last vs. Northwestern, 1/8/06) 3 (vs. UAPB, 11/20/04) Min: 33 (twice, last vs.northwestern, 3/2/06) 36 (vs. UCLA, 12/19/04) Crutcher s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola /23 at N. Colorado /25 vs. Utah State /26 vs. N. Iowa /29 Northern Illinois /3 vs. St. Louis /5 at Bradley /9 at Florida /18 Oklahoma /22 Illinois State /29 Michigan /1 at Iowa /5 at Rhode Island * /8 Northwestern * /12 Penn State * /15 at Wisconsin /19 at Michigan State /22 Purdue /26 at Indiana /29 at Ohio State /2 Minnesota /5 Michigan State * /9 Wisconsin * /12 at Penn State * /16 at Northwestern * /23 Iowa * /26 at Michigan /2 vs. Northwestern /3 vs. Purdue Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Northwestern@ 2005 * Michigan St.@ 2005 * Indiana St.$ 2005 * N western@ Purdue@ Totals (5 games) Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT CRUTCHER S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /5.9 51/ / / / / / /5.2 51/ /7.5 TOTAL / / / / / / / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 19

20 #44 BRITTNEY DAUGHERTY Senior 6-2 Center Peoria, Ill. Peoria Central HS QUICK HITS Has seen action in 20 games this year and in 102 throughout her career Scored four points in the season opener at Loyola on Nov. 18 Has grabbed four rebounds on two occasions, Nov. 25 vs. Utah State and Dec. 3 vs. St. Louis Started 14 of 28 games in AT ILLINOIS Junior: Played in 28 games, starting 14 at forward Sat out the first two games of the season recovering from a dislocated knee cap Scored a career-high nine points vs. Northwestern on 2/16/05 Grabbed a career-best eight rebounds at Wisconsin on 2/10/05 Played a career-high 28 minutes at Michigan on 12/30/04 Led the team in rebounding on three occasions Sophomore: Saw action in all 27 games, starting once Scored eight points on 4-of-9 shooting and had four rebounds vs. Wayne State on 11/21 Grabbed a career-high six rebounds in first career start at UCLA on 11/30 Tied her career high with six boards against Iowa on 2/29/04 Scored seven points in 16 minutes vs. Pepperdine on 12/14 Was third on the team in field goal percentage, hitting.490 of her shots Freshman: Saw action in 26 of 29 games in her rookie campaign Scored her first career point on 12/1/02 at Illinois State Went 4-5 from the field for a career high eight points vs. Mississippi State at the United Center Grabbed four rebounds on five occasions Logged a career-high 26 minutes vs. Purdue on 1/30/03 and swatted four Boilermaker shots on the night, which was also a career high Saw significant time in the post-season, playing 15 minutes and scoring five points in Big Ten Tournament vs. Michigan and then getting 20 minutes of action vs. Virginia in the NCAA Tournament. HIGH SCHOOL Helped Peoria Central Lions to back-to-back state tournaments in 2000 and 2001 Averaged 12.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting.523 from the field as a junior Teamed up with teammates and assistant coach and ex-illini Anita Clinton to win the top class at the Gus Macker Tournament in Peoria in the summer of 2002 As a member of the Chicago Hoops Express, Daugherty played on teams that participated in the prestigious Loyola Blue Chip Tournament All-Mid State Six selection Scored 20 points in the 2001 supersectional win over Urbana Named All-Tournament at Galesburg. Peoria Journal-Star First Team All-Area for three years. Two-time second team All-City and one year All-City honorable mention High School coach was Willie Cox Also played for the Chicago Express AAU Team coached by Jerald Davis Junior High team won the state championship. PERSONAL Born May 25, 1984 Godbrother Jerrance Howard played for the U of I men s team Sang in the church choir Majoring in speech communications Daughter of Anthony & Yolanda Richards. SEASON BESTS CAREER BESTS Pts: 4 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) 9 (vs. Northwestern, 2/16/05) Rebs: 4 (twice, last vs. St. Louis 12/3/05) 8 (at Wisconsin, 2/10/05) FGM: 2 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) 4 (twice, last vs. Wayne St., 11/21/03) FGA: 4 (twice, last vs. Utah State, 11/25/05) 9 (vs. Wayne St., 11/21/03) FTM: 0 5 (vs. Northwestern, 2/16/05) FTA: 1 (vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) 7 (vs. Northwestern, 2/16/05) 3FGM: 0 0 3FGA: 0 1 (vs. Iowa, 1/23/05) Asst: 1 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) 2 (vs. Alabama St., 11/21/03) Blk: 1 (twice, last vs. Minnesota, 2/2/06) 4 (vs. Purdue, 1/30/03) Stl: 1 (twice, last vs. Utah St., 11/25/05) 2 (twice, last at NW, 1/9/05) Min: 12 (vs. Utah State, 11/25/05) 28 (at Michigan, 12/30/04) Daugherty s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola /23 at N. Colorado DNP 11/25 vs. Utah State /26 vs. N. Iowa /29 Northern Illinois DNP 12/3 vs. St. Louis /5 at Bradley /9 at Florida DNP 12/18 Oklahoma /22 Illinois State /29 Michigan /1 at Iowa /5 at Rhode Island DNP 1/8 Northwestern DNP 1/12 Penn State /15 at Wisconsin /19 at Michigan State DNP 1/22 Purdue DNP 1/26 at Indiana /29 at Ohio State /2 Minnesota /5 Michigan State DNP 2/9 Wisconsin /12 at Penn State /16 at Northwestern /23 Iowa DNP 2/26 at Michigan /2 vs. Northwestern /3 vs. Purdue Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Michigan@ Virginia# Michigan@ N western@ Michigan St.@ Indiana St.$ N western@ Purdue@ Totals (8 games) Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT DAUGHERTY S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /1.8 37/ / / / / / /1.9 35/ / / / / / /3.2 57/ / / / / / /1.4 16/ /0.7 TOTAL / / / / / / / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

21 #33 CHELSEA GORDON Freshman 6-0 Guard Eria, Pa. Mercyhurst Prep HS QUICK HITS Converted a game-winning three-point play with 2.6 seconds left to beat Northwestern on Feb. 16 Grabbed a career-high eight rebounds, including six offensive, in 22 minutes vs. Wisconsin on Feb. 9 Scored a career-high 12 points at Michigan State on Jan. 19 Has seen her minutes increase late in the year, logging double-figures in the final 13 games HIGH SCHOOL Listed as the 123rd-ranked senior in the country by Blue Star Basketball Fouryear starter led Mercyhurst Prep to a record during her career including back-to-back Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) State titles in 2004 (Class 4A) and 2005 (Class 3A) Scored 1,728 career points and had 762 rebounds for the Lakers Was named the Class 3A Pennsylvania Player of the Year and first team All-State as a senior after averaging 16.5 points and 6.8 rebounds while leading Mercyhurst to a 29-3 record Was a first team All-State pick and the District 10 Player of the Year as a junior in , averaging 13.1 points and 5.7 rebounds for the 29-1 state champion Lakers The team finished the season ranked No. 22 in the USA Today national prep basketball poll Was a third team All-State pick as a sophomore in in addition to being the Metro Conference Player of the Year High School Coach was Randy Bowers Teamed up with current Illini Danielle Gratton on the Western PA Bruins AAU team, coached by Bill Palermo. PERSONAL Born on June 10, 1987 Daughter of John and Beverly Gordon Has two sisters, Tiffany, 28, and Sheena, 22 Sheena is a member of the University of North Carolina track & field team National Honor Society member Was active in the Greater Calvary Youth Council Also ran track at Mercyhurst Prep Plans to major in journalism Chose Illinois over Temple, Pittsburgh, Northwestern and William & Mary. SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 12 (at Michigan State, 1/19/06) Rebs: 8 (vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) FGM: 5 (at Michigan State, 1/19/06) FGA: 1 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) FTM: 2 (6 times, last vs.northwestern, 3/2/06) FTA: 3 (twice, last at Northwestern, 2/16/06) 3FGM: 2 (3 times, last vs.northwestern, 3/2/06) 3FGA: 3 (3 times, last vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) Asst: 2 (twice, last vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) Blk: 2 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) Stl: 3 (twice, last vs. N. Iowa, 11/26/05) Min: 23 (at Penn State, 2/12/06) Gordon s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola /23 at N. Colorado /25 vs. Utah State /26 vs. N. Iowa /29 Northern Illinois /3 vs. St. Louis /5 at Bradley /9 at Florida /18 Oklahoma /22 Illinois State /29 Michigan /1 at Iowa /5 at Rhode Island /8 Northwestern /12 Penn State /15 at Wisconsin /19 at Michigan State /22 Purdue /26 at Indiana /29 at Ohio State /2 Minnesota /5 Michigan State /9 Wisconsin /12 at Penn State /16 at Northwestern * /23 Iowa /26 at Michigan /2 vs. Northwestern /3 vs. Purdue Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN N western@ Purdue@ Totals (2 games) Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT 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 / / / / / /3.3 TOTAL / / / / / / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 21

22 #35 DANIELLE GRATTON Freshman 6-0 Guard Bethel Park, Pa. Bethel Park HS QUICK HITS Was one of the first players off the bench before suffering a stress fracture in her right foot on Feb. 7 that will cause her to miss 4-6 weeks Had seven points and six boards in 20 minutes against Penn State on Jan. 12 Scored a career-high 9 points in 13 minutes at Bradley and later equaled that mark with 9 points in 17 minutes vs. Michigan on Dec. 29 HIGH SCHOOL Listed as the 76th-ranked senior in the country by Blue Star Basketball Scored 1,122 career points for Bethel Park HS Was a first team All-State selection as a senior in after averaging 15.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.6 steals per game for the Hawks Named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous Five team and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review Terrific Ten team following her senior season Led Bethel Park to a 23-4 record as a junior in , leading the team in points (13.3), assists (3.3), steals (2.7) and blocks (0.9), while also pulling down five boards per game and shooting over.500 from the field Was invited to attend the Adidas Top Ten All-American Camp in the summer of 2004 High School coach was Jonna Burke Teamed up with current Illini Chelsea Gordon on the Western PA Bruins AAU team, coached by Bill Palermo. PERSONAL Born on May 16, 1987 Daughter of Donald and Darlene Gratton Has two sisters, Nicole, 24, and April, 19, and one brother, Donny, 21 April plays basketball for Clarion University National Honor Society member Also played volleyball at Bethel Park HS Has yet to declare a major Chose Illinois over Penn State, Georgetown, Boston College, James Madison and Princeton. SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 9 (twice, last vs. Michigan, 12/29/05) Rebs: 6 (vs. Penn St., 1/12/06) FGM: 4 (at Bradley, 12/5/05) FGA: 7 (vs. Michigan, 12/29/05) FTM: 3 (at N. Colorado, 11/23/05) FTA: 4 (at N. Colorado, 11/23/05) 3FGM: 1 (9 times, last vs. Penn St., 1/12/06) 3FGA: 2 (8 times, last vs. Penn St., 1/12/06) Asst: 3 (4 times, last at Ohio State, 1/29/06) Blk: 1 (at Rhode Island, 1/5/06) Stl: 3 (vs. Utah State, 11/25/05) Min: 23 (at Florida, 12/9/05) Gratton s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola /23 at N. Colorado /25 vs. Utah State /26 vs. N. Iowa /29 Northern Illinois /3 vs. St. Louis /5 at Bradley /9 at Florida /18 Oklahoma /22 Illinois State /29 Michigan /1 at Iowa /5 at Rhode Island /8 Northwestern /12 Penn State /15 at Wisconsin /19 at Michigan State /22 Purdue /26 at Indiana /29 at Ohio State /2 Minnesota /5 Michigan State /9 Wisconsin DNP-Injured 2/12 at Penn State DNP-Injured 2/16 at Northwestern DNP-Injured 2/23 Iowa DNP-Injured 2/26 at Michigan DNP-Injured 3/2 vs. Northwester DNP-Injured 3/3 vs. Purdue DNP-Injured Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Totals (No Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT GRATTON 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 14/ /4.5 TOTAL / / / / /2.0 14/ / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

23 #1 JANELLE HUGHES Senior 5-8 Guard Country Club Hills, Ill. Hillcrest HS QUICK HITS Was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by both the media and coaches Has twice scored a career-high 22 points (at Bradley on Dec. 5 and Rhode Island on Jan. 5) Has been Illinois most consistent scorer, hitting double figures in 21 of 28 games Ranks 13th in Big Ten scoring in all games at 13.0 points per game Had a streak of 12 straight games in double digits from Nov. 29-Jan. 15 Came off the bench at Northwestern to score 21 points on 9 for 17 shooting and dish out six assists Enters the tournament ranked 10th on the Illinois career three-point field goals list with 74 AT ILLINOIS Junior: Played in 29 games off the bench Scored double-figures 12 times on the season, including a career-best 21 points vs. Northwestern on 2/16/05 Hit 9-13 shots in the game, including 3-4 from behind the arc Dished out a career-best seven assists in Illinois upset win over No. 16 UCLA on 12/19/04 Three-point FG percentage of.396 (21-53) was the sixth best single season mark in UI history Sophomore: Scored a season-high 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-2 3-point shooting, against Pepperdine on 12/14/03 Tied her career high of four rebounds in three consecutive games at Purdue (2/19), at Ohio State (2/22) and vs. Wisconsin (2/26) Saw a career-high 36 minutes of action at Ohio State, one of her two season starts Also started vs. Wisconsin Freshman: Saw action in 25 games during her rookie season with the Illini Scored her first career point at Illinois State on 12/1 Cracked the starting line-up vs. Ohio State on 2/19 and responded with 11 points on 5-8 shooting. Would start the final four regular season games for Illinois Poured in a career-high 17 points at Michigan St. on 2/24 in her second career start. Hit the game winning shot with 2.5 seconds left to lift the Illini to a win over Northwestern on 2/27 Posted 19 assists and 12 steals on the season. HIGH SCHOOL Ranked the 52nd senior in the country by Blue Star Report Helped Hillcrest High School to the sectional finals in 2002 As a senior, averaged 21 points, 5.4 steals, six rebounds and four assists per game Led Hillcrest to the Sweet 16 in 2001 Named All-SICA Conference three times Named to Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune all-state teams Named Second Team All-State by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association as a junior As a junior, averaged 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 4.9 steals per game Named MVP of the Bolingbrook Tournament and the Hillcrest Holiday Classic Honorable mention all-conference as a freshman Named Player of the Year by Star Publications Named one of 100 finalists for the McDonald s All-America game High School Coach was John Maniatis Also played five years with the Blue Island Lady Rockets and two years for Chicago Hoops Express (coached by Jerald Davis). PERSONAL Born Aug. 30, 1984 Daughter of Mary Hughes and Darrell and Andrea Hughes Brother Marlon (28), played basketball at Colorado Enjoys watching movies, going to the mall and relaxing at home Majoring in rhetoric. SEASON BESTS CAREER BESTS Pts: 22 (twice, last at R. Island, 1/5/06) 22 (twice, last at R. Island, 1/5/06) Rebs: 7 (at N. Colorado, 11/23/05) 7 (at N. Colorado, 11/23/05) FGM: 9 (twice, last at N western, 2/16/06) 9 (3 times, last at N western, 2/16/06) FGA: 20 (at Iowa, 1/1/06) 20 (at Iowa, 1/1/06) FTM: 6 (vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) 7 (at MSU, 2/24/03) FTA: 8 (vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) 8 (twice, last vs. Oklahoma, 12/18/05) 3FGM: 4 (twice, last at Wisconsin, 1/15/06) 4 (twice, last at Wisconsin, 1/15/06) 3FGA: 9 (at Northwestern, 2/16/06) 9 (at Northwestern, 2/16/06) Asst: 7 (vs. Illinois State, 12/22/05) 7 (twice, last vs. Illinois State, 12/22/05) Blk: 2 (vs. N. Illinois, 11/29/05) 2 (twice, last vs. N. Illinois, 11/29/05) Stl: 5 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) 5 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) Min: 38 (at Iowa, 1/1/06) 38 (at Iowa, 1/1/06) Hughes Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola * /23 at N. Colorado * /25 vs. Utah State * /26 vs. N. Iowa * /29 Northern Illinois * /3 vs. St. Louis * /5 at Bradley * /9 at Florida * /18 Oklahoma * /22 Illinois State * /29 Michigan * /1 at Iowa * /5 at Rhode Island * /8 Northwestern * /12 Penn State * /15 at Wisconsin * /19 at Michigan State * /22 Purdue * /26 at Indiana * /29 at Ohio State * /2 Minnesota * /5 Michigan State * /9 Wisconsin * /12 at Penn State * /16 at Northwestern /23 Iowa * /26 at Michigan * /2 vs. Northwestern * /3 vs. Purdue * Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Michigan@ 2003 * Virginia# Michigan@ N western@ Michigan St.@ Indiana St.$ N western@ 2006 * Purdue@ 2006 * Totals (8 games) Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT HUGHES CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /1.0 24/ / / / / / /1.7 23/ / / / / / /1.6 36/ / / / / /2.7 52/ /13.0 TOTAL / / / / / / / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 23

24 #00 ERIN McCARTHY Freshman 6-5 Center Tulsa, Okla. Bishop Kelly HS QUICK HITS Scored a season/career-high 12 points on 4 for 5 shooting vs. St. Louis at the United Center Shot-blocking threat has recorded three blocks in two different games, vs. Michigan and at Indiana Ranks third among Big Ten freshmen in blocked shots with 16 Was a top-50 recruit and High School All-American out of Bishop Kelly High School HIGH SCHOOL Listed as the 47th-ranked senior in the country by Blue Star Basketball Averaged 12.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 5.1 blocked shots as a senior at Bishop Kelly in , leading the Comets to a 22-6 mark Tabbed as a Street & Smith Preseason All-American in Was named to four different All- State teams as as senior (Tulsa World, Daily Oklahoman, Coaches AID and OGBCA) and earned Metro Lakes Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors Played the first three years of her high school career at St. Joseph's Academy in St. Louis, Mo. before moving to Oklahoma in the summer of 2004 Led St. Joseph s to the Missouri Class 5A state title in and to a runner-up finish in Was a two-time Missouri Class 5A first-team All- State selection and a two-time All-Metro and All-Conference pick Averaged 10.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.5 blocks per game while shooting.526 from the field in her three seasons with the Angels Nearly averaged a double-double her freshman year (9.6 ppg, 10.1 rpg) and swatted away an astounding 7.7 shots per game High school coaches were Jana Hardgrave (Bishop Kelley) and Julie Matheny (St. Joseph s) Also played for the Missouri Game Face AAU team coached by Mike Taylor. PERSONAL Born on April 17, 1987 Daughter of Dave and Anne McCarthy Has one sister, Christy, 16, who plays volleyball and basketball at Bishop Kelley Active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Comets for Christ and History from Hollywood Plans to major in pre-journalism and advertising Was the first to commit to Illinois in the Class of 2005, making her choice in January of her junior season. SEASON BESTS/CAREER BESTS Pts: 12 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) Rebs: 5 (vs. Northern Illinois, 11/29/05) FGM: 4 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) FGA: 5 (twice, last vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) FTM: 4 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) FTA: 6 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) 3FGM: 0 3FGA: 0 Asst: 3 (vs. Utah State, 11/25/05) Blk: 3 (twice, last at Indiana, 1/26/06) Stl: 1 (3 times, last vs. Michigan, 12/29/05) Min: 23 (vs. Northern Illinois, 11/29/05) McCarthy s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola /23 at N. Colorado /25 vs. Utah State /26 vs. N. Iowa /29 Northern Illinois /3 vs. St. Louis /5 at Bradley /9 at Florida /18 Oklahoma /22 Illinois State /29 Michigan /1 at Iowa /5 at Rhode Island /8 Northwestern /12 Penn State /15 at Wisconsin DNP 1/19 at Michigan State /22 Purdue DNP 1/26 at Indiana /29 at Ohio State /2 Minnesota DNP 2/5 Michigan State DNP 2/9 Wisconsin /12 at Penn State /16 at Northwestern DNP 2/23 Iowa DNP 2/26 at Michigan DNP 3/2 vs. Northwester DNP 3/3 vs. Purdue DNP Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Totals (No Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT MCCARTHY S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /1.8 15/ /2.4 TOTAL / / / / /1.8 15/ / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

25 #14 MEGAN NYQUIST RS Freshman 5-10 Guard Lee s Summit, Mo. Lee s Summit HS QUICK HITS Sat out all of and the first five games of this season with a knee injury Saw her first collegiate action on Dec. 3 vs. St. Louis at the United Center, scoring two points in 11 minutes Scored seven points in just seven minutes vs. Michigan on Dec. 29 Reinjured her knee on Jan. 27, forcing her to miss the remainder of the season AT ILLINOIS Freshman: Redshirted the season while recovering from a torn right ACL suffered in an exhibition game vs. BK-Poprad on 11/7/05. HIGH SCHOOL Listed as the 74th-ranked senior in according to Blue Star Basketball McDonald s All-America nominee in Street & Smith s honorable mention All-American in 2003 Averaged 17 points per game, 2.8 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game in Fourth on Lee s Summit career scoring list with 1,703 points Started every game she played in all four years Helped Lee s Summit to Missouri Final Four apperances in 2003 and 2004 AAU All-American 16-U in 2003 First team All-State selection by Missouri Coaches Association and Missouri Sports Writers in 2003 Two-time All-Big 8 conference selection First team All-District in Missouri Class 4A Averaged over 14.9 points and 2.6 assists in her first three seasons Hit 82 3-pointers and nabbed 161 steals in her first three years Second team All-State in volleyball in 2003 All-Area, All-District and All-Big 8 conference volleyball player in 2003 Coached by Brian Bubalo Also played for the Hoops Service and Mo Valley Eclipse AAU Teams, coached by Les Edison. PERSONAL Born July 9, 1986 Daughter of Ralph and Sue Nyquist Inducted into Lee s Summit High School s National Honor Society Enjoys playing volleyball Has a younger sister, Melissa (16 years old) Plans to major in sport management or kinesiology Plans to be a coach. SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 7 (vs. Michigan, 12/29/05) Rebs: 2 (vs. Michigan, 12/29/05) FGM: 2 (vs. Michigan, 12/29/05) FGA: 3 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) FTM: 2 (twice, last vs. Michigan, 12/29/05) FTA: 4 (vs. Michigan, 12/29/05) 3FGM: 1 (vs. Michigan, 12/29/05) 3FGA: 2 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) Asst: 2 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) Blk: 1 (at Wisconsin, 1/15/06) Stl: 1 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) Min: 11 (vs. St. Louis, 12/3/05) Nyquist s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola DNP-Injured 11/23 at N. Colorado DNP-Injured 11/25 vs. Utah State DNP-Injured 11/26 vs. N. Iowa DNP-Injured 11/29 Northern Illinois DNP-Injured 12/3 vs. St. Louis /5 at Bradley DNP 12/9 at Florida DNP 12/18 Oklahoma DNP 12/22 Illinois State DNP 12/29 Michigan /1 at Iowa DNP 1/5 at Rhode Island /8 Northwestern DNP 1/12 Penn State DNP 1/15 at Wisconsin /19 at Michigan St. DNP 1/22 Purdue DNP 1/26 at Indiana DNP 1/29 at Ohio State DNP-Injured 2/2 Minnesota DNP-Injured 2/5 Michigan State DNP-Injured 2/9 Wisconsin DNP-Injured 2/12 at Penn State DNP-Injured 2/16 at Northwestern DNP-Injured 2/23 Iowa DNP-Injured 2/26 at Michigan DNP-Injured 3/2 vs. Northwester DNP-Injured 3/3 vs. Purdue DNP-Injured Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Totals (No Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT NYQUIST S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG Granted a medical redshirt after undergoing knee surgery / / / / /0.8 3/ /2.3 TOTAL / / / / /0.8 3/ / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 25

26 #22 LACEY SIMPSON Freshman 5-11 Forward Zion, Ill. Zion-Benton HS QUICK HITS Athletic wing played in four of the first five games this season before undergoing internal surgery Has not played since Nov. 29 while recovering from surgery and will apply for a medical redshirt Had four points, a team-high four rebounds and three assists in her Illini debut on Nov. 18 at Loyola Grabbed four boards in a career-high 13 minutes vs. Northern Iowa on Nov. 26 Was a top-100 recruit and was Zion-Benton High School s all-time leading scorer HIGH SCHOOL Listed as the 85th-ranked senior in the country by All-Star Girls Report Is Zion-Benton s all-time leading scorer with 1,578 points Averaged 15.4 points, 13.3 rebounds and nearly six assists, five blocks and four steals per game as a senior in Led the Zee-Bee s to 23 wins that year, the most in school history, and was named to four different All-State teams in the process (Champaign News-Gazette-1st, Associated Press-3rd, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association-4th, Chicago Tribune-honorable mention) Was also on the Chicago Sun-Times top-20 All-Area team as a senior Averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds as a junior in Was a three-time first team North Suburban All-Conference pick and a four-time All-Lake County selection Was named the team MVP three of her four seasons Holds the Zion-Benton school record with eight three-pointers in a single game Attended the Adidas Top Ten All-American Camp in Suwanee, Ga. during the summer of 2004 High school coach was Mike Cliff Also played for the Illinois Full Package AAU team under coach Ralph Gesualdo. PERSONAL Born on Nov. 10, 1986 Daughter of Barbara Simpson Recipient of Zion- Benton's African Achievement Award Plans to major in sports management. SEASON/CAREER BESTS Pts: 4 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) Rebs: 4 (twice, last vs. N. Iowa, 11/26/05) FGM: 2 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) FGA: 4 (vs. N. Iowa, 11/26/05) FTM: 0 FTA: 0 3FGM: 0 3FGA: 1 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) Asst: 3 (at Loyola, 11/18/05) Blk: 0 Stl: 3 (vs. Utah State, 11/25/05) Min: 13 (vs. N. Iowa, 11/26/05) Simpson s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola /23 at N. Colorado DNP 11/25 vs. Utah State /26 vs. N. Iowa /29 Northern Illinois /3 vs. St. Louis DNP-Injured 12/5 at Bradley DNP-Injured 12/9 at Florida DNP-Injured 12/18 Oklahoma DNP-Injured 12/22 Illinois State DNP-Injured 12/29 Michigan DNP-Injured 1/1 at Iowa DNP-Injured 1/5 at Rhode Island DNP-Injured 1/8 Northwestern DNP-Injured 1/12 Penn State DNP-Injured 1/15 at Wisconsin DNP-Injured 1/19 at Michigan State DNP-Injured 1/22 Purdue DNP-Injured 1/26 at Indiana DNP-Injured 1/29 at Ohio State DNP-Injured 2/2 Minnesota DNP-Injured 2/5 Michigan State DNP-Injured 2/9 Wisconsin DNP-Injured 2/12 at Penn State DNP-Injured 2/16 at Northwestern DNP-Injured 2/23 Iowa DNP-Injured 2/26 at Michigan DNP-Injured 3/2 vs. Northwester DNP-Injured 3/3 vs. Purdue DNP-Injured Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Totals (No Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT 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/ /2.0 TOTAL / / / / /2.5 3/ / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

27 #15 AUDREY TABON Junior 6-2 Forward Pittsburgh, Pa. Oakland Catholic HS QUICK HITS Had first-ever double-double at Bradley on Dec. 5 (15 pts., 11 rebs.) Followed that up with another double-double at Florida on Dec. 9 (13 pts, 15 rebs.) Has scored in double figures 10 times and has grabbed double-digit rebounds seven times Ranked eighth in rebounding (6.9) and sixth in offensive rebounding (2.31) in Big Ten games Ranked in the top-10 in Big Ten games in four categories (rebounds, off. rebs., defensive rebs. and blocks) Has led the team in rebounding 13 times on the season while leading the Illini for the season with 7.0 boards per game, which ranks ninth in the Big Ten for all games AT ILLINOIS Sophomore: Saw action in 29 of 30 games off the bench Had a career game in Illinois near upset of No. 7 Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, reaching career highs in minutes 31 and rebounds 12 Pulled down 10 rebounds vs. Wisconsin on 1/15/05 Led the Illini in rebounding five times and pulled down at least five boards on 11 different occasions Scored a career-best nine points on 4-8 shooting at Saint Peter s on 11/27/04 Grabbed nine boards and scored five points in Illinois upset win at No. 21 Louisiana Tech Won the team s Most Improved Player award Freshman: Scored six points on 2-for-3 shooting in first career game against Wayne State on 11/21/03 Grabbed four rebounds, including two offensive boards, vs. Wayne State Also had two steals against Wayne State Played a career-high 17 minutes vs. Wayne State Tied her career high of two field goals vs. Illinois State on 12/6/03 Made a career-high two free throws twice vs. Wayne State and vs. Alabama State (12/21/03) Scored 13 points in her first season with the Illini. HIGH SCHOOL Played for 2001 and 2003 state championship teams and the 2002 state runners-up Coached by Kodak All-American, WNBA star and current WNBA coach Suzie McConnell-Serio Played for Pittsburgh Power, coached by Tom Szczepankowski Recovered from two knee surgeries Oakland compiled a record in her four years One of the heroes of the state championship game, totaling six points, 11 rebounds, four blocks, and three assists in the victory over Downingtown. PERSONAL Born March 1, 1985 Daughter of Dale and Ona Adair Enjoys traveling, cooking and reading Majoring in international studies and hopes to travel the world and work for National Geographic Has one brother, Ashton. SEASON BESTS CAREER BESTS Pts: 15 (at Bradley, 12/5/05) 15 (at Bradley, 12/5/05) Rebs: 15 (at Florida, 12/9/05) 15 (at Florida, 12/9/05) FGM: 6 (twice, last vs. Michigan St., 2/5/06) 6 (twice, last vs. Michigan St., 2/5/06) FGA: 12 (at Florida, 12/9/05) 12 (at Florida, 12/9/05) FTM: 7 (vs. Northern Illinois, 11/29/05) 7 (vs. Northern Illinois, 11/29/05) FTA: 11 (vs. Northern Illinois, 11/29/05) 11 (vs. Northern Illinois, 11/29/05) 3FGM: 0 0 3FGA: 1 (vs. N. Colorado, 11/23/05) 1 (twice, last vs. N. Colorado, 11/23/05) Asst: 4 (vs. Purdue, 1/22/06) 4 (vs. Purdue, 1/22/06) Blk: 3 (vs. Iowa, 2/23/06) 3 (vs. Iowa, 2/23/06) Stl: 2 (twice, last vs. Penn St., 1/12/06) 3 (vs. UAPB, 11/20/04) Min: 36 (vs.purdue, 3/3/06) 36 (vs.purdue, 3/3/06) Tabon s Game-By-Game Statistics Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola * /23 at N. Colorado * /25 vs. Utah State * /26 vs. N. Iowa * /29 Northern Illinois * /3 vs. St. Louis * /5 at Bradley * /9 at Florida * /18 Oklahoma * /22 Illinois State * /29 Michigan * /1 at Iowa * /5 at Rhode Island * /8 Northwestern * /12 Penn State * /15 at Wisconsin * /19 at Michigan State * /22 Purdue * /26 at Indiana * /29 at Ohio State * /2 Minnesota * /5 Michigan State /9 Wisconsin /12 at Penn State /16 at Northwestern /23 Iowa /26 at Michigan * /2 vs. Northwestern * /3 vs. Purdue * Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN N western@ Michigan St.@ Indiana St.$ N western@ 2006 * Purdue@ 2006 * Totals (5 games) Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT TABON S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /0.9 8/ / / / / / /4.0 34/ / / / / / /7.0 69/ /7.5 TOTAL / / / / / / / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 27

28 #34 ERIN WIGLEY Junior 6-1 Forward Moon Township, Pa. Moon Township HS QUICK HITS Named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten by the media Scored career-high 22 points in 25 minutes vs. Illinois State (12/22/05) Has scored in double figures in 20 games, including seven of the last eight Ranked in the top-20 in six different categories in Big Ten play (scoring, rebounding, def. rebounds, off. rebounds, free throw percentage and blocked shots) Has started all 29 games this season and 77 of 87 career games Was Illinois leading returning scorer from last year s squad (9.0) AT ILLINOIS Sophomore: Played in all 30 games, starting 22 at forward Ranked third on the team in scoring (9.0) and rebounding (4.7) Scored a career-high 19 points on 8-15 shooting vs. Bradley on 12/7/04 Posted first career double-double vs. Penn State on 2/13/05 (14 pts., 10 rebs.) and later notched two more vs. IPFW on 2/22/05 (11 pts., 10 rebs.) and vs. Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament (10 points, career-high 11 rebs.) Scored in double figures 12 times on the season, including the last six games and seven of the last eight Academic All-Big Ten selection Freshman: Averaged 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds as frontcourt mate of alltime Illinois rebounding record-holder Cindy Dallas Hit a career-best 7 of 10 shots vs. Mississippi State en route to a career-high 16 points Averaged 26.4 minutes per game Shot a solid.432 from the field, and was 4-for-9 behind the arc (.444) Hit two three-pointers as part of her 15 points vs. Northwestern Twice had six offensive rebounds vs. Illinois State (12/6/03) and vs. Iowa (2/29/04) Had a career-high four steals at UCLA on 11/30/03 Blocked a career-high four shots at Oklahoma on 12/28/03 Dished out a career-high four assists vs. Michigan on 2/1/04. HIGH SCHOOL Ranked at the 78th best senior in the country by Blue Star Report Associated Press AAA State Player of the Year as a senior Two-time First Team state performer. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Player of the Year twice Two-time Tribune Review AAA Player of the Year WPIAL AAA Player of the Year as a freshman Three-time First Team All-Section performer Adidas All-American NIKE All-American. Two-time Honorable Mention All-American by Street s and Smith s McDonald s Honorable Mention All-American. AAA Section II Player of the Year as a junior. As a junior, led Moon to its first WPIAL Class AAA Championship and a school-record 26 victories. Participated in the 2002 USA Basketball Women s Youth Development Festival East Team in Colorado Springs, Colo. Finished career with 1,797 points and 797 rebounds, both are second best in school history Coached by Tom Szczepankowski. Played for Western Pennsylvania Bruins (1996, 97 and 98) and Pittsburgh Power (1999, 00, 01) club teams. Club coaches were Joe Costa (Bruins) and Tom Szczepanowski (Power). PERSONAL Born Aug. 10, 1985 Daughter of Warren and Myrna Wigley, who both work in the airline business Siblings are Maurice (33) and Toye (29) Wigley Enjoys cooking, shoe shopping and watching movies Member of Women s Achievement Club (named Student of the Season in Fall 2002) and SADD Four-year honor student Received the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Senatorial Citation of Athletic Excellence Plans on majoring in sports management with a minor in business. SEASON BESTS CAREER BESTS Pts: 22 (vs. Illinois State, 12/22/05) 22 (vs. Illinois St., 12/22/05) Rebs: 9 (vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) 11 (vs. Michigan St., 3/4/05) FGM: 8 (twice, last at Iowa, 1/1/06) 8 (3 times, last at Iowa, 1/1/06) FGA: 16 (twice, last vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) 16 (twice, last vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) FTM: 7 (at Michigan State, 1/19/06) 7 (at Michigan State, 1/19/06) FTA: 7 (4 times, last vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) 7 (5 times, last vs. Wisconsin, 2/9/06) 3FGM: 2 (at Iowa, 1/1/06) 2 (3 times, last at Iowa, 1/1/06) 3FGA: 5 (at Iowa, 1/1/06) 5 (at Iowa, 1/1/06) Asst: 3 (3 times, last vs. N. Iowa, 11/26/05) 4 (vs. Mich., 2/1/04) Blk: 4 (vs. Michigan St., 2/5/06) 4 (twice, last vs. Michigan St., 2/5/06) Stl: 4 (at N. Colorado, 11/23/05) 4 (twice, last at N. Colorado, 11/23/05) Min: 37 (twice, last at URI, 1/5/06) 41 (vs. Michigan St. 3/4/05) Game-By-Game Date Opponent GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN 11/18 at Loyola * /23 at N. Colorado * /25 vs. Utah State * /26 vs. N. Iowa * /29 Northern Illinois * /3 vs. St. Louis * /5 at Bradley * /9 at Florida * /18 Oklahoma * /22 Illinois State * /29 Michigan * /1 at Iowa * /5 at Rhode Island * /8 Northwestern * /12 Penn State * /15 at Wisconsin * /19 at Michigan State * /22 Purdue * /26 at Indiana * /29 at Ohio State * /2 Minnesota * /5 Michigan State * /9 Wisconsin * /12 at Penn State * /16 at Northwestern * /23 Iowa * /26 at Michigan * /2 vs. Northwestern * /3 vs. Purdue * Career Post-Season Statistics Opponent Year GS FG-A 3P-A FT-A REB PF PTS A TO B ST MIN Michigan@ 2004 * N western@ 2005 * Michigan St.@ 2005 * Indiana St.$ 2005 * N western@ 2006 * Purdue@ 2006 * Totals (6 games) Big Ten Tournament # NCAA Tournament $ WNIT WIGLEY S CAREER STATISTICS YR G-GS MIN/AVG FGM-FGA/% 3PM-3PA/% FTM-FTA/% REB/AVG PF/DQ A TO B ST PTS/AVG / / / / /4.5 81/ / / / / / /4.7 79/ / / / / / /5.5 82/ /11.4 TOTAL / / / / / / / Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

29 Illinois Box Scores and Summaries GAME 1: Illinois 79, Loyola 39 Nov. 18, 2005 Gentile Center, Chicago, Ill. Illinois defense forced 36 turnovers in a season-opening victory over Loyola in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 18. Illini freshman Lori Bjork led the team in scoring in her first collegiate game with 13 points, including three three-pointers. Senior point guard Maggie Acuna had a career game with a career-best 11 points and seven assists to go along with her five steals. Illinois used a 17-2 run at the end of the first half to take a lead at the break and then started the second half with an 11-1 run to put the game away. Illinois 50 points in the second half were the most for a UI team since netting 54 in the second half vs. Michigan on Feb. 1, GAME 3: Illinois 62, Utah State 43 Nov. 25, 2005 Coors Events Center, Boulder, Colo. Illinois put USU away early with an 18-0 first half run that gave the Illini a 28-6 lead at the 7:48 mark. Junior forward Erin Wigley had eight points in the spurt, during which the Orange and Blue held the Aggies scoreless for 6:45. Illinois took a lead into halftime behind 10 points from Wigley and a defense that forced 15 first half turnovers. Lori Bjork led the Illini with 17 points on 6 for 11 shooting, including 3 for 6 from behind the arc. Wigley finished with 13 and Maggie Acuna led the Illini with a career high-tying eight rebounds. GAME 2: Northern Colorado 65, Illinois 55 Nov. 23, 2005 Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, Greeley, Colo. Northern Colorado poured in three-pointers from all over the court in a stunning victory over Illinois on Nov. 23 in Greeley, Colo.. The Bears buried 15 of 32 shots (46.9%) from behind the arc to take control early on and hold on for a victory against the favored Illini. Janelle Hughes led all scorers with 18 points and also added a careerhigh seven rebounds. Illinois managed to hit only 3 of 18 treys (16.7%) and trailed at halftime. Maggie Acuna added seven rebounds for the Illini, who made 14 of 16 free throws in the game (87.5%). GAME 4: Northern Iowa 71, Illinois 47 Nov. 26, 2005 Coors Events Center, Boulder, Colo. The Illini finished its Colorado trip on a disappointing note, finishing second in the 19th Annual Coors Classic after a loss to Northern Iowa. Although it never led, Illinois stayed close for most of the first class before UNI went on a 10-0 late to turn a slim lead into a cushion with 3:45 left. The Panthers opened the second half with a 17-1 run and cruised from there, never letting their lead fall below 19 points the rest of the way. Lori Bjork, who was the lone Illini named to the All-Tournament Team, led Illinois with 11 points, the third time in four games she has been the team s top scorer Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 29

30 Illinois Box Scores and Summaries GAME 5: Illinois 57, Northern Illinois 43 Nov Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Illinois won its eighth straight home opener behind 20 points from freshman Lori Bjork, 13 in the first half, turning away Northern Illinois Bjork shot 7 for 12 from the field, 4 for 8 behind the arc for the game. Janelle Hughes and Audrey Tabon were the second-half story, with Hughes scoring all 13 of her points in the second period on 6 for 13 shooting for the game. Tabon scored all of her nine points and pulled down eight her of game-high 12 rebounds in the second 20 minutes. The Illini shot 36 percent for the game after hitting 43 percent of its shots in the second half, compared to NIU's 29 percent shooting in the game. GAME 7: Illinois 80, Bradley 64 Dec. 5, 2005 Robertson Field House, Peoria, Ill. Illinois increased its winning streak to three while avenging a painful loss from last season with its win at Bradley. Janelle Hughes went off for 22 points on 9-16 shooting, including 4-6 from behind the arc. Audrey Tabon notched her first career double-double with a career-high 15 points and 11 rebounds. Maggie Acuna added seven assists and six steals along with her six points and six boards. Illinois led at half and Bradley hung around late, but a 7-0 run over 3:15 in the second half put the game out of reach. The Illini outscored Bradley in the paint, 21-8 off turnovers and 19-6 on fast-break points in a game that saw seven lead changes and two ties, all in the first half. GAME 6: Illinois 75, St. Louis 40 Dec. 3, 2005 United Center, Chicago, Ill. Illinois continued its recent success at the United Center, winning its third straight in the home of the Bulls, with the average margin of victory in those games at 37.3 points. Janelle Hughes led all scorers with 14 and Erin McCarthy added 12 off the bench. Danyel Crutcher had eight points and nine rebounds off the bench and Audrey Tabon scored 10 while pulling down six boards. The Illini held SLU to 11 points on 11 percent shooting in the first half and held the Billikens scoreless for 8:40 while executing a 16-0 run. Illinois continued to roll in the second half, out-rebounding SLU and outscoring them 34-8 in the paint. GAME 8: Florida 69, Illinois 64 Dec. 9, 2005 O Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla. Illinois saw its three-game winning streak snapped after battling back from a 14-point first-half deficit, as Florida held on for a win. Janelle Hughes led the Illini with 18 points and Audrey Tabon added her second consecutive double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Erin Wigley tossed in 14 and grabbed seven rebounds, both season highs. The Illini, who trailed by 10 at the break, cut the lead to one at one point and later had the ball down three with under one minute to go, but a UI turnover and a pair of Gator free throws sealed the outcome Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

31 Illinois Box Scores and Summaries GAME 9: Illinois 86, #15 Oklahoma 75 Dec. 18, 2005 Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Illinois came back from a nine-point deficit right before halftime, using an 11-0 run over 2:24 of the second half to pull ahead of No. 15-ranked Oklahoma and never look back in an win. Danyel Crutcher had a career day, scoring 24 points on shooting and pulling down 11 rebounds against the nation s top freshman, OU s Courtney Paris. Janelle Hughes, who scored all 11 of the points during that run, finished with 17, and Erin Wigley added 17 on 5-5 shooting. Lori Bjork had 12 and Maggie Acune had a career-high eight assists as the Illini shot 55 percent from the field in the second half to over take the Sooners. GAME 11: Illinois 67, Michigan 48 Dec. 29, 2005 Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Illinois led from start to finish in a drubbing of Michigan to open the Big Ten season. Erin Wigley led the Illini with 13 points, Lori Bjork had 12 and Janelle Hughes added 10 in a balanced effort that saw seven Illinois players with at least seven points. The Illini shut down reigning Big Ten Player of the Week Ta Shia Walker, holding her to only eight points on 2-for-10 shooting. Illinois allowed only one Wolverine to score in double figures, as Janelle Cooper put in 11 on 4-for-12 shooting. For the game, the Illini held Michigan to 27 percent shooting from the field and 14 percent from beyond the arc. GAME 10: Illinois 85, Illinois State 74 Dec. 22, 2005 Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Illinois used a 16-5 run in the second half to put Illinois State away in an win, the Illini s seventh straight over ISU. Erin Wigley scored a career-high 22 points in only 25 minutes, hitting 8 of 14 shots and grabbing eight rebounds. Janelle Hughes scored 21 and had a seasonhigh seven assists, while Danyel Crutcher had her second straight double-double, scoring 12 and hauling down 10 boards. Illinois led by 11 at halftime after a 16-3 run over a stretch of 5:20 in the first half turned a tie game into a Illini lead. But ISU battled back, taking the lead two different times in the second half. Illinois held off the Redbirds by making five of six free throws in the last minute while ISU missed six of its last eight shots. GAME 12: Iowa 84, Illinois 65 Jan. 1, 2006 Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa Illinois jumped out to an early 15-point lead in Sunday's Big Ten road opener, but couldn't hold on as Iowa used a 55-point second half to pull away for an victory at Carver- Hawkeye Arena. Janelle Hughes and Erin Wigley each scored 20 for the Illini, but Iowa's Crystal Smith scored 19 of her game-high 27 points in the second half to lead the Hawkeye surge. After Illinois early lead, Iowa pushed ahead, but the Illini grabbed a five-point lead at halftime and extended it to nine early in the second half. But Iowa used a 21-2 run to take control of the game and cruise to an win Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 31

32 Illinois Box Scores and Summaries GAME 13: Illinois 73, Rhode Island 62 Jan. 5, 2006 Ryan Center, Kingston, R.I. Janelle Hughes poured in a career-high tying 22 points to lead the Illini, including 15 in the second half, in a victory over Rhode Island at the Ryan Center. Illinois finishes its non-conference slate at 8-3 and improves to 9-4 overall. Erin Wigley continued her hot streak, scoring 17 and pulling down eight rebounds, and Danyel Crutcher took advantage of her first start of the season by putting in 18 and hauling in seven boards. Audrey Tabon led the Illini with 10 rebounds as they outscored URI in the paint. Trailing by six at halftime, Illinois used a 9-0 run to take the lead early in the second half and sealed the game with a 7-0 spurt in the final minutes. GAME 15: Illinois 66, Penn State 57 Jan. 12, 2006 Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. The Illini held the Lady Lions to just 31.9 percent from the field (23-72), including only 11.8 percent (2-17) from behind the arc, to snap a five-game skid against Penn State and extend Illinois' home court winning streak to nine, the longest since an 18-game streak from Janelle Hughes led Illinois with 15 points, while Danyel Crutcher added 14 for the Orange and Blue. The Illini took control of the game with a 16-0 run midway through the first half to take a lead they would not relinquish. During the run, the Illini forced five turnovers and 11 straight missed shots while holding Penn State scoreless for 8:38. GAME 14: Illinois 64, Northwestern 55 Jan. 8, 2006 Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Lori Bjork broke her shooting slump by hitting 5-of-9 from the field for 14 points and Janelle Hughes led the Illini with 15 as they won their 13th straight against Northwestern, in front of a season-high crowd of 3,565. Illinois hit 9-of-10 free throws in the final 49 seconds to seal the win. Down at halftime, Northwestern charged out of the gates in the second half, using a 12-4 spurt to grab the lead for the first time and push it as high as five. But Illinois responded with a 12-2 run of its own to regain the lead at and never relinquished it from there as Hughes scored nine of her 15 points in the final 5:30 after picking up her fourth foul with 6:30 remaining. GAME 16: Illinois 84, Wisconsin 54 Jan. 15, 2006 Kohl Center, Madison, Wis. The Illini got out to a 24-8 lead early on and then used a 21-2 burst in the second half to pull away for a wire-to-wire victory over Wisconsin. Senior point guard Maggie Acuna had a career-day, dishing out an Illinois and Kohl Center record 16 assists, tying the NCAA single-game season high this year. Lori Bjork came out on fire, scoring 13 first-half points on her way to a game-high, career-high and Illinois season-high tying 24 points. The freshman hit 9 of 12 overall and 5 of 6 from three point land. Illinois shot a sizzling 67.9 percent in the second half (19-28) and 57.6 for the game (34-59), a seasonhigh. The Illini also set Big Ten season highs for both threes (11) and percentage (68.8) Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

33 Illinois Box Scores and Summaries GAME 17: #12 Michigan State 72, Illinois 61 Jan. 19, 2006 Breslin Center, East Lansing, Mich. Illinois stormed back in the second half, using a 25-7 run over 7:00, but it wasn't enough as No. 12/14 Michigan State won its 23rd straight game at the Breslin Center, 72-61, in front of 4,990 fans. Freshman Chelsea Gordon poured in a career-high 12 points for the Illini, including eight in that second-half spurt, and Erin Wigley led Illinois with 15 points and nine rebounds. Wigley scored nine in the late run, including a jumper to cut the margin to seven with 3:01 left. But MSU scored eight of the last 12 points to seal the victory. The Illini shot 50 percent in the second half and finished 23-for-59 (.390) from the field, while shooting a meager 4-for-17 (.235) on three-pointers. GAME 19: Indiana 63, Illinois 48 Jan. 26, 2006 Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind. Turnovers and poor shooting were the storylines in Illinois loss at Indiana, as the Illini shot 5-for-20 (.250) in the first half, 16-for-45 (.356) for the game and made 22 turnovers in falling to 12-7 overall, 4-4 in the Big Ten. In addition to only making five shots in the first half, Illinois had 12 turnovers and was unable to corral an offensive rebound in the first 20 minutes. Little-used substitute Sarah McKay led all scorers with 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting in 16 minutes for the Hoosiers, who racked up 15 steals and had a lead as big as 29 points with 5:39 left in the game. Erin Wigley and Janelle Hughes each had 11 points to lead the Illini. GAME 18: #11 Purdue 57, Illinois 53 Jan. 22, 2006 Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Illinois held No. 11 Purdue to 32 percent field goal shooting and out-rebounded them 42-36, but in the end 19 turnovers were too much to overcome as the Boilermakers squeaked out a victory in front of a season-high 4,916 fans at Assembly Hall. Erin Wigley led all scorers with 15 points and Maggie Acuna had a career-high 12 rebounds as the Illini fell to 12-6 overall, 4-3 in the Big Ten, snapping Illinois' nine-game home court winning streak and dropping its home record to 6-1 this season. After trailing by as many as 12 in the second half, the Illini cut the deficit to with 2:15 remaining, but Purdue scored seven of the last 11 points to capture the narrow victory. GAME 20: #7 Ohio State 75, Illinois 49 Jan. 29, 2006 Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio Illinois started fast, but No. 7 Ohio State showed it was worth its lofty ranking with a win over the Illini in front of 11,622 fans at Value City Arena. Janelle Hughes led Illinois with 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting, and Maggie Acuna had a game-high eight rebounds. Leading at halftime, OSU blew the doors open coming out of the locker room, hitting six of its first seven shots of the second half and running out to a lead at the 15:27 mark of the period. During that run, the Buckeyes hit four of five threepointers while the Illini missed seven of their first 10 shots of the half Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 33

34 Illinois Box Scores and Summaries GAME 21: #12 Minnesota 64, Illinois 49 Feb. 2, 2006 Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Illinois fell behind early and could not recover, falling to No. 12 Minnesota The loss was the fifth in a row for the Fighting Illini (12-9, 4-6). Minnesota (16-4, 8-1 Big Ten) hit 10 of its first 12 shots and five of its first six three pointers to jump out to an early The Gophers scored on eight straight possessions to finish the run, while Illinois missed 11 of 14 shots during the same span. Illinois was down at halftime, but battled back to close to within seven points. However, the Gophers went on a 14-6 run to close the game, holding the Illini scoreless in the last 3:27. GAME 23: Wisconsin 66, Illinois 61 Feb. 9, 2006 Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Illinois mounted a late comeback but was unable to climb out of a 13-point hole as Wisconsin picked up a victory in front of 4,128 fans at Assembly Hall Thursday night. Illini freshman Lori Bjork ripped the Badgers once again, scoring a career-high 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting, but uncharacteristically poor free throw shooting led to Illinois' seventh consecutive loss. Illinois went scoreless for 8:03 of the first half, missing 12 straight shots and committing four turnovers as the Badgers built a 17-4 lead and eventually led at halftime. Bjork contributed eight to a 13-4 run that brought UI within four under 35 seconds, but the Illini couldn t get over the hump in the end. GAME 22: #17 Michigan State 57, Illinois 51 Feb. 5, 2006 Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Illinois came out hot, but couldn't hold on to an eight point second half lead in a loss to No. 17 Michigan State in front of a season-high 6,459 fans at Assembly Hall. Janelle Hughes had 16 points and Erin Wigley and Audrey Tabon added 14 apiece for Illinois, which lost its sixth straight game. The Illini led lead before the Spartans went on a 13-2 run. Lindsay Bowen's 3-pointer with 11:33 left helped Michigan State take a lead. Wigley hit two free throws with 4:30 left to tie the score at 51. But Michigan State went to a full-court press, and Illinois missed four shots and committed two turnovers down the stretch. GAME 24: Penn State 78, Illinois 52 Feb. 12, 2006 Bryce Jordan Center, University Park, Pa. Illinois scored the first basket of the game, but Penn State's Adrienne Squire scored 28 points on 9-of-11 field goals to lead the Nittany Lions to a win in front of 7,975 fans at the Bryce Jordan Center. It was the Illini's eighth straight loss, the longest skid since an 11-game streak in , and sixth straight at Penn State. Danyel Crutcher had a team-high 18 points for Illinois and Audrey Tabon chipped in 11, but the Illini got only 10 points from its four guards. After leading at halftime, PSU utilized runs of 8-2 and 10-0 to put the Illini away, pushing the Lion margin to with 8:30 remaining. In that 10-0 run, Squire hit a pair of threes and Illinois missed three straight shots Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de

35 Illinois Box Scores and Summaries GAME 25: Illinois 60, Northwestern 59 Feb. 16, 2006 Welsh-Ryan Arena, Evanston, Ill. Chelsea Gordon converted a three-point play with 2.6 seconds left to give Illinois a win over Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Illini scored the last five points of the game and finished the game on a 16-6 run, including five points by Lori Bjork and four by Janelle Hughes, to snap an eight-game losing streak. Hughes led the Illini with 21 points, Bjork finished with 13 and Erin Wigley scored 12 to pace Illinois. Gordon grabbed the offensive board off a miss by Bjork and scored while drawing a foul, tying the game at 59 with 2.6 seconds left. After a timeout, Gordon's free throw bounced around and fell in, giving the Illini a win. GAME 27: Illinois 67, Michigan 57 Feb. 26, 2006 Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor, Mich. Illinois closed the regular season with a victory at Michigan on Feb. 26 in Ann Arbor. The win was the 650th of head coach Theresa Grentz's Hall of Fame career, making her just the 10th coach in the history of Division I women's basketball to reach the milestone. Freshman Lori Bjork opened the game on fire, hitting her first five shots and helping the Illini open up early leads of 9-0 and The Illini led by seven at halftime and pulled away in the second half for the victory. Bjork finished the game with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. The inside trio of Audrey Tabon (10 pts., 8 rebs.), Danyel Crutcher (10 pts., 8 rebs.) and Erin Wigley (9 pts., 7 rebs.) combined for 29 points and 23 rebounds. GAME 26: Iowa 71, Illinois 60 Feb. 23, 2006 Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill. Iowa used a key 14-1 second half run to break open a tight game, and then held on for a win over Illinois in front of 3,891 fans at Assembly Hall on Feb. 23. The Illini (13-13, 5-10) led just once in the contest, but were able to stay within striking distance behind 15 points from both Lori Bjork and Erin Wigley. Senior Janelle Hughes added 14 points and Danyel Crutcher snared 11 rebounds, however, Iowa's Crystal Smith (23 points) and Megan Skouby (18) countered on the other end to give the Hawkeyes (16-10, 9-6) a season sweep of the Illini. GAME 28: Illinois 60, Northwestern 49 March 2, 2006 Big Ten Tournament Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind. For the second year in a row, seventh-seeded Illinois beat a 10th-seeded Northwestern squad in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament presented by Xbox Live. This year, the Illini prevailed to beat the Wildcats for the third time this season and the 15th straight time dating back to Illinois' three-headed inside monster of Danyel Crutcher (14 points, 7 rebounds), Erin Wigley (11 points, 7 rebounds) and Audrey Tabon (8 points, 11 rebounds) combined for 33 points and 25 rebounds to dominate the Wildcats in the paint. Illinois led by as many at 13 in the second half, but NU tied the game at with less than four minutes to play. However, the Illini closed the game on a 15-4 run, including 6-6 from the line down the stretch, to pull away for the victory Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de 35

36 Illinois Box Scores and Summaries GAME 29: #14/11 Purdue 68, Illinois 57 March 3, 2006 Big Ten Tournament Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind. For the second straight year, Illinois played a nationally-ranked No. 2 seed tough in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament presented by Xbox Live, only to fall short. Last season, the Illini fell to eighth-ranked and second-seeded Michigan State in overtime. This year, it was 14th-ranked and second-seeded Purdue who ended Illinois' tournament hopes, 68-57, at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Janelle Hughes and Erin Wigley had 13 points each to lead Illinois (15-14). The Illini jumped out to an 8-0 lead and led at one point in the second half (36-35 at the 15:25 mark), but Purdue countered with a 7-0 run and pulled away down the stretch. Illinois dominated the glass, holding a rebounding edge, but 19 UI turnovers, compared to just five for the Boilers, proved to be the difference Illino i s Wom e n s Basket ball WNIT Gui de