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Illini Head to Michigan for Monday Night Big Ten Network Game
Feb. 3, 2008
Game 22: Illinois-Michigan Game Notes in PDF Format
Game 22: Illinois (12-9, 4-6) at Michigan (12-8, 5-5)Monday, Feb. 4, 2008 // 7 p.m. ET // Crisler Arena (13,751) // Ann Arbor, Mich. // Big Ten NetworkOn The Air The Series The Coaches Quick Hits • TV Time: Monday's game at Michigan will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network (HD) with Mark Neely and Mary Murphy calling the action. It will be the fourth of at least seven Illini games on the network this season. The Illini's next game on the network will be on Sunday, Feb. 10, at home vs. Indiana. • Giant Killers: Thursday's win over #19 Ohio State extended Illinois' streak of seasons with a win over at least one top-25 opponent to 14. This year, the Illini are 1-2 against ranked foes, topping the Buckeyes and falling to Oklahoma and Ohio State earlier in the season. • Streakin' Jenna: Sophomore Jenna Smith currently has the longest streak of double-digit scoring games in the Big Ten, with 23 (2 from last year). Ohio State's Jantel Lavender is second, with 21 straight games. • Double-Trouble: Jenna Smith has recorded double-doubles in 11 of 21 games this season, which is the most in the Big Ten this season. Smith, only a sophomore, has 17 double-doubles in her career, which is third in the Big Ten behind only Wisconsin's Jolene Anderson (22) and Indiana's Whitney Thomas (18). Illinois is 8-3 in games when Smith records a double-double this season and is 4-6 when she hasn't. • Trey-mendous: Junior Lori Bjork is nearing the Illinois career three-point field goals record. After nailing three treys in the win over Ohio State, she is now just 12 behind Krista Reinking's mark of 194. Bjork currently sits second on the list with 182 threes. She already holds the UI single-season record with 84 treys last year. • Race to 1,000: With 949 career points entering Monday's game at Michigan, Lori Bjork is closing in on the prestigious 1,000-point milestone. Bjork is looking to become the 21st player in school history to reach the barrier. • Illini Trends: This year the Fighting Illini are... • Up Next: The Illini remain on the road Thursday night when they tangle with the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. They'll then return home on Sunday, Feb. 10 for the "Think Pink" game at Assembly Hall at 1 p.m. Breaking Through in the Clutch
Jan. 2: Illinois thought it had a last-second win at Penn State, but fell 49-48 when Rebecca Harris was called for a charge on a would-be game-winning lay-up as time expired.
Jan. 17: Illinois led by seven with less than five minutes left, but didn't score the rest of the way and fell victim to a Buckeyes three with 14.5 seconds left for a 43-42 defeat.
Jan. 21: The Illini had two late chances to pull out a win over Iowa, but lost, 60-58, on a bucket by Hawkeyes guard Kristi Smith with 6.7 seconds left.
Jan. 24: With the scored tied at 62-62 in the final seconds, Michigan State's Allyssa DeHaan scored on a putback bucket with 9.2 seconds left. Then Illinois turned it over on the ensuing possession.
Leading the WayJenna Smith leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.541) and ranks second in the league in five other categories - scoring (18.6), rebounding (10.0), offensive rebounds (3.29), defensive rebounds (6.71) and minutes (37.19). Lori Bjork has led the conference in FT percentage (.891) all season, but dropped out of the rankings last week because she fell just below the minimum number of makes (2.0 per game). As a team, Illinois paces the league in FT percentage (.779) and rebounding defense (31.2), and ranks second in three other categories for all games. In Big Ten games only, Illinois ranks in the top-three in five categories, including scoring defense (57.7) and blocked shots (4.40). Individually, Bjork ranks second in three-point field goals per game (2.20) and third in assist-TO ratio (1.50), while Smith ranks in the top-four in six different categories, including scoring (17.2) and rebounding (9.3). Breaking Down The Wolverines The Wolverines have a balanced attack, led by 6-6 sophomore center Krista Phillips (10.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and 6-2 junior forward Carly Benson (10.1 ppg, 30 3FGM). Junior guard Jessica Minnefield (9.8 ppg, 30 3FGM), who leads the Big Ten in three-point field goal percentage (.435) and senior guard Janelle Cooper (8.9 ppg, 28 3FGM) are also outside threats. As a team, Michigan leads the Big Ten in three-point field goals made per game (6.55) and ranks second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.295) The Illinois-Michigan Series Last Year Against the Wolverines In the rematch on Feb. 1, Illinois completed a regular season sweep of the Wolverines with a 65-44 victory at Assembly Hall. Lori Bjork hit six threes and scored a game-high tying 25 points. The six three's tied her for third on the UI single game 3FG list. The Illini defense held the Wolverines to .270 shooting and allowed them hit only one three-pointer in 20 attempts after nailing 12 in their previous game. Smith Enjoying Sophomore Surge • Moving Outside: Smith hit her first three-pointer this season early in the game Jan. 27 at Purdue, and then knocked down two more in the win over Ohio State. One of the top inside players in the league, Smith has also shown a soft touch from 15-18 feet throughout her career, but has rarely stepped outside the arc. Before going 3-of-7 in the last two games, she had hit one three-pointer in five attempts in her career. • Raking in the Honors: Smith is the first Illini in over 20 years to pick-up three player of the week honors in the same season. Jonelle Polk was honored four times in the 1985-86 season, which is the most for an Illini in a single season. Polk and Ashley Berggren share the career mark for Illinois, with five each. • Smith Holds Her Own vs. NPOY: Smith faced her toughest competition to date when last year's AP National Player of the Year Courtney Paris came to Assembly Hall Dec. 5. Smith more than held her own against the Sooner star, hitting 7-of-9 from the field for 15 points, pulling down eight rebounds and blocking two shots. Paris had her usual big numbers with 22 points and 14 rebounds, but Smith served notice that she will be a force to be reckoned with for the next few years. • Career Day: Smith scored a career-high 32 points and had 10 boards against SIU on Nov. 18. She hit 13-of-19 from the field and scored 11 straight points for the Illini at one point in the second half. Illini in the NCAA Rankings Team Category Rank StatJoin the Illini and "Think Pink" on Feb. 10 Illinois will join over 600 other women's basketball teams in the WBCA's "Think Pink" initiative this February. For the Illini game against Indiana on Feb. 10, fans are encouraged to wear pink to Assembly Hall to help increase cancer awareness. Fans can wear their pink Illini Madness t-shirt for free admission. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the pink shirts, which are on sale at both the Green Street and Springfield Ave. Gameday Sports locations, or at the Gameday Sports merchandise stand at Assembly Hall, will go toward Coaches vs. Cancer. Going to the Bench Senior Stephanie Chelleen has also stepped up as of late. After sitting out several games with a foot injury to start Big Ten play, Chelleen has played 40 minutes combined in the last two games, including a career-high 24 at Purdue, and scored five points in both the Purdue and Ohio State games. Even junior center Erin McCarthy came off the bench to play seven big minutes in the upset of Ohio State after not playing in the previous seven games. Bec Blowing Up In Thursday's win over OSU, Harris was stellar, not only scoring 14 points, but playing all 40 minutes without a turnover. Taking the Freebies
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