Feb. 8, 2008
Game 24 Illinois-Indiana Game Notes in PDF Format
Game 24: Indiana (14-9, 7-4) at Illinois (13-10, 5-7)
Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008 // 1 p.m. // Assembly Hall (16,618) // Champaign, Ill. // Big Ten Network
On The Air
TV: LIVE on the Big Ten Network - DirecTV Ch. 220 and Dish Network Ch. 439 (Brent Stover and Vera Jones)
Radio: LIVE on WDWS AM-1400 and WDAN AM-1490 (Dave Loane, play-by-play; Mike Koon, analysis)
Streaming Audio: Live on fightingillini.com (requires Illini All-Access subscription)
Gametracker: fightingillini.com
The Series
Indiana leads 30-23 overall, but Illinois leads 14-10 in Champaign
This year: Indiana won 70-62 in Bloomington, Ind. on Jan. 6, 2008
The Coaches
Illinois: Jolette Law, 13-10 overall and at Illinois (first season)
Indiana: Felisha Legette-Jack, 90-86 overall (fifth season) and 33-23 at Indiana (second season)
Quick Hits
• The Game: Illinois (13-10, 5-7) will try to rebound from another close defeat when Indiana (14-9, 7-4) comes to Assembly Hall for the second annual "Think Pink" game Sunday at 1 p.m. The Illini dropped a down-to-the-wire game at Minnesota on Thursday, 61-56, while the Hoosiers topped Northwestern, 74-58, their last time out. Earlier this season the two teams meet in Bloomington, Ind., with the Hoosiers prevailing 70-62.
• Think Pink: Illinois will join over 900 other women's basketball teams in the WBCA's "Think Pink" initiative when Indiana comes to Assembly Hall this Sunday. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game to help increase cancer awareness. Anyone who wears their pink Illini Madness t-shirt will gain 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 will go toward Coaches vs. Cancer. In addition, pink signs will be handed out and the Illini flyball dogs will be performing at halftime.
• Bjork Has 3FG Record and 1,000 points in Sights: Sunday could be a historic day for lllini guard Lori Bjork. The junior needs four three-pointers to tie and five to break the Illini career three-point field goals record. She is also just 19 points shy of becoming the 21st player in school history to score 1,000 career points. Bjork already owns the UI single-season 3FG record with 84 last season, and her career total of 190 is just behind Krista Reinking's school record of 194.
• TV Time: Sunday's game against Indiana will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network (HD) with Brent Stover and Vera Jones calling the action. It will be the fifth of at least seven Illini games on the network this season. The Illini's next game on the network will be on Thursday, Feb. 21, against Penn State.
•Bjork Earns Academic Honor: Lori Bjork was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team for he second straight year on Thursday. Bjork is a political science major with a 3.93 GPA. She will now be on the Academic All-America ballot, which is voted on by college sports information directors. Last season, she was one of only two sophomores to earn Academic All-America status, as she was named to the third team.
• Streakin' Jenna: Sophomore Jenna Smith currently has the longest streak of double-digit scoring games in the Big Ten, with 25 (2 from last year). Ohio State's Jantel Lavender is second, with 23 straight games.
• Double-Trouble: Jenna Smith has recorded double-doubles in 12 of 23 games this season, which is the most in the Big Ten this season. Smith, only a sophomore, has 18 double-doubles in her career, which is third in the Big Ten behind only Wisconsin's Jolene Anderson (23) and Indiana's Whitney Thomas (20). Illinois is 8-4 in games when Smith records a double-double this season and is 5-6 when she hasn't.
• Up Next: Illinois hits again the road for a Thursday night game at Wisconsin (7 p.m.) before having its second of two Big Ten byes next weekend. The Illini's next home game is on Thursday, Feb. 21, vs. Penn State in another televised Big Ten Network clash.
Cardiac Kids
Illinois has had several has had several heart-stopping finishes this season. Six of Illinois' last seven games have been decided by five points or less and four of the Illini's seven Big Ten losses have come by a total of seven points, including two one-point defeats, a two-point loss and a three-point setback, all in similar fashion. However, recently the Illini have turned the tables by winning two games that have come down to the final minute. Here is a look at some of those close results:
The wins ...
Jan. 31: Lori Bjork came up big with four points in the final minute to hold off a late charge by #19 Ohio State in a 68-64 victory.
Feb. 4: Illinois allowed only one field goal in the last eight minutes and ended the game on a 14-4 run to top Michigan on the road, 66-61.
The losses...
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.
Feb. 7: Illinois led Minnesota by three late in the second half and had two shots to tie the game in the final minute but couldn't convert in a 66-61 road loss to the Gophers.
Leading the Way
Jenna Smith leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.545) and rebounding (10.0), while also ranking second in the league in four other categories - scoring (18.3), offensive rebounds (3.22), defensive rebounds (6.74) and minutes (37.35). Lori Bjork has led the conference in FT percentage (.900) all season, but dropped out of the rankings recently because she is just below the minimum number of makes (2.0 per game). Bjork is 45-of-50 from the line in 23 games. As a team, Illinois paces the league in scoring defense (57.8), FT percentage (.780) and rebounding defense (31.2), and ranks in the top three in two other categories for all games.
In Big Ten games only, Illinois ranks second in the league in four categories, including scoring defense (58.2) and free throw percentage (.744). Individually, Bjork ranks leads the league in three-point field goals per game (2.50) and third in assist-TO ratio (1.65), while Smith ranks in the top-four in six different categories, including scoring (17.0) and rebounding (9.3).
Breaking Down The Hoosiers
Indiana is alone in fourth place in the Big Ten at 7-4 after Thursday's 74-58 win at Northwestern. The Hoosiers are 14-9 overall and have won five of their last seven. Their most impressive win on the season came on Dec. 22, when they topped No. 13 West Virginia 79-66 in Bloomington.
Sophomore guard Jamie Braun (15.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg) leads a balanced IU attacked that has three others scoring in double figures. Junior forwards Amber Jackson (12.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, .522 FG%) and Whitney Thomas (12.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg), and junior guard Kim Roberson (10.6 ppg) are all potent weapons, while senior captain Nikki Smith (7.7 ppg, 39 3FGM) is dangerous from behind the arc. As a team, the Hoosiers lead the league in steals (9.6) and turnover margin (+2.5).
The Illinois-Indiana Series
Indiana leads the all-time series 30-23 and has won for in a row over the Illini, including a 70-62 victory earlier this season in Bloomington. The Illini hold a 14-10 in games played in Champaign, but dropped the last meeting at their own Assembly Hall, 71-64, last season. Illinois' last win in the series came on Jan. 27, 2005, in Champaign, 53-43.
This Year Against the Hoosiers
Illinois fell to Indiana, 70-62, back on Jan. 6 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. The Illini led for most of the second half, but could not hold on as the Hoosiers closed the game with a big run. Down 29-21 at halftime, the Fighting Illini came out of the break fired-up, going on a 12-2 run. Illinois led 56-51 after a Chelsea Gordon three-pointer with 4:50 to play, but it would be all Hoosiers from there. The hosts went on a 12-0 run to take control of the game and then sealed it down the stretch by hitting 9-of-10 from the line. Illinois' posts dominated the game, as sophomore Jenna Smith finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds and four assists, while senior Danyel Crutcher scored 15 points and had nine rebounds before fouling out with 2:47 remaining.
Smith Enjoying Sophomore Surge
Illini forward Jenna Smith has taken off in her sophomore season. She one of the front runners for Big Ten Player of the Year and has already been named tournament MVP at the FIU Thanksgiving Classic and Big Ten Player of the Week three times. For the year, she is averaging 18.3 points and leads the Big Ten in rebounding (10.0) and field goal percentage (54.5). She has scored at least 20 points nine times this season, which ranks second in the Big Ten, and has led the Illini in scoring 16 times and also in rebounding 16 times thus far.
• Moving Outside: Smith hit her first three-pointer this season early in the game Jan. 27 at Purdue, and has knocked down three more in the three games since. 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 until recently. Before going 4-of-11 in the last four 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
In the Feb. 3 NCAA statistical rankings, Illinois ranks in the top-50 in the nation in four different categories, and Illini individuals rank in the top-100 in seven different categories.
Team Category Rank Stat
Free Throw Percentage 7 77.9
Personal Fouls (fewest) 11 13.6
Turnovers per game (fewest) 42 15.7
Scoring Defense 42 57.8
Indiv. Category Player Rank Stat
Rebounds per game Jenna Smith 17 10.0
Points per game Jenna Smith 29 18.3
FG Percentage Jenna Smith 34 54.5
Blocks per game Jenna Smith 52 1.9
Steals per game Lacey Simpson 100 2.3
3FG Percentage Lori Bjork 65 37.1
3FG per game Lori Bjork 67 2.3
Going to the Bench
In the last five games Coach Law has started to utilized her bench more, in part because the Illini have been shorthanded, but also because they've been producing. Freshman
Chelsea Buher has averaged 13.0 minutes per game in the last five after averaging just 5.2 prior. She scored six points in a career-high 20 minutes at Purdue and four in 17 minutes against Michigan State. Then Thursday at Minnesota she again set a career-high in minutes with 22.
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 is averaging 5.3 points in 17.5 minutes over the last four game, including six points at Minnesota and a career-high 24 minutes at Purdue. She has scored at least five points in each of the last fur games. Even junior center Erin McCarthy has come off the bench in two of the last three games after not playing in the previous seven.
Bec Blowing Up
Senior guard Rebecca Harris has stepped up big in her final season with the Illini, especially as of late. In the last eight games she is averaging 11.6 points, 4.9 boards and 35 minutes per game, well above her career averages, and has put up career-highs in points, 23 vs. Minnesota on Jan. 10, and rebounds, 11 at Purdue on Jan. 27, during that span. She has also played a full 40 minutes twice in that span, at Iowa and vs. Ohio State.
In last Thursday's win over OSU, Harris was stellar, not only scoring 14 points, but playing all 40 minutes without a turnover.
Taking the Freebies
Illinois leads the league and ranks seventh in the nation (as of Feb. 7) in FT percentage (.780), having knocked down 297-of-381 from the charity stripe. Illinois has shot 36 more FTs than its opponents have shot on the season (381-345). For the year, Lori Bjork leads the way from the line, shooting 90.0 percent (45-of-50), which would lead the Big Ten and rank seventh in the nation if she weren't just shy of the minimums for each.
Ultimate Basketball Challenge Slated for April 16
The Illini men's and women's basketball teams will again join up with the Illinois men's and women's wheelchair basketball teams for the third annual Ultimate Basketball Challenge. This year's Challenge will be held on Wednesday, April 16, at Huff Hall. It is a fundraising event, with proceeds from the game benefiting the wheelchair teams, as well as Coaches vs. Cancer. Check fightingillini.com as the date approaches for ticket information.
