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Adrienne GodBold has raised her average from 5.9 to 8.6 points per game over the last seven contests.
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Game 26 - Illinois (10-16, 4-9) at Minnesota (13-14, 5-8)
Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012 // 7 p.m. CT // Williams Arena (14,625) // Minneapolis, Minn.
Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Illinois Game 27 Notes 
On The Air
Radio: Live on fightingillini.com and on WDWS AM-1400 (Dave Loane and Mike Koon)TV: BTN.com
Live Stats: Available on fightingillini.com
The Series
Illinois leads the all-time series, 33-23. Last meeting: Illinois 72, Minnesota 67; Feb. 2, 2012The Coaches
Illinois: Jolette Law, 68-90 overall and at Illinois (fifth season) Minnesota: Pam Borton, 259-168 overall (14th season) and 190-122 at Minnesota (10th season)TOURNAMENT SEEDS AT STAKE
With just two weeks remaining until the Big Ten Tournament, there is shuffling going on up and down the standings and Thursday's game at Minnesota provides implications. Minnesota has home victories over Ohio State and Nebraska, the latter came on Monday, 64-58. The Gophers are alone in eighth place with a 5-8 record followed closely by Wisconsin (4-8), Illinois (4-9) and Northwestern (3-9). The Illini have a win over Minnesota already, so Illinois can put themselves in position to win the tiebreaker with the Gophers with a win. A Minnesota win would give the Gophers a two-game lead over Illinois with games at Ohio State and Penn State on the docket to close the season.Minnesota has been much better at home with a 10-4 record at Williams Arena and a 1-7 record on the road. Combined with a 2-3 neutral mark gives Minnesota a 13-14 record, needing some wins down the stretch to get to the post-season.
Illinois, meanwhile, not only plays Minnesota, but also Wisconsin and Northwestern down the stretch. The Illini can do no worse than 11th, but could get as high as eighth in the Big Ten with three wins. Mathematically, the could still tie Michigan and/or Michigan State for sixth, but those teams would have to lose the remainder of their contests.
PENN EARNS BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Illinois forward Karisma Penn has been named co-Big Ten Player of the Week. Penn shares the honor with Samantha Logic from Iowa.Penn helped Illinois to wins over No. 10 Ohio State and Indiana, while averaging 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, 4.0 steals and 3.0 assists on the week. She poured in 23 points and chipped in seven rebounds, six blocks and six steals in the win over the Hoosiers, playing all 40 minutes and 11 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in the upset of Ohio State. This is Penn's fourth career Big Ten Player of the Week honor.
ILLINOIS HAVE TURNED CLOSE GAMES INTO WINS
Eight of the 13 Illinois games in conference play have come down to the final minute. The Illini lost the first four, but have won the last four.The wins...
Illinois' last two games have been won by shots in the final seconds. The Illini battled back from 12 points down in the second half to defeat No. 10 Ohio State. Alexis Burke drove in for the game-winning basket with 3.2 seconds remaining.
Against Indiana, the Illini led by eight points with nine minutes to play only to see the Hoosiers go ahead by four points. Illinois needed scores on the final two possessions to win, 61-60. First Adrienne GodBold put in a rebound basket, was fouled and converted a free throw with 43 seconds remaining, then Lydia McCully scored on a rebound basket with 0.6 seconds remaning for the win.
Victories over Michigan State and Minnesota followed a similar formula, build a big lead and then make big plays at the end. Illinois led Michigan State 35-21 at halftime, withstood a 21-2 Spartan run at the start of the second half, and made big plays down the stretch and in overtime to post a 71-62 victory.
Against Minnesota, the Illini scored the first five points of the second half to take a 38-23 lead only to see Minnesota come back to take the lead. After exchanging leads down the stretch, Illinois broke a 67-67 tie by scoring the final five points of the game.
The losses...
Against Northwestern on Jan. 16, Illinois' Amber Moore hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining to tie the score. During the ensuing play, the Illini were called for a foul on Northwestern's Karly Roser, who made the second of two free throws to give Northwestern a 59-58 victory.
On Jan. 8, Wisconsin earned a narrow 70-67 victory after the Illini led for most of the game, including at 57-51. Illinois missed a last-second three-pointer that would have tied the game.
Prior to that contest, the Illini were victimized by a pair of late three-pointers. On Jan. 5 against Iowa, the Hawkeyes hadn't made a three-pointer all game, but got a trey from Kamille Wahlin with 10.9 seconds left to tie the score and send it to overtime. The Illini, who didn't trail for the last 23 minutes of regulation, fell 69-62 in overtime.
On Jan. 2, No. 20 Purdue needed a buzzer-beating Courtney Moses three-point shot to down the Illini, 64-63 at the Assembly Hall. Freshman Ivory Crawford hit two free throws with 25 seconds left to give the Illini a 62-61 lead and senior Lydia McCully made 1 of 2 from the charity stripe to make it a 63-61 lead with seven seconds remaining and force the desperation three.
After playing back-and-forth basketball over an 11-minute stretch in the second half, Illinois last led the game at Oregon, 72-71, before the Ducks scored a pair of free-throws for a one-point lead with 1:51 left. Oregon never led by more than three over the last two minutes, while Illinois got within one on a tip-in by Karisma Penn with 28 seconds remaining.
In the final contest of the San Juan Shootout, the Illini and Sun Devils competed in a back-and-forth contest throughout the majority of the game. With Illinois leading by one and time winding down, Arizona State needed a turn-around jumper with the defense in its face to secure the win, 51-50.
Last season, Illinois had five losses in which the opponent made a shot in the final 10 seconds with the game tied or Illinois leading - at Oakland (62-61), vs. Northwestern (69-66), vs. Penn State (67-65), at Northwestern (79-78) and vs. Michigan (58-55).
More on the Ohio State Victory
• The Illini posted its first victory against a top-10 team since Jan. 26, 2003, a 94-80 victory over No. 10 Minnesota. It was also Illinois' first win vs. a ranked opponent since March 7, 2008, a 64-58 victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.• Alexis Burke drove in for the game-winning shot with 3.2 seconds remaining.
• The Illini trailed by as many as 12 points at 56-44 with just under nine minutes remaining in the game.
• Illinois allowed just six free-throw attempts by Ohio State and out-rebounded the Buckeyes 36-28, including a 16-7 advantage in offensive rebounds.
• The Illini trailed 63-58 late, but scored six straight points to take a one-point advantage at the end.
MORE ON MINNESOTA
• Illinois defeated Minnesota, 72-67, at the Assembly just two weeks earlier on Feb. 2. With the game tied at 67-67 and the shot clock winding down, sophomore Alexis Burke found preseason All-Big Ten selection Karisma Penn, who went aggressively to the basket, scored, was fouled and converted the subsequent free throw to give the Illini the lead for good with 39 seconds remaining. Penn scored seven of her 13 points in the final seven minutes of the game, also tallying seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal during the contest.• Illinois is 33-23 all-time vs. Minnesota. The Illini have defeated the Gophers five straight times and seven of the last nine meetings between the schools, dating back to 2007.
• Minnesota's Rachel Banham leads all Big Ten freshmen in scoring at 16.1 points per game. Banham is averaging 18.6 points per contest during conferenc-only play.
REAL-TIME RPI National Strength of Schedule
Here is a look at the toughest schedules in the nation according to Real-Time RPI. The Illini are the only Big Ten team in the nation ranking in the top-15 in terms of 2011-12 strength of schedule (11), while the next-highest league squad stands at No. 18 (Wisconsin) followed by Iowa (32), Michigan (38) Purdue (40).Rank Team Strength of Sched.
1. Tennessee 0.6783 2. Texas A&M 0.6438 3. Kansas State 0.6422 4. Connecticut 0.6334 5. Baylor 0.6288 6. UCLA 0.6153 7. Rutgers 0.6148 8. Oklahoma 0.6112 9. Villanova 0.6083 10. USC 0.6083 11. Illinois 0.6058 12. St. John's 0.6040 13. Notre Dame 0.6024 14. Georgia Tech 0.6016 15. Washington State 0.6004
Building momentum
The Illini have traditionally had better second halves to the conference season under Jolette Law. In 2008, after going 3-6 in the first half of the conference season, the Illini went 5-4 in the second half and then won 3-of-4 games in the Big Ten Tournament. In 2009, Illinois followed up an 0-for-9 first half by going 5-4 in the second half and 2-1 in the Big Ten Tournament. In 2010, Illinois went 3-6 in the first half and 4-5 in the second half, going 1-1 in the conference tournament. Last season, the Illini went 0-8 in the second half, but advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament with a pair of upset victories. This year, Illinois went 1-7 in the first half of the season and are 3-2 in the second half.QUICK HITS
• Alexis Burke is playing some of the best basketball of her career. Burke has scored in double figures in five of her last six games with 12 points at Michigan State, 16 vs. Minnesota, 17 at Purdue, 15 vs. Ohio State and 10 vs. Indiana. She has raised her average from 5.7 to 7.3 points per game in the process.• Karisma Penn played all 40 minutes victories over Ohio State and Indiana. In the previous four games, Penn had averaged 24.5 minutes per game dealing with foul issues.
• In games Illinois wins, the Illini give up an average of 57.7 points and are shooting 44.4 percent from the field. In games they lose, they have given up 72.1 points on average and are shooting just 38.8 percent.
GodBold On A Heavenly Roll
One of the major stories in the recent games has been the emergence of junior Adrienne GodBold as an offensive force.In the last eight games, GodBold has scored 116 of her season's 216 points and has raised her season average from 5.9 points to 8.6 points per game.
GodBold had a career-best 25 points vs. Purdue on Feb. 5, making 7-of-10 field goals, including 5-of-6 from the three-point arc. Adding an 8-for-9 performance against Minnesota on Feb. 2 and an 8-for-12 out put against No. 10 Ohio State gives GodBold a 76.6 perent field-goal percentage in those three games.
She has scored at least 16 points in five of the last six seven with 19 vs. Penn State, 18 points against Ohio State and Minnesota and 25 vs. Purdue. In one of the games in between, GodBold had nine points and 11 rebounds in the victory at Michigan State.
GodBold's numbers in the last eight games are a 58.1 percent field-goal percentage (43-74), 43.8 percent on three-pointers (7-16), 76.7 percent from the free-throw line (23-30), 116 points (14.5 pg), 49rebounds (6.1 pg), 19 assists, 6 blocks, and 20 steals.
BENCHMARK NUMBERS
• Illinois won at Michigan State for the first time since a 75-65 victory in East Lansing on Feb. 24, 2003.• Illinois' 84 points against No. 10 Ohio State were the most against a Big Ten team in the Jolette Law era. It is also the most points scored against the Buckeyes this season.
• Illinois defeated Ohio State, 66-65 on Feb. 9. It marked the first Illinois win against a top-10 team since Jan. 26, 2003, a 94-80 victory over No. 10 Minnesota. It was also Illinois' first win against a ranked opponent since March 7, 2008, a 64-58 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
• The Illini now have won back-to-back conference games for the first time since defeating Penn State and Wisconsin on Dec. 31 and Jan. 3, 2009-10. McCully Moving Up Career Assists List
Lydia McCully has been able to find an open teammate in a position to shoot throughout her time with the Illini and took over sole possession of fifth all-time in assists as a result, with a pair against No. 21/22 Penn State on Jan. 19, breaking a tie with Tajua Catchings in the process. McCully added four in support of the winning effort at Indiana to reach 367 for her career.
Illinois' Career Assists List
Assists Player Years 1. 550 Jill Estey 1989-93 2. 507 Jenny Johnson 1984-88 3. 451 Lacey Simpson 2005-10 4. 391 Michelle Vossen 1980-84 5. 367 Lydia McCully 2008-
Your Newest 1,000-Point Club Member
Junior Karisma Penn is quickly climbing up several career charts, including becoming the 24th player in Illinois women's basketball history with 1,000 or more career points with 20-point performance on Nov. 24 against RV/#18 Green Bay. The Shaker Heights, Ohio, native enters the Ohio State contest with 1,295 career points, the 15th-most all-time, and also ranks 10th in Illini history in rebounds (699) and second in blocks (194).Illinois' Career Scoring List
Points Player Years 1. 2,160 Jenna Smith 2006-10 2. 2,089 Ashley Berggren 1994-98 3. 1,984 Jonelle Polk 1983-87 4. 1,906 Lisa Robinson 1978-82 5. 1,639 Angelina Williams 2001-05 -- 14. 1,322 Lynette Robinson 1978-82 15. 1,295 Karisma Penn 2009-
Illinois' Career Rebounding List
Rebs. Player Years 1. 1,217 Jenna Smith 2006-10 2. 1,014 Cindy Dallas 1998-04 3. 933 Jonelle Polk 1983-87 4. 900 Lacey Simpson 2005-10 5. 896 Lynnette Robinson 1978-82 -- 9. 779 Ashley Berggren 1994-98 10. 699 Karisma Penn 2009-
Illinois' Career Blocked Shots List
Blocks Player Years 1. 231 Jenna Smith 2006-10 2. 194 Karisma Penn 2009- 3. 163 Lacey Simpson 2005-10
Moore Clutch From 3-Point Land
Amber Moore is currently alone in sixth place in program history for made three-pointers with 113. Moore needs one more to tie Allison Curtin (1998-2001) for fifth all-time. She has at least one three-pointer in 21 of the 26 games this season and multiple threes in 13 contests.Illinois' Career 3-Point Field Goals Made List
Made 3PT FG Player Years 1. 214 Lori Bjork 2005-08 2. 194 Krista Reinking 1994-98 3. 168 Mandy Cunningham 1990-94 4. 133 Melissa Parker 1996-00 5. 114 Allison Curtin 1998-01 6. 113 Amber Moore 2009-
NOTES ON GAME TIMES
The Feb. 20 game with Northwestern is a 6:30 p.m. contest, on the BTN, while the Feb. 26 match-up with Wisconsin will begin at 2 p.m.CRAWFORD PROVIDES SCORING PUNCH
Ivory Crawford recorded her first double-double of her young career with 12 points and 10 rebounds vs. Nebraska on Jan. 29. Crawford had a successful week as a whole with seven assists, four steals, four blocks and 16 rebounds in games against the Cornhuskers and Michigan State.MAGRUM IN AND OUT OF THE LINE-UP
Kersten Magrum returned to the line-up against Michigan State after missing three games with concussion symptoms. Magrum scored 20 points against Wisconsin on Jan. 8, including 17 in the first half, before leaving the contest with 11 minutes to play. Magrum had eight points and three blocked shots in her first game back, and although she didn't start played 28 of a possible 45 minutes.Magrum scored in double figures in seven straight games, raising her season scoring average from 10.9 to 11.8. That includes a 19-point output against Alabama A&M and an 18-point game against Purdue.
Magrum has missed the last four contests as her symptoms returned, but a return to the floor against Minnesota is hopeful.
After starting 15 games and averaging 4.3 points per contest as a freshman in 2009, Magrum missed all but three games last season with a stress fracture in her right foot. She had a career-best 24-point, 12-rebound performance against the Ducks on Nov. 18. Magrum also has a pair of double-doubles through the first 13 games, tallying 10 points and 10 rebounds against Memphis in additon to her numbers vs. Oregon. Magrum is also an 81.6 percent free-throw shooter.
REJECTIONS KEY DEFENSIVE SUCCESS
The Illini are third in the Big Ten in blocked shots at 5.3 per game with 139 through 26 contests. Individually within the conference, Karisma Penn is second in rejections as the junior averages 2.3 per contest.Block Party One Of The Best In School History
Illinois had 12 blocked shots in its victory over Memphis on Nov. 15 - tied for the second most in a game in school history. Adrienne GodBold and Karisma Penn each recorded four rejections during the contest while Kersten Magrum and Taylor Tuck added a pair of blocks each as well. The record is 13, set on Jan. 27, 2011 vs. Penn State.Barefoot For A Purpose
Illinois head coach Jolette Law coached in her bare feet during the Jan. 19 game with Penn State. She joined over 1,000 coaches from across the country going barefoot to raise awareness and funding to help put one million pairs of shoes on the feet of children through Samaritan's Feet.Samaritan's Feet, based in Charlotte, N.C., is a humanitarian non-profit relief organization dedicated to taking a life-changing message of hope and equipping the feet of impoverished children in the United States and around the world with shoes. The focus is on children from Africa, South America, the Caribbean and the U.S.
The concept of asking coaches to coach barefoot began in 2007 when IUPUI coach Ron Hunter was asked to do so. Over 140,000 pairs of shoes and $30,000 were donated in just six weeks. This year, Law will be joining more than 1,000 coaches by going barefoot during a game to use her platform as coaches to help Samaritan's Feet reach the goal of distributing 10 million pairs of shoes to 10 million people in 10 years.
