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Feb. 24, 2012
Game 29 - Illinois (11-17, 5-10) at Wisconsin (8-19, 4-11)
Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012 // 2 p.m. CT // Kohl Center (17,230) // Madison, Wis.
| Watch | Listen | Gametracker |Illinois Game 29 Notes 
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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, 32-30. Last meeting: Wisconsin 70, Illinois 67; Jan. 8, 2012The Coaches
Illinois: Jolette Law, 69-91 overall and at Illinois (fifth season)Wisconsin: Bobbie Kelsey, 8-19 overall and at Wisconsin (first season)
ILLINI END REGULAR SEASON AT WISCONSIN
Illinois closes the regular season at Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. The Illini dropped a close 70-67 decision to the Badgers back on Jan. 8. In that game, Illinois shot 68 percent in the first half. The Illini made 15 of their first 21 shots in taking a 35-26 lead with 3:17 to play in the first half.Kersten Magrum had 17 points in the first half, but left the game due to being hit in the head with 11 minutes to play in the game.
Taylor Wurtz scored 19 points and veteran post player Anya Covington added 18 points for Wisconsin. The Badgers used a 11-4 run just before halftime and an 11-0 run in the second half to edge the Illini. Illinois' Amber Moore missed a three in the waning seconds that would have tied the contest.
• The Badgers are under the direction of first-year head coach Bobbie Kelsey. The 1996 Stanford grad, was an assistant coach for Hall of Famer Tara VanDerveer the last four seasons at Stanford, in which the Cardinal advanced to the Final Four each season. In her five years as a player for Stanford, the Cardinal reached the Final Four three times, including the 1992 NCAA national title.
• Illinois leads the all-time series 32-30, which includes a 63-56 victory by the 11th-seeded Illini over the sixth-seeded Badgers in the 2011 Big Ten Tournament.
• An Illinois win would give the Illini a 6-10 conference record and 12-17 overall mark and likely a No. 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. It would also mean the first win for Illinois in Madison since Jan. 14, 2007.
• Illinois enters the contest winners of five of its last eight games. A victory would give the Illini its best nine-game stretch since winning six of seven contests at the end of the 2009-10 season. That included three wins in the Postseason WNIT.
Amber Moore HAS BIG GAME VS. NORTHWESTERN
Amber Moore is coming of a career performance of 31 points in a 69-57 victory over Northwestern. Moore had 17 points in the first half and made 10 of 14 field goals for the game, including a 5 of 7 effort from three-point range.• The 31 points eclipsed her previous career best of 27 points she had at Indiana on Jan. 13, 2010, where Moore made seven treys.
• That marked the first 30-point performance by an Illini since Karisma Penn scored 33 points vs. Michigan State on Feb. 19, 2011.
Moore Clutch From 3-Point Land
Amber Moore owns 120 made threes in her career following a 5-for-7 night from behind the arc against Northwestern on Feb. 20, when she scored a career-high 31 points while playing off the bench. She has at least one three-pointer in 23 of the 28 games this season and multiple threes in 15 contests. Moore also has 53 three-pointers on the season, which is tied for seventh on single-season list.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. 120 Amber Moore 2009-
Illinois' Season 3-Point Field Goals Made List
Made 3PT FG Player Year 1. 84 Lori Bjork 2006-07 2. 77 Lori Bjork 2007-08 3. 74 Krista Reinking 1995-96 4. 66 Melissa Parker 1998-99 5. 65 Amber Moore 2010-11 6. 57 Mandy Cunningham 1990-91 7. 53 Amber Moore 2011-12 53 Lori Bjork 2005-06 9. 52 Aminata Yanni 2002-03 10. 48 Katie Coleman 1996-97
DEFENSIVE-MINDED ILLINI
• Illinois is the only team in the conference with three different players among the top 10 in steals during Big Ten play -- Adrienne GodBold (7th), Karisma Penn (8th) and Lydia McCully (9th).• Only four different players are in the top 15 in the conference in both blocked shots and steals, Illinois' Karisma Penn, second in blocks (2.1) and eighth in steals (2.1) and Adrienne GodBold, seventh in steals (2.1) and 12th in blocks (0.9); Michigan State's Lykendra Johnson, sixth in steals (2.3) and 11th in blocks (0.9); and Nebraska's Emily Cady, 12th in blocks (0.9) and 13th in steals (1.5).
• Illinois leads the conference in steals (10.3) and ranks second in blocks (5.3) in Big Ten only games.
• Illinois has allowed the fewest three-point shots in Big Ten play (61).
• 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.
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 won back-to-back conference games for the first time since defeating Penn State and Wisconsin on Dec. 31 and Jan. 3, 2009-10.
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.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 4-3 in the second half.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 (15), while the next-highest league squad stands at No. 19 (Wisconsin) followed by Iowa (30), Purdue (35) and Michigan (50).Rank Team Strength of Sched. 1. Tennessee 0.6570 2. Kansas State 0.6338 3. Texas A&M 0.6304 4. Baylor 0.6236 5. Connecticut 0.6226 6. UCLA 0.6136 7. Oklahoma 0.6125 8. St. John's 0.6112 9. Villanova 0.6086 10. Rutgers 0.6066 11. USC 0.6026 12. Florida 0.6000 13. Stanford 0.5965 14. Notre Dame 0.5954 15. Illinois 0.5941
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 against Northwestern on Feb. 20 to reach 376 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. 376 Lydia McCully 2008-
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 six contests as her symptoms returned, but a return to the floor at Wisconsin 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.
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 Wisconsin contest with 1,310 career points, the 15th-most all-time, and also ranks 10th in Illini history in rebounds (712) and second in blocks (196).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 -- 12. 1,373 Kris Dupps 1991-95 13. 1,346 Cindy Dallas 1998-04 14. 1,322 Lynette Robinson 1978-82 15. 1,310 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. 712 Karisma Penn 2009-
Illinois' Career Blocked Shots List
Blocks Player Years 1. 231 Jenna Smith 2006-10 2. 196 Karisma Penn 2009- 3. 163 Lacey Simpson 2005-10
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 10 games, GodBold has scored 142 points and has raised her season average from 5.9 points to 9.0 points per game. GodBold is averaging 11.1 points per game and leads the team with 33 steals during Big Ten play.
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 her last three games.
She has scored at least 16 points in five of seven games from Jan. 19-Feb. 9 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.
In the last 10 games, GodBold is leading the Illini in scoring at 14.2 points per game followed by Karisma Penn (11.3) and Amber Moore (10.9). GodBold's numbers in the last 10 games are a 55.3 percent field-goal percentage (52-94), 79.5 percent from the free-throw line (31-39), 142 points (14.2 pg), 57 rebounds (5.7 pg), 20 assists, 7 blocks, and 27 steals.
GodBold has moved into seventh in the Big Ten in steals during conference play after amassing 20 steals combined in the last four games.
PENN EARNS BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Illinois forward Karisma Penn was 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.
Big Ten Tournament Tickets On Sale Now
All-session tickets for the 2012 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the Illinois Athletics ticket office, Bankers Life Fieldhouse box office, Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is the site of the tournament from March 1-4.
ILLINOIS HAVE TURNED CLOSE GAMES INTO WINS
Eight of the 15 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.
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.
McGee Suffers Season-Ending Injury
Sophomore guard Centrese McGee will miss the 2011-12 season after suffering an ACL tear in her right knee just prior to the start of the school year. The Calumet City native had surgery on Oct. 6 to correct the injury and will use the current season as a redshirt year as she recovers.McGee started all 32 games for the Fighting Illini during her freshman campaign, averaging 5.7 points per game and ranking second on the team in rebounding at 5.3 per contest. She led all Big Ten freshmen in rebounding while ranking second among those first-year players in steals (1.2 per game). Following the season, she received the Coaches' Award at the team's annual banquet and was Illinois' representative on the Big Ten Sportsmanship Team.
Law Locks Up Two For 2012-13
Illinois head coach Jolette Law has announced the signing of 6-0 guard Mckenzie Piper (Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City West H.S.) and 6-3 forward Nia Moore (Bolingbrook, Ill./H.S.) as members of the 2012-13 Illini class.Piper committed to Illinois in June following Elite Camp after considering Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa State and Iowa among others. Piper averaged 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and shot 41 percent from the field in helping Iowa City West to the championship game of the Class 4A state tournament last season. The three-star recruit also played for All Iowa Attack and is ranked as the 59th best guard in the class by HoopGurlz.
Moore committed to Illinois in October after also considering Notre Dame, Auburn and Wisconsin. She is the second player from the highly successful Bolingbrook High School program to join the Illini, along with current freshmen Taylor Tuck. Moore was the starting center for the 2011 IHSA Class 4A champions, who won the last three state titles in the largest class in Illinois. Moore is a three-star recruit according to HoopGurlz and transferred to Bolingbrook after playing her first two years at Morgan Park High School. HoopGurlz ranks her as the 82nd best forward in the class nationally and evaluates her as a "shot blocker/changer."
