Nov. 21, 2008

Watch Game Live Online

Complete Game 4 Notes (PDF)

Game 4: Temple (1-1) at Illinois (3-0)

Promotion
Fans can bring a ticket stub from Sunday afternoon's Illinois-Jackson State men's game to the UI Athletic Ticket Office for a free ticket to the women's game vs. Temple

On The Air
Radio: Illini Sports Network - WDWS AM 1400 and WDAN AM 1490 (Dave Loane, pbp, and Mike Koon, color)
Internet: BigTenNetwork.com live streaming video (free) and fightingillini.com Gametracker (free)

The Series
Sunday will be the first meeting between Illinois and Temple

The Coaches
Illinois: Jolette Law, 23-15 overall and at Illinois (second season)
Temple: Tonya Cardoza, 1-1 overall and at Temple (first season)

Quick Hits
• For Openers: Illinois (3-0) wraps-up a three-game homestand this Sunday night by hosting Temple (1-1) at Assembly Hall. The Fighting Illini will look to move to 4-0 for the first time since 2002-03 before they jet off to sunny Cancun for the three-game Caribbean Challenge next week.

• Watch Online for Free: Sunday's Illinois-Temple game will be streamed live at www.BigTenNetwork.com free of charge. It is the first of six Illini games streamed online by the Big Ten Network, in addition to at least 11 UI games that will be televised by BTN, CBS or ESPN2.

• Ticket Redemption: Fans who attend the Sunday afternoon Illinois men's game vs. Jackson State can take their ticket stub to the UI Athletic Ticket Office at Assembly Hall for a free general admission ticket to the women's game vs. Temple.

• Program Milestones: The win over Eastern Illinois on Nov. 16 was the 200th for the Illini at Assembly Hall, but that isn't the only milestone the program is approaching this season. Illinois is three wins away from the 500th victory in program history (497-469), and once conference play starts, the Illini will need five victories for 200 all-time Big Ten wins (195-247).

• Law Inks Highly Ranked Recruiting Class: Jolette Law signed the best recruiting class in school history last Wednesday, the first day of the fall signing period. The class is ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz. See page 5 for more information on the recruits.

Illini Show Versatility In Early Games
Illinois has opened the season with three strong victories in very different ways. In the season opener at IPFW, the Illini jumped all over the hosts early with defense and inside play, going up 14-3 in the opening minutes and extending the lead to 23 at halftime, 44-21, before cruising in the second half for a 20-point victory.

In the Nov. 16 home-opener against Eastern Illinois, the Orange and Blue were sluggish early, trailing by 12 at halftime, 28-16, and went down by as many as 14 before turning on the screws defensively for a come-from-behind 49-45 win. Then Wednesday against Missouri, the Illini fell behind big early, came back to lead at the half and then pulled away in the second half for a 10-point win thanks to a balanced attack.

Simpson Starting Fast
Junior forward Lacey Simpson is picking up where she left off at the end of last season. After stellar performances at the 2008 Big Ten Tournament and WNIT, Simpson has stepped her game up even more this season. She nearly had the second triple-double in school history with 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting, nine rebounds and nine steals in the season-opener. The nine steals set a new career-high and equaled the second most in a game in school history, just short of Shavonna Hunter's school record of 10.

In Sunday's win over EIU, Simpson tallied her fifth career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, then in Wednesday's win over Missouri she equaled her career-high with 18 points and added six steals. On the season, Simpson leads the Big Ten in steals (5.3) and ranks in the top-six in both scoring (16.3) and rebounding (8.3).

Jenna Climbs the Charts
• Jenna Reaches 1,000: Junior All-American center Jenna Smith went over 1,000 career points when she poured in 29 at IPFW on Nov. 14. Smith is the 22nd player in school history to reach the milestone and is the seventh fastest to do so, accomplishing the feat in 66 games. Smith now has 1,033 points on the season and ranks 19th on the Illinois all-time scoring list.

• Block Party: Joining the 1,000-point club isn't the only milestone Smith surpassed during the opening weekend. Her five blocked shots against Eastern Illinois not only tied her career-high, but also put her over 100 career blocks. She is the fifth player in school history to crack that barrier and with 104 blocks already, the school record of 156 career blocks is well within reach of the junior center.

• JennaSmith13.com: Stay up-to-date on Smith's season and her quest for All-America and Big Ten Player of the Year honors at jennasmith13.com. The site will be updated throughout the season with videos, photos, stats, news and much more.

Blinn Blows Up
Freshman guard Macie Blinn had a breakout performance in her third game with the Orange and Blue. Blinn hit 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point land for a season-high 14 points in 29 minutes against Missouri. Her contributions were especially important after senior forward Chelsea Gordon left the game late in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return. The Greeneville, Ohio native has started one game and is averaging 6.3 points on the season.

Thompson Added to Roster
Coach Jolette Law has added Melissa Thompson to the Fighting Illini roster as a walk-on. Thompson is a freshman and attended John Hope High School in Chicago, Ill., last season. Thompson brings the Illinois roster to 10 players.

Scouting Temple
Temple enters the game 1-1 on the season, opening with a 70-55 win over Bowling Green then falling 95-76 at No. 20 Auburn on Nov. 17. The Owls are led this season by sophomore Shaqwedia Wallace (17.0 ppg) and senior Shanea Cotton (14.5 ppg), while senior Shenita Landry (12.0 ppg, 11.5 rpg) is averaging a double-double through the first two games and junior LaKeisha Eaddy also averages double figures (12.5 ppg).

The Atlantic 10 co-champions in each of the last two seasons, the Owls were picked this year to finish fourth in the league. Temple has plenty of postseason experience, making the NCAA Tournament field in six of the last seven years.

The Owls are under the direction of first-year head coach Tonya Cardoza, who took over the program after former coach Dawn Staley took the head coaching job at South Carolina. Cardoza spent 14 years as an assistant at UConn under Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma, similar to Illini head coach Jolette Law's background in working with C. Vivian Stringer for 12 seasons at Rutgers.

Defense Continues to Be Law's Trademark
Jolette Law teams have long been known for their defensive intensity and that is no different this season. In three games, the Illini have held opponents to just 48.0 points per game and 34 percent shooting and are limiting them to just 32.3 rebounds per game, which ranks second in the Big Ten, and are creating nine steals per game. Last season, Law's first at Illinois, the Orange and Blue led the league in scoring defense at 57.2 points allowed per game.

Last Time Out
Illinois improved to 3-0 on the season with a 65-55 victory over Missouri on Nov. 19 at Assembly Hall. It was the eighth consecutive win for the Illini over their border rival. Junior Lacey Simpson led a balanced attack and equaled her career-high with 18 points and six steals in a game that featured seven ties and 10 lead changes. The game see-sawed back and forth in the second half until the Fighting Illini went on a decisive 8-0 run that turned a slim 51-49 lead into a 59-49 advantage with just under four minutes to play. Four different Illini scored in the run as junior center Jenna Smith started it with a bucket and a foul and then freshman Lana Rukavina scored on a putback after Smith missed the free throw.