Nov. 25, 2008

Complete Illinois Notes for the Caribbean Challenge (PDF)

Illinois (3-1) at the Caribbean Challenge

The Games
Wed., Nov. 26, 3:30 p.m. Illinois vs. Montana (2-0)
Thur., Nov. 27, 8:30 p.m. Illinois vs. South Dakota State (4-0)
Fri., Nov. 28, 8:30 p.m. Illinois vs. #11/16 Maryland (3-1)

On The Air
Radio: Illini Sports Network - WDWS AM 1400 (Brian Moline, play-by-play)
Internet: fightingillini.com streaming audio (All-Access)

The Series
Montana: Illinois and Montana have not met previously
SDSU: Illinois and South Dakota State have not met previously
Maryland: Maryland leads 2-0, last meeting was Dec. 29, 1987 at the Orange Bowl Classic in Miami (UM 85, ILL 65)

The Coaches
Illinois: Jolette Law, 23-16 overall and at Illinois (second season)
Montana: Robin Selvig, 699-199 overall and at Montana (31st season)
SDSU: Aaron Johnston, 197-62 overall and at SDSU (ninth season)
Maryland: Brenda Frese, 205-86 overall (10th season) and 148-56 at Maryland (seventh season)

Quick Hits
• For Openers: Illinois (3-1) heads to sunny Cancun, Mexico, for the Caribbean Challenge Nov. 26-28 at the Moon Palace Resort. The Illini will play three games in three days against top competition, starting with Montana (2-0) on Wednesday, Nov. 26, then South Dakota State (4-0) on Thanksgiving night and finishing with No. 11 Maryland (3-1) on Friday, Nov. 28. Illinois is coming off a 66-47 home loss to Temple Sunday night.

• 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 (497-470), 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 Nov. 12, the first day of the fall signing period. The class was ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz at the end of the early signing period. See page 5 for more information on the recruits.

Loaded Field Awaits in Cancun
When Illinois takes the court this week in Cancun they'll face three teams that each made the postseason last year and have a combined record of 9-1 so far this season. Here is a breakdown of each opponent:

Montana: Montana enters the Caribbean Challenge 2-0 on the season, beating Wyoming 71-64 in its opener and then winning at Idaho 55-36. The Lady Griz have a trio of players averaging in double figures - senior guard Mandy Morales (15.5 ppg), sophomore forward Sarah Ena (14.5 ppg) and junior forward Lauren Beck (11.0 ppg). Montana made the NCAA Tournament field last season, and is the preseason pick to defend its Big Sky title. Head coach Robin Selvig is in his 31st season at Montana and is the seventh winningest active coach in the NCAA. He is one win away from becoming the ninth coach in NCAA history to reach 700 victories as he boasts a career record of 699-199 (.778).

South Dakota State: SDSU is also undefeated on the young season, with a road win at Missouri to open the year and impressive home wins over Wisconsin (64-44), Utah (70-58) and Oregon (80-63) for a 4-0 start. The Jackrabbits have a balanced attack, with five players averaging eight or more points and eight players who average at least 18 minutes a game. Senior forward Jennifer Warkenthien is close to a double-double, with season averages of 9.5 points and 8.8 rebounds. SDSU went 23-7, won the Summit League and played in the WNIT a year ago. This is its first season of being eligible for the NCAA Tournament after a five-year transition from Division II to Division I. Head coach Aaron Johnson is in his ninth season at SDSU with a record of 197-62 (.745). He led the Jackrabbits to the 2003 NCAA Division II national championship.

Maryland: No. 11 Maryland rebounded from a surprising season-opening loss at TCU by blowing out its last three opponents. The Terrapins beat Delaware State 73-46, James Madison 90-76 and most recently defeated UCLA by a score of 88-65 to enter the tournament 3-1. Maryland's lineup is anchored by four-year starters and All-Americans Kristi Toliver (17.8 ppg / 5.3 apg) and Marissa Coleman (16.0 ppg / 7.3 rpg). Toliver was last year's Nancy Lieberman award winner as the nation's top point guard. Newcomers Lynetta Kizer (13.3 ppg / 7.5 rpg) and Demauria Liles (11.8 ppg / 9.0 rpg) have also come on strong to begin the season. The Terrapins are coached by Brenda Frese, who is 205-86 in her career and has led her squad to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2006 national title. Last season the Terrapins were 33-4 and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Tourney Time
Illinois will be looking to win its second straight Thanksgiving Tournament when it heads to Cancun this week. Last season, the Fighting Illini defeated South Carolina (91-58) and Providence (60-59) en route to the FIU Thanksgiving Classic title in Miami, Fla. Jenna Smith was named Tournament MVP and Chelsea Gordon was named to the All-Tournament team.

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 the Nov. 16 win over EIU, Simpson tallied her fifth career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, then in the win over Missouri she equaled her career-high with 18 points and added six steals. On the season, Simpson ranks second in the Big Ten in steals (4.3) and ranks in the top-10 in both scoring (13.5) and rebounding (8.0).

Jenna Climbs the Charts
• Double-Trouble: Junior All-American center Jenna Smith had her first double-double of the season Sunday night against Temple with 17 points and 12 rebounds. She now has 23 double-doubles for her career, which is tied for the Big Ten's active lead and for fifth on the Illinois career list.

• Jenna Reaches 1,000: 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 1,050 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 107 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 4.8 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 has yet to play in a game. She brings the Illinois roster to 10 players.

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 52.5 points per game, 38 percent shooting and are allowing only 34.5 rebounds 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. Junior forward Lacey Simpson has led the defensive charge, ranking second in the league in steals per game at 4.3.

Last Time Out
The Fighting Illini fell to 3-1 on the season with a 66-47 loss to Temple at Assembly Hall on Nov. 23. Junior center Jenna Smith led Illinois with 17 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough. Illinois started off sluggish for the third straight game, hitting just one of its 12 shots, but the defense kept the game close early. Temple closed the half on a 10-0 run to take a 29-23 lead into halftime, continuing the run in the second half to open up a 40-25 lead. While Smith tallied her 23rd career double-double and also added three blocks, she struggled from the field, hitting 7-of-21 shots. Smith wasn't alone, however, as the Illini shot 30 percent for the game (18-of-60) and 28 percent from three-point range (5-of-18).