Nov. 18, 2005
Box Score
CHICAGO, ILL. - Illinois got the 2005-06 campaign off to a fast start with a 40-point victory over Loyola at the Gentile Center in Chicago Friday night. The UI defense was stifling, holding the Ramblers to just 12 first half points and forcing 36 turnovers for the game. Freshman Lori Bjork (Johnston, Iowa) led a balanced Illini attack with 13 points and senior Maggie Acuna (Oak Brook, Ill.) had a career game in the blowout victory.
"Our kids really understand what they're supposed to do out there right now," said Grentz after her 637th career victory. "Our kids are very blue collar and very coachable, I think the future is bright for this group. It was good to get everyone some experience, and I give Loyola credit, they fought hard and didn't quit."
Illinois jumped out of the gates early, taking a 13-2 lead at the 13:15 mark thanks to seven points from Acuna, three of which came on her first made three-pointer in a season and a half. However, Illinois would go scoreless over the next 7:14 while Loyola scored eight unanswered to close the UI lead to 13-10 with 6:01 remaining in the half. But then Bjork hit trey out of a timeout and that was followed by an Erin Wigley (Moon Township, Pa.) lay-up and a Stephanie Chelleen (Des Moines, Iowa) three-point play that got the offense back on track. From that point on, it would be all Illini as the Orange and Blue closed the first half on a 17-2 run to take a 29-12 lead into the break.
The Illinois defense was the story of the first half, forcing 23 turnovers and collecting 10 steals in the first stanza. Loyola managed only 16 shot attempts in the first half, while Illinois had 37.
In the second half, the UI defense remained stifling and the shooting picked up dramatically. Illinois opened the second half with an 11-1 run over the first six and a half minutes to break the game open at 40-13. Going back the last six minutes of the first half, the Illini went on a 28-3 run over a 14 minute span and held the Ramblers without a field goal for the final 11:10 of that run. Illinois cruised from that point on, getting everyone valuable experience in the 79-39 rout.
"What I liked was when our shots weren't falling in the first half and they made their run, we didn't quit" said Grentz. "I thought Stephanie Chelleen's offensive skills really provided a boost when we were struggling to score early. She gave me a lot of confidence in her."
All 12 Illini who were available played and scored - Megan Nyquist (Lee's Summit, Mo.) was unavailable due to injury and Victoria Arndt will redshirt - more on that below. Acuna had a stellar all-around night, scoring a career-high 11 points on 4-4 shooting, 1-1 from behind the arc and 2-2 from the line while also adding seven assists, five steals, four rebounds and committing 0 turnovers while running the show. Bjork had five assists to go along with her team-high 13 points, while sophomore center Audrey Tabon (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was in double-figures with 10 points. Five different Illini grabbed four rebounds to lead the team - Wigley, Acuna, sophomore Danyel Crutcher (Orange, N.J.), senior Janelle Hughes (Country Club Hills, Ill.) and freshman Lacey Simpson (Zion, Ill.).
As a team, the Orange and Blue dished out 22 assists and racked up 20 steals on the night, including five each from Acuna and Hughes. The Illini shot a sizzling 64.7% (22-34) in the second half and 47.9% (34-71) for the game while holding Loyola to just 33.3% (14-42) from the field. The 36 Loyola turnovers led to 34 Illini points on the other end and while rebounding was equal at 33-33, Illinois held a massive 42-8 advantage in points-in-the-paint over the out-manned Ramblers.
Arndt to Redshirt: Coach Grentz said before the game that freshman Victoria Arndt (Damascus, Ohio) plans to redshirt the 2005-06 season. Arndt was the 91st ranked senior in last year's class according to All-Star Girls Report. She led West Branch HS to the 2004 Ohio Division II state title and left school as the all-time leading scorer.
"I think it's a win-win situation for Tori," Grentz said of the decision to redshirt. "Her attitude has been tremendous through this whole thing. She is very mature and nobody works harder than she does in the gym - Tori has the heart of a lion. She'll be able to practice with us and will improve so that she can help us down the road."
Up Next: Illinois now heads west to Colorado for a trio of games next week. The Illini will take on Northern Colorado in Greeley, Co. next Wed., Nov. 23 at 8 p.m (CT). They will then travel to Boulder to play in the 19th Annual Coors Classic at the University of Colorado. Illinois will face Utah State on Friday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m. CT and then will face Colorado or Northern Iowa on Nov. 26 at either 6 or 8 p.m. (CT).
Illinois' home opener will be on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. vs. Northern Illinois. The Nov. 29 game will precede a "Gamewatch" of the Illinois men at North Carolina on the Assembly Hall video board at 8 p.m.
