Feb. 4, 2001

Champaign, Ill. -

The Illini women's basketball team showed just how good it can with an impressive 101-71 home victory over Minnesota on Sunday afternoon.

Illinois (11-11 overall, 6-4 in the Big Ten), who is 6-3 on the road, entered the contest just 2-6 at home during the 2000-2001 campaign. The team set a school record for most points scored against a Big Ten opponent at home. The most Illini points on the road came last year at Indiana in a 104-69 victory.

In the first home game without injured freshman Aminata Yanni, everyone who played reached the scoring column. The Illini also put six players in double figures for the first time since the opener last season against Western Michigan.

Freshman Anne O'Neil had one of her better games of the season with 19 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field. Allison Curtin came close to triple double with 17 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Curtin also made 2 of 3 shots from three-point range. Shavonna Hunter (11 points, five assists), Dawn Vana (12 points) and Cindy

Dallas (12 points) also reached double figures. Karen Hagberg had her best effort off the bench this season with seven points and seven rebounds. Illinois out-rebounded Minnesota, 39-31.

The Illini had 24 assists to just 12 turnovers, making the Illini 7-0 when they have at least as many assists as turnovers. Illinois shot 63.9 percent from the field in the first half, bolting to a 53-32 lead at the break and finished the game with a season-best 58.2 percent clip from the field.

Equally as impressive was the defensive effort. Having just played the Gophers seven days before and winning 88-81 in Minneapolis, the Illini set out to put forth a more solid defensive effort. The result was just 32 first-half points for the Gophers compared to 43 a week ago and 71 total points. The Big Ten's leading scorer, the Gophers' Lindsay Whalen, scored 26 points while Lindsay Lieser came off the bench score 21 points on seven three-pointers a week ago. Sunday at Assembly Hall Whalen and Lieser had 16 and nine points. respectively. As a team Minnesota hit six three-pointers today compared to 12 treys a week ago.

As the score indicates, the lead was never in doubt. Illinois exploded to a 20-6 lead just 5 1/2 minutes into the game. After exchanging baskets for the next seven minutes, Illinois went on a 16-8 run to take a 48-26 lead and led by as many as 23 points at 51-28 minutes later.

Minnesota (8-13, 1-9) got as close as 17 points at 59-42, but the Illini scored the next 12 points, six coming from Cindy Dallas to go up 71-42. The lead reached as many as 32. Illinois, who is now in a virtual tie for fifth in the Big Ten, hosts Northwestern Thursday at 7p.m. The game will be shown live on Fox SportsNet Chicago.