Jan. 13, 2002

Final Stats

Post-game comments:
Michigan State coach and players - AUDIO
Coach Theresa Grentz, Shavonna Hunter and Iveta Marcauskaite - AUDIO

Champaign, Ill. - Illinois once again demonstrated the ability to play well down the stretch and record yet another down-to-the-wire victory. As has been the case the entire 2001-2002 season, poise was key in a 72-66 victory over Michigan State Sunday at the Assembly Hall.

Iveta Marcauskaite scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds and proved her worth as a go-to player inside. The Big Ten leader in field-goal percentage added to her lead by making 7 of 9 field goals including a big 15-footer from the base line late in the game. Marcauskaite is shooting .632 for the year and a remarkable .685 from the field in Big Ten play.

Michigan State came into the contest 0-4 in the conference but lost the last two games by one point (vs. Minnesota) and another in double overtime against league-leading Wisconsin. The Spartans young squad showed a lot of fight in overcoming an 11-point deficit.

Illinois jumped to a 27-16 lead thanks to blistering shooting. Michigan State fought back to within 29-28 at the 2:34 mark, but Illinois out-scored the Spartans 7-1 to close the half and led 36-29 at the break. Shavonna Hunter (15 points) hit a three-pointer in that stretch.

Michigan State's Kelli Roehrig (16 points) and Julie Pagel (18 points) scored all but three points in a 14-5 run to start the second half. That put Michigan State ahead 43-41. The lead was short lived as Hunter came up big with another three-pointer on the next possession. The lead reached 56-50 after two free throws from Tiffanie Guthrie.

A pair of three-pointers from Maria Recker (10 points) helped bring Michigan State to within one point at 62-61 and Julie Pagel tied it at 62-62 by making one of two free throws setting up the exciting finish.

Marcauskaite's baseline jumper gave the Illini a lead, but MSU's Kristin Haynie's three-pointer gave MSU a 65-64 lead with 4:19 to play. Those were the last points Michigan State would score. Hunter scored four of the next six points as Illinois built an insurmountable 70-65 lead in the final minute.

Angelina Williams, who scored 11 points off the bench, got a couple of big rebounds in the final minutes as well. Cindy Dallas added ten points for Illinois. Illinois shot 61.4 percent from the field for the game, including .700 (14 of 20) in the second half.

Illinois improves to 11-4 overall and 4-1 in Big Ten play heading into Thursday's first-place showdown with Wisconsin. The Badgers, ranked No. 5 in the latest poll, are 15-1 after surviving a scare from Northwestern, 70-65 in Evanston Sunday.