No. 22 Minnesota Coming To Assembly Hall
January 30, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2002
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois hosts one of its biggest games of the season on Thursday night as the Minnesota Golden Gophers come to town. Illinois comes into the game 6-3 in the Big Ten and 13-6 overall. Minnesota is 15-4 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten.
No. 22/25 Minnesota (15-4, 5-3) at Illinois (13-6, 6-3)
Jan. 31, 2002, 7:00 p.m., Assembly Hall, Champaign, Ill.
TV: FoxSportsNet Chicago (Dave Eanet, Toni Roesch)
Radio: Illini Sports Network (Dave Loane)
KEY GAMES COMING UP:
Thursday -- Minnesota at Illinois, Iowa at Michigan
Feb.3 -- Minnesota at Iowa, Wisconsin at Purdue
Feb. 7 -- Purdue at Illinois, Iowa at Wisconsin
Feb. 10 -- Iowa at Penn State
Feb. 14 -- Michigan at Iowa, Purdue at Minnesota
MARCAUSKAITE LEADS BIG TEN, FIFTH NATIONALLY IN FIELD-GOAL SHOOTING
Iveta Marcauskaite leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth in the nation in
field-goal shooting. Marcauskaite is shooting .633 for the year (131-207).
She set Illinois' all-time single-season field-goal shooting record by
making 59.1 percent of her field goal attempts (152 of 257) in 2000-2001.
That makes her career percentage at .610 (283 of 464). Nicole Vasey holds
the Illinois career record at .573. In six Big Ten games, Marcauskaite is
shooting .660 (70 of 106).
ILLINOIS HAS HOT HAND, ESPECIALLY DURING BIG TEN SEASON
Illinois and Minnesota are 1-2 in the Big Ten in field-goal shooting. The
Illini are shooting .483 for the season, which ranks second behind
Minnesota (.517). The Illini, however, lead the conference in shooting when
considering Big Ten games only (.503), just ahead of Minnesota (.497). The
Minnesota-Illinois game features the top two scoring teams in the conference
when considering only Big Ten games. Illinois leads the league at 78.4
points per game, just ahead of Minnesota (77.5)
Illinois has had some fantastic shooting performances of late. The Illini were 27 off 44 from the field (.614) against Michigan State, then shot .540 last Sunday at Northwestern and 58.3 percent against Michigan. Illinois has had eight games of better than 50 percent shooting from the field. The Illini are currently at .483 for the year from the field, the best under Theresa Grentz. The all-time record is .490 set in 1986-87. That figure increases dramatically when you take out three-point shooting. Illinois is 501 of 932 (.538) on two-point field goals.
ELITE BIG TEN COMPANY
Illinois is one of two teams to post winning Big Ten seasons each of the
last six seasons. Illinois went 12-8 in 1997, 12-4 in '98, 10-6 in '99, 11-5
in 2000 and 9-7 last season. Purdue is the only other team with that
distinction.
ILLINOIS ADDS THREE-POINTERS TO MIX
Illinois has built its team around strong post play. Iveta Marcauskaite and
Cindy Dallas are among the Big Ten leaders in scoring and rebounding.
Sunday, however, the Illini added a dose of outside shooting to the mix. If
that continues, it will make the Illini tough to stop. Sunday, Shavonna
Hunter had a career high five three-pointers in just six attempts. She has
been given the task of helping the freshmen perimeter players learn the
ropes. Leading by example, Hunter hit her shots and saw Angelina Williams,
Tiffanie Guthrie and sophomore Aminata Yanni also hit treys. Even Dawn Vana
knocked down her second career three-pointer.
ILLINOIS LOOKING TO START WIN STREAK VS. GOPHERS
Prior to their meeting on Jan. 3, Illinois had won 11 straight games against
Minnesota, dating back to Jan. 14, 1996. Minnesota broke that string with an
89-75 victory over Illinois on Jan. 3. Thursday the Illini will look to
start another string over the Gophers.
In the earlier meeting, three Illini nearly recorded double-doubles. Freshman Tiffanie Guthrie led the Illini with 19 points and nine rebounds. Cindy Dallas scored 15 while grabbing nine boards and Dawn Vana had 10 points and nine assists. Minnesota's Janel McCarville racked up 23 points to lead all scorers in the contest.
ILLINOIS-MINNESOTA SERIES
Even with the Minnesota victory earlier this year, the Illini hold a 25-14
series lead against the Golden Gophers. Illinois holds a 14-4 series
advantage in games played in Champaign. Illinois has not fallen to Minnesota
at home since a 59-55 defeat in front of the home crowd in January of 1988.
Last season at Assembly Hall, the Illini racked up 101 points to defeat the
Gophers by a 101-71 margin. That marked the most points scored by an
Illinois team at home against a Big Ten opponent.
WILLIAMS GETS OFFENSIVE
In the past three contests, freshman Angelina Williams has made a statement
on the offensive side of the ball. She has been in double figures in each of
the past three contests, averaging 12.7 points per game.Williams scored a
career-high 15 points on 6-11 shooting last time out against Michigan.
CHARTING THE RPI
Illinois is ranked 23rd in the latest RPI rankings. Illinois' strength of
schedule ranks 22nd in the country. The Illini have just six losses this
year. Those teams are a combined 89-27 on the season with Wisconsin,
Oklahoma, and Minnesota, and Purdue a combined 64-12.
BLOCK I
Illinois has vaulted to second in the Big Ten in blocked shots (4.74). The
Illini have three players in double figures in that category for the season,
led by Iveta Marcauskaite who has 25 blocks followed by Cindy Dallas who has
20 blocks and Angelina Williams with 13.
? Illinois leads the conference with 5.67 blocks per game during Big Ten
play. Illinois has 39 blocks in the past six games or 6.5 blocks per
contest.
POST PLAYERS SERVE MULTIPLE ROLES The trio of Iveta Marcauskaite, Cindy Dallas, and Dawn Vana have proven to be valuable members of the Illini team in numerous and perhaps non-traditional ways.
When you look in the top ten of the Big Ten in assists you see nine guards and one forward -- Dawn Vana of the Fighting Illini. Jess Strom of Penn State leads the the conference at 6.76 assists per game. Vana averages 4.84 assists per contest for all games. In Big Ten games, Vana is second in the conference in assists at 6.11 behind only Minnesota's Lindsey Whalen at 7.50.
Cindy Dallas provides a similar asset in the steals department. Dallas is seventh in the conference in steals at 2.47 per game. The six ahead of her are all guards -- Kelly Komara (PUR), 4.00, Tamara Moore (WIS), 3.00, Lindsey Whalen (MIN), 3.00, Shavonna Hunter )IL) , 2.95, Kristin Haynie (MSU), 2.72, and Syreta Bromfield (MSU), 2.55
SUPER SOPHOMORES
Fighting Illini sophomore Iveta Marcauskaite and Golden Gopher sophomore
Lindsey Whalen have been two of the top players in the Big Ten this season.
The duo currently ranks second and third in the conference in scoring with
Whalen averaging 21.8 points per game while Marcauskaite averages 19.2.
Marcauskaite leads the conference in shooting percentage hitting 66.0 percent of her shots from the floor in Big Ten contests (70-106).
Whalen earned her third Big Ten Player of the Week honors last week for her outstanding performances in huge Gopher victories over Michigan and Wisconsin. Against the Wolverines, Whalen recorded 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists which she followed up with a career-high 32 points on 12-18 shooting against the Badgers.
REAL SPORTS RANKS ILLINOIS 25th, ILLINI 29th IN AP RANKINGS Real Sports Magazine has Illinois ranked No. 25th in its latest poll. The top five are UConn, Tennessee, Stanford, Oklahoma, and Duke. Big Ten teams in the poll are Purdue (7th), Iowa (17th), Wisconsin (18th) and Illinois (25th). Illinois received 28 votes in the latest Associated Press poll, the 29th most votes in the poll.
TALKING STATS
MILESTONES NEARING
THE ORANGE SHIRTS
Illinois Head Coach Theresa Grentz believes every player on this 2001-2002
team important on her basketball team. Each home game four players (who see
limited playing time) sit at the end of the end bench and act as assistant
coaches if you will.
Donning special orange shirts, they are in charge of running the scout team during practice and during the game helping the rest of the team understand the game plan in stopping the opponents. The ?Orange Shirts? as Coach Grentz calls them include Holly Wilson, Allison Guth, Yolanda Smith and Brenda Blackburn.
Wilson has stayed upbeat despite only playing two games during her senior year because of bad feet. Yolanda Smith, likewise is a senior who returned to the Champaign area after earning Champaign News-Gazette ?Player of the Year? honors at Rantoul High School and playing two seasons at John A. Logan Junior College.
Guth, likewise, is living her dream of playing Division I college basketball. A walk-on, who joined the team this summer after playing on the golf team last year, decided to pursue the dream this summer. She led her high school, Buffalo Grove, to the Division I state title in 2000.
Blackburn is a 6-6 sophomore from Ardmore, Okla. The tallest player in Illinois history spells Iveta Marcauskaite at times in the Illinois line-up.
THE TALENTED ILLINI
Illinois players don't just have talent on the basketball floor. Cindy
Dallas and Holly Wilson share the love of singing as members of The
University of Illinois Black Choir. Aminata Yanni demonstrates her dancing
skills with Special Effects, a university sponsored urban dance team.
FG SHOOTING ON TARGET
Illinois has been a consistent field-goal shooting team this season,
shooting over 50 percent seven times and over 45 percent four other times in
five outings. Illinois shot a season best 61.1 percent from the field
against Michigan State, including making 70 percent (14 of 20) from the
field in the second half. The Illini have shot below 40 percent just once
(Pepperdine, .368). As a result the Illini's season average is .483. The
1996-97 team shot .456, the best by an Illini team under Theresa Grentz. The
Illinois record is .490 in 1986-87.
CINDY DALLAS BIG TEN CO-PLAYER OF WEEK
Cindy Dallas earned co- Big Ten Player of the Week in women's basketball for
the week ending Dec. 23
Dallas had a stellar game in lifting the Illini to a 74-53 win over Missouri on Saturday at the Savvis Center in St. Louis. The sophomore from Pittsburgh posted 19 points, 17 rebounds and five steals. The 17 rebounds were the most by an Illinois player since Susan Blauser grabbed 18 boards in a win over Stanford on Nov. 19, 1998. Dallas also had 13 points, five rebounds and six steals in a 91-49 victory over Eastern Illinois on Wednesday and made 14 of 20 shots from the field in the two games.
BY COMPARISON
Illinois closed out the non-conference season with a 7-3 record. That was
the second best mark in the seven seasons under Theresa Grentz with only the
1997 Big Ten champion team having a better record.
FIGHTING TO THE END
Illinois hasn't folded its tents late in the ball game, coming from
behind in the final seconds three times.
In a half that had nine ties and 15 lead changes, Illinois was left standing at the end in an 85-81 triumph at No. 12 Michigan on Dec. 28.
After trailing by double digits, Duquesne took a one-point lead, 71-70 with 54 seconds to play. A lay-up by Iveta Marcauskaite and two Vana free-throws put the Dukes away, 74-71. Then trailing, 62-59 against Pepperdine, Jer? Issenmann hit a three-pointer to tie and send the game into overtime.
Even against St. Mary's, the host Gaels made several runs, before Illinois put the game away. And against Penn State, the Illini held on after the Lions closed the gap to five. Michigan State, likewise, took a brief lead in the second half.
WINNING STAFF
Blue Star Report ranks Illinois' recruiting class for the Class of 2006 as
the No. 5 ranked class in the nation. One of the reasons has been a strong
stable staff. Associate Head Coach LaVonda Wagner is in her eighth year with
Illinois and seventh with Theresa Grentz. Assistant Coach Renee Reed is
working her eighth season with Coach Grentz, two at Rutgers and six at
Illinois.
STRONG SUPPORT
Three new faces who joined the Illinois team this year bring even more
winning. Brett Leonard, who is transferring from Arizona State, and athletic
trainer Lisa Himmelspach, who was the trainer, at ASU, were members of the
Pac-10 champions a year ago. Assistant coach Jennifer Jacoby was the
starting point guard on the Purdue Final Four team in 1994.
REMEMBERING THE FINALS
Allison Guth and Angelina Williams have a special place in the annals of the
state tournament. Now teammates, Guth and Williams squared off in the state
finals in 2000. Guth and Buffalo Grove defeated Williams and the heavily
favored Chicago Washington team, 60-51 in overtime. Guth scored seven of the
nine Bison points in overtime. Williams starred as well with 17 points and
16 rebounds in the contest.
ILLINOIS WINS ST. MARY'S TOURNAMENT
Illinois defeated James Madison, 85-45, and host St. Mary's, 66-53, to
capture the St. Mary's College Tournament on Nov. 23-24. Shavonna Hunter was
named MVP after scoring 21 points on 9 of 16 shooting and converting two
assists and two steals in the championship game. Iveta Marcauskaite was also
named to the All-Tournament Team. Marcauskaite had two double doubles with
19 points and 14 rebounds vs. JMU and 14 point and 11 boards vs. St. Mary's.
? Illinois won its first tournament since 1998-99 when the Illini defeated
Duke to claim the title in Puerto Rico.
THE SCHEDULE
The Illinois schedule includes nine teams who played in the NCAA Tournament
last season. Purdue advanced to the championship game before falling to
Notre Dame. Other NCAA teams on the slate include Clemson, Iowa, Michigan,
Missouri, Oklahoma, Penn St., St. Mary's and Wisconsin.
GRENTZ EYES 600 Illinois Head Coach Theresa Grentz, fresh off her induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, eyes yet another milestone. The winningest coach at both Rutgers and Illinois, has 590 victories, just 10 wins shy of 600.
GRENTZ TO HALL OF FAME
Theresa Grentz was elected to the women's basketball Hall of Fame. Grentz
made it to the Hall in just the third class of honorees. Counting the Class
of 2001, just 61 people have that distinction. The formal induction ceremony
was June 8-9 in Knoxville, Tenn.
Coach Grentz is being honored not only for her accomplishments as a coach but also for her accolades as a player. The coach was an imposing player on the Immaculata AIAW National Championship teams from 1972-74 and was the coach of the Olympic Team.
Grentz is in her 28th season as a head coach and seventh as the head coach for the Fighting Illini. She has compiled a 590-233 record overall and a 129-83 mark at Illinois.
Besides her impressive credentials, Grentz is honored for her advancement of the game of basketball. Her 1992 Olympic Team was the catalyst for the present day women's professional league.
DALLAS PROGRESS STARTED IN SUMMER
Cindy Dallas has emerged as a dominating force on the inside. The emergence
really began last season when she scored a career high 16 points in an 80-68
upset of third-seeded Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.
Over the summer Dallas scrimmaged with some men's players at Point Park College in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa. She gives a lot of credit to that experience in the advancement of her game.
Dallas played 661 minutes last season after playing just 48 minutes combined in her first two years with Illinois. Dallas is in the same class as seniors Holly Wilson and Dawn Vana.
TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Illinois competed in six games over 13 days in an international tour of
Russia, Latvia and Lithuania from Aug. 7-19.
Playing against players ages 25 and up, Illinois posted a 2-4 record and nearly won the last three games of the trip.
Illinois visited the Hermitage and St. Isaac's Cathedral while attending the Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg. In Lithuania the team toured the world famous Hill of the Crosses outside Sialiaui, Lithuania. The last four days were spent in Riga, Latvia, during the 800th anniversary of the City of Riga celebration.
One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to Iveta Marcauskaite's hometown of Sialiaui. Illinois played a team of university all-stars preparing for a trip to China while in Lithuania. Marcauskaite stole the show by scoring 29 points and eight rebounds on 12 of 18 shooting. She scored 18 of her points in the first half.
MARCAUSKAITE HAS HOMECOMING
Illinois sophomore Iveta Marcauskaite competed in the Junior World
Championships July 14-22 in the Czech Republic. In the six-game tournament,
Marcauskaite had the second-best scoring average of any player in the entire
tournament, scoring 128 points in six games for an average of 21.3 points
per game. In other statistical categories, Marcauskaite led the tournament
in two-point field goals (46) and was fourth in offensive rebounds (32). She
was 46 of 91 from the field (.505) and 5 of 10 in three-pointers in six
games. Marcauskaite then scored 29 points in the Illini's 99-75 win over the
Lithuanian University All-Star team in August.
GRENTZ RADIO SHOW
The Theresa Grentz Radio Show is every Monday at 5:35 p.m. during the school
year across the Illini Sports Network (WDWS, AM-1400 locally). The host is
Brian Barnhart.
