March 4, 2004

Final Stats

Indianapolis, Ind. - Illinois battled to the end, but came up short in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament to No. 7 Michigan 62-58. The game was close throughout.

Illinois' strong zone defense and Angelina Williams hitting three mid-range jumpers gave Illinois a 29-24 lead, capping off a 20-10 run at the end of the first half. The Illini led 29-26 at the break.

Michigan's Jennifer Smith tallied 21 points vs. the Illini in Champaign, but tallied just seven points in the first on Thursday. Tabitha Pool hit two early three-point shots to push the Wolverines in front 14-9 early.

That's when Guthrie took over with a fast break basket and a spin move in the lane. Neither team led by more than three points until the Illini took the 29-24 advantage. Michigan's early shooting tailed off and Jere Issenmann hit a corner jumper to give Illinois a 25-24 lead. Williams scored the final two Illinois baskets of the half.

It was more of the same story in the second half as both teams traded leads throughout. Both teams failed to hold a lead of more than five points in the game. Michigan used key offensive rebounding and free throw shooting to pull ahead in the late stages. The Wolverines got to the line 14 times in the second half, hitting on 10 attempts.

Illinois got some key contributions from just about everyone. Brittney Daugherty gave the Illini some key minutes, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds in 18 minutes. When Michigan took its first lead of the second half at 40-39, Hughes answered with a pull-up jumper from the left side. Erin Wigley then nailed a three to make it 44-40 Illinois.

The Illini were led by the junior duo of Tiffanie Guthrie and Angelina Williams. Williams had 16 points to lead the Illini scoring, while Guthrie added 13. Senior Cindy Dallas finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds in her last game as an Illini.