Jan. 12, 2005

Recap |  Final Stats |  Photo Gallery

Jan. 12, 2005

1. Tonight's win marked the 1,500th victory all-time at Illinois. The Fighting Illini become the 15th program in NCAA history to record 1,500 victories, finishing tonight with an all-time record of 1,500-803 (.651). The win comes on a fitting night, as Illinois began its basketball tradition 100 years ago tonight with a 71-4 victory over Champaign High School. The following is a list of every Division I team with 1,500 all-time victories:
   • Kentucky
   • North Carolina
   • Kansas
   • Duke
   • St. John's
   • Syracuse
   • Temple
   • Pennsylvania
   • Indiana
   • Notre Dame
   • Utah
   • UCLA
   • Oregon State
   • Princeton
   • ILLINOIS

2. The victory improves Illinois' record to a remarkable 17-0 this season, tying both the best start to a season in school history (17-0 to begin the 1988-89 season) and the longest single-season winning streak in school history (the same 17-0 opening to the 88-89 season). The run also ties the second-longest winning streak in school history. Only the 25-game winning streak that included parts of three seasons from Feb. 21, 1914, through Feb. 9, 1916, bests the Illini's current string of victories.

3. Illinois' win over Penn State also increases the Illini's Big Ten winning streak to 13, the fourth-best conference run in Illinois history. The following Big Ten winning streaks are the only ones longer than the Illini's current run:
   • 17 - Feb. 2, 1914 through Feb. 19, 1916
   • 15 - Jan. 20, 1951 through Feb. 2, 1952
   • 14 - March 7, 1942 through Jan. 3, 1944
4. Illinois and Penn State were tied at 12 with 13:35 remaining in the first half when Illinois bolted ahead for good with a 16-0 spurt that spanned 3:58.

5. Luther Head, who finished with 19 points on the night, scored his first 10 points in the opening 5:55 of the game. With his 19 points, Head vaults to 41st on the Illinois career scoring list, tied with Perry Range, with 941 career points.

6. With 15 3-pointers made against Penn State tonight, Illinois sets a new school record, besting the 14 made against Iowa on Feb. 24, 1996, and this season against Gonzaga on Nov. 27. This marked the seventh time this year that the Illini have hit 10 or more 3-pointers. Illinois entered the game ranked 12th in the nation in 3-point shooting.

7. After scoring nine points on the night, Roger Powell continued his climb up the Illinois Top 50 scoring list. Powell now ranks 44th on the Illinois career scoring list with 929 points.

8. By defeating Penn State tonight, Illinois improves its record at Assembly Hall to 60-2 (.968) over the past four-plus years. The Illini are also 72-3 (.960) in the Sea of Orange since 2000.

9. Deron Williams set a career high with his 12 assists tonight. It bests his previous career high of 11, which he set last season vs. Minnesota (2/8/04) and tied earlier this season vs. Wake Forest (12/1/04). Williams' assist total is the seventh-best single-game production in Illinois history. Along with his 11 points, Williams posted his fourth career double-double and first this season.

10. For the blink of an eye, Illinois trailed the Nittany Lions tonight. The Illini fell behind for 33 seconds of the first half before regaining the lead for good. For the season, Illinois has only trailed 51:02 out of 680 total minutes.

11. Four of Illinois' starting five players scored in double figures tonight, marking the 12th time this season it has happened. Not only that, but every Illini who saw action tonight scored at least two points.

12. With the 26-point victory, Illinois has now won 15 of 17 games by a double-digit margin.

13. The Illini shot 55.7 percent for the game, which marks the ninth time this season the team has been over 50 percent from the field. The Illini entered the game ranked 16th in the nation in field goal percentage.

14. Following a 26-assist performance by the Illini tonight, the team is averaging 20.4 assists per game. Illinois is credited with 348 assists on 522 field goal attempts, which is good for 67 percent of its baskets.