Nov. 13, 2005
Box Score
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois closed out its exhibition season Sunday with a 91-60 victory over Lewis University at Assembly Hall. Junior forward Audrey Tabon scored nine consecutive points in the opening minutes for the Illini and finished with 16 points and eight rebounds on 6-8 shooting. Junior forward Erin Wigley was 8-13 from the field for 19 points to lead the Orange and Blue.
Tabon helped the Illini jump out to a 16-8 lead with four straight buckets in less than two minutes. She started with a lay-up at the 17:30 mark, then followed up her own miss with a lay-up on the next possession, hit a three-pointer on the next trip down and then capped the run with a short jumper at the 15:32 mark. The Illini stretched it to a 40-21 lead with less than five minutes to go, but the Eagles closed the half on a 17-6 run to close with in eight at the break, 46-38.
Illinois wasted no time pulling away in the second half, as freshman Lori Bjork was fouled shooting a three-pointer just three seconds into the stanza. Bjork knocked down all three shots and the Illini would be in control from there. A jumper by Bjork at the 15:23 mark pushed the UI lead over 20 for the first time at 61-40, a lead that Illinois maintained the rest of the way.
Tabon's 16 point, eight-rebound night matched her totals from the first exhibition game last week vs. the OGBR Legends. Wigley had six rebounds to go along with her game-high 19 points, while senior Maggie Acuna's line was impressive with 10 assists and seven steals to go along with her four points. Bjork (11) and senior Janelle Hughes (12) also scored double figures for the Illini.
The game was played with two experimental rules in effect, a 20' 6" three-point line instead of the usual 19' 9" line, and a 10-second backcourt rule. The longer three-point line didn't seem to have much of an effect as the Illini hit five of 12 (.417) from behind the arc for the game. Lewis shot 5-20 (.250) from the three-point line.
Illinois shot 36-69 (.522) from the field, while holding the Eagles to 21-54 (.389) shooting, including just 8-29 (.276) in the second half. The Illini held a 38-29 edge in rebounding and forced 29 Lewis turnovers.
The Orange and Blue open the regular season at Loyola this Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 pm. Illinois' home opener will be on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 6 p.m. vs. Northern Illinois. The Nov. 29 game will precede a "Gamewatch" of the Illinois men at North Carolina on the Assembly Hall video board at 8 p.m.
