Dec. 22, 2005
Box Score
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois led by 11 at halftime and held on to that margin in an 85-74 victory against Illinois State in front of 1,806 fans at Assembly Hall Thursday. Erin Wigley led the Illini with a career-high 22 points on 8 of 14 shooting and Janelle Hughes added 21 and equaled her career-high with seven assists as Illinois (7-3) won its second straight game. The win was Illinois' seventh in a row against ISU and the Orange and Blue's 12th in their last 13 games against the Redbirds.
ISU (5-4) led twice in the game, both times in the second half, but after the Redbirds took a 63-62 lead with 8:30 remaining, Illinois rattled off a 16-5 run to take the lead for good. Janelle Hughes put the finishing touch on that spurt, hitting a jumper and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions to push the Illini lead back to double digits with 2:36 remaining.
Illinois' lead never went lower than eight points the rest of the way, making 7 of 8 free throws down the stretch as ISU missed six of its last eight shots in the final 2:36. Lori Bjork proved to be clutch for the Illini, hitting 5 of 6 free throws in the last minute to ice the game and give her 11 points for the game.
The Illini led the entire first half except for a pair of ties, blowing the lead open by outscoring ISU 16-3 over a stretch of 5:20. Wigley scored nine points in the run, as the Illini turned a 23-23 tie into a 39-26 lead at the under four-minute timeout. Illinois led 47-36 at halftime, with the 47 being the most points in a first half this season for the Orange and Blue. Wigley hit 5-6 in the first half, when she scored 13 of her 22. Wigley would also grab a season-high eight rebounds on the night.
ISU's Megan McCracken, playing in her first game this season after missing the first month with a stress fracture in her hip prior to the season, was the bright spot for the Redbirds, scoring a career-high 25 points on 7 of 12 three-point shooting. The seven treys is an ISU school record for three-pointers made and also ties the Illinois opponent single-game record. Holly Hallstrom also had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Redbirds on 9 of 13 shooting.
For the game, Illinois shot 42 percent from the field despite making only 3 of 15 three-pointers. The Illini out-rebounded ISU 48-35 behind Danyel Crutcher's game-high 10 boards. Crutcher, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, notched her second straight double-double, adding 12 points. It is the fourth double-double of her career.
After shooting 34 free throws in Sunday's upset win over No. 15 Oklahoma, Illinois continued to get to the free throw line vs. the Redbirds, making 20 of 27 (.741), while grabbing 17 offensive rebounds. The Illini also forced 22 turnovers, registering 13 steals.
Up Next: Illinois will have a week off over the holidays before returning to Assembly Hall to open up the rugged Big Ten slate against Michigan on Thursday, Dec. 29. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Illini still have one non-conference game remaining, Jan. 5 at Rhode Island.
