Feb. 9, 2005
Illinois-Wisconsin Notes (PDF)
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GAME 22: Illinois (13-8, 5-6) at Wisconsin (9-11, 3-7)
February 10, 2005 • 7 p.m. • Kohl Center • Madison, Wisc.
On the Air
Radio: Illini Radio Network - WDWS AM 1400 (Dave Loane, play-by-play; Derek Neal, color analysis)
Internet: Fighingillini.com live audio (College Sports Pass required) and Gametracker (free)
The Series
Wisconsin leads 25-23 - last meeting Illinois 79, Wisconsin 66 (1/16/05 in Champaign, Ill.)
The Coaches
Illinois: Theresa Grentz, 632-279 overall (31st season), 171-124 at Illinois (10th season)
Wisconsin: Lisa Stone, 394-146 overall (20th year), 19-28 at Wisconsin (2nd year)
ILLINOIS (13-8, 5-6 Big Ten)
Probable Starters
Pos. No. Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG Notes
G 21 Maggie Acuna 5-6 Jr. 1.9 3.2 Fourth in steals (2.6) in BT games
G 22 Tiffanie Guthrie 5-10 Sr. 15.9 5.1 Scored double figures in 19 straight
F 33 Angelina Williams 5-9 Sr. 19.3 4.2 Second leading scorer in league (19.3)
F 34 Erin Wigley 6-1 So. 8.1 4.0 Near double-double vs. OSU (14p, 9r)
F 44 Brittney Daugherty 6-2 Jr. 2.2 3.0 12th in blocks in conference games (0.9)
Off the Bench
G 1 Janelle Hughes 5-8 Jr. 6.5 1.4 Leads team from three-point land (.389)
F 15 Audrey Tabon 6-2 So. 2.2 3.9 Career-high 10 boards vs. Wisconsin
G 25 Jeré Issenmann 5-10 Sr. 2.6 0.8 Has hit 11 three-pointers on the year
G 31 Kira Mowen 5-9 So. 1.7 0.3 Second on team in points per minute
F 32 Danyel Crutcher 6-2 Fr. 6.8 6.5 Frosh leads Big Ten in FG% (.624)
F 50 Stephanie Chelleen 6-3 Fr. 2.1 2.6 Second on team rebounds per minute
Injured
G 14 Megan Nyquist 5-10 Fr. -- -- Out for season with ACL injury
Quick Hits
• For Starters...: Illinois is 13-8 on the season and 5-6 in the Big Ten, good for sixth place. They trail fifth place Purdue (6-5) by just one game, which is important because the top-five teams in the regular season get a bye in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
•Bouncing Back: The Illini are 6-1 in games following a loss this season. The only time they have lost back-to-back games was vs. #8 MSU on Jan. 19 and at #12 Minnesota Jan. 23.
•Double-Trouble: Guthrie and Williams have the top two double-digit scoring streaks in the conference. Guthrie has hit double figures in 19 consecutive games, while Williams has in 15 straight.
• Road Warriors: The Orange and Blue have a 7-4 overall mark on the road and are 3-3 in Big Ten road contests. The loss to Penn State in State College on Jan. 13 snapped a string of five straight wins away from Assembly Hall.
• Dynamic Duo: Illinois' senior duo of Angelina Williams and Tiffanie Guthrie have proven tough to handle for opposing teams. Williams is currently second in the league in overall scoring (19.3 ppg) as well as BT only scoring (20.3 ppg), while Guthrie ranks ninth overall (15.9 ppg) and eighth in Big Ten games (16.5).
• Illini Trends: This year the Fighting Illini are...
...9-0 when scoring 70 or more points
...12-3 when allowing fewer than 70 points
...12-0 when shooting better than their opponent
...10-0 when shooting 45% or better
...10-0 when holding opponents under 40% shooting
...11-2 when out-rebounding their opponent
...11-0 when leading at halftime
...7-0 when Janelle Hughes scores in double figures
• Illini Win in West Lafayette: Illinois' road victory over Purdue last Thursday ended a string of 12 straight losses to the Boilermakers and was the first win in West Lafayette for a UI team since Jan. 22, 1984 - a span of 18 games.
Williams Passes 1,500
Angelina Williams became the ninth Illini to reach the 1,500 career point barrier with 21 points on Sunday. Williams passed Tauja Catchings on the all-time UI scoring list and now has 1,511 career points, which is good for eighth place. She is poised to make a huge leap up the charts in the next couple games, as there are four Illini who finished their careers with scoring totals between 1,516 and 1,536. Next on the list is Sarah Sharp (1987-91) with 1,516 career points.
Scouting the Badgers
Wisconsin enters the game at 9-11 overall and 3-7 in the Big Ten - good for eighth place. They are coming off an impressive 88-78 victory at Iowa on Sunday afternoon. Two of the Badger's top three scorers are freshmen - guard Jolene Anderson (18.0 ppg) and guard Janese Banks (10.3 ppg). Senior guard Stephanie Rich is also in double figures for UW (10.8). Both Rich and Anderson love the shoot the three - Rich has hit 45 treys on the season (.357) and Anderson has nailed 39 triples (.348). In the post, junior forward Annie Nelson leads the way with 6.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. UW is coached by Lisa Stone, who is in her second season at the helm of the Badgers.
The UI-Wisconsin Series
Wisconsin leads the all-time series 25-23 and is 16-6 in Madison, including five of the last six. Illinois' last win on the road came on Jan. 4, 2000, 80-74. When the two teams met earlier this season on Jan. 19, the Illini prevailed 79-66 in Champaign.
Last Time vs. Wisky (1/19/05)
The Illini defeated Wisconsin 79-66 in front of 3,056 fans at the Assembly Hall back on Jan. 19 of this year. Illinois built a 42-30 halftime lead on the strength of 15 first-half points from Angelina Williams and 10 from Tiffanie Guthrie.
In the second half, the Illini built a 17-point lead with 13:54 left, but the Badgers went on a 14-3 run to close the gap to six with 8:45 remaining. From that point until the 3:18 mark, the Fighting Illini held Wisconsin to just six free throws and held a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.
Williams led the Illini with 28 points while Guthrie added 16. The Illini shot 50 percent from the field for the game (27-54) and held a 16-0 advantage in fast break points.
Guthrie Moves into 13th
With 15 points in Sunday's loss to Michigan State, senior Tiffanie Guthrie upped her career scoring total to 1,238 and remained in 13th place on the Illinois career scoring list. She is still a long way from catching Lynnette Robinson (1,322 points) for the 12th position.
Guthrie Doubling her Fun
A career 10.6 point per game scorer entering the season, senior Tiffanie Guthrie is scoring at a 15.9 clip so far this season and has notched double figures in 19 straight games - the longest active streak in the Conference.
Prime-Time Performers
Several Illini came up big down the stretch in Illinois' win at Purdue last Thursday. Angelina Williams scored 17 of her game-high 24 points in the second half, including seven of nine points during a key 4:25 stretch that took the game from a 41-41 tie to a 50-41 UI lead. Then, in the final 1:10 of the game and the Illini nursing a four point lead, Williams (2-2), Janelle Hughes (4-4) and Erin Wigley (2-2) combind to knock down eight straight from the line to seal the victory.
Acuna Stealing the Show
Junior point guard Maggie Acuna has been leading the Illini with her solid all-around play all season, but recently, she has literally stolen the show. Acuna has tallied four or more steals seven times this season and currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten (2.43) in steals for all games and also in conference games only (2.64). She also leads the squad in assists (68), and despite being the shortest player on the team at 5-6, has led the team in rebounding on four occasions.
Hughes Providing Spark
Several times this year junior point guard Janelle Hughes has come off the bench to provide a powerful scoring punch - last Thursday at Purdue was one of those nights. The Country Club Hills, Ill., native hit 5-6 from the field and 4-4 from the line - all in the final 1:10 - to finish with 14 points in only 18 minutes. This year, Illinois is 7-0 when Hughes scores in double figures.
Wigley Rebounds
After a forgettable three point, 0-7 shooting performance against Indiana last Thursday, sophomore Erin Wigley rebuounded nicely with a 14 point, nine rebound performance against third-ranked Ohio State on Jan. 30. The Moon Township, Pa., native hit 6-10 from the field against the Buckeyes and the nine boards equaled her career high. She has followed that up with eight-points, six-rebounds at Purdue and then nine points and two blocked shots at MSU.
