Dec. 4, 2006
Game 9: Illinois-Florida Game Notes in PDF Format
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Game 9: Florida (4-4) at Illinois (6-2)
Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006 • 7 p.m. • Assembly Hall (16,618) • Champaign, Ill.
On The Air
Radio: Illini Sports Network - WDWS and WDAN - LIVE (Dave Loane and Brian Moline)
Internet: Fightingillini.com live streaming video, audio and Gametracker
The Series
Tied 2-2 - Last Meeting: Florida 69, Illinois 64 (12/9/2005 @ Gainesville, Fla.)
The Coaches
Illinois: Theresa Grentz, 658-301 overall (33rd season), 197-146 at Illinois (12th season)
Florida: Carolyn Peck, 124-69 overall (7th season), 67-58 at Florida (5th season)
Quick Hits
• For Openers: Illinois (6-2) looks to rebound from a disappointing showing Saturday at Ole Miss when another SEC foe, the Florida Gators, come to Assembly Hall Tuesday night (7 p.m.) The Illini bounced back from their only other loss of the season with a three-game winning streak and will look to do the same this time around. The Orange and Blue are 4-0 at home this season, with an average margin of victory of 24.0.
• Illini vs. the SEC: Florida is the second of two straight Southeast Conference foes for the Illini. The Orange and Blue fell to Ole Miss on Saturday and are now 12-22 all-time against current SEC members.
• Home Sweet Home: Illinois has won five straight games at home dating back to last season and holds an all-time record of 220-118 (.651) at home and 181-96 (.653) at Assembly Hall.
• Trey-mendous: Illinois ranks third in the Big Ten in 3FG made per game (5.88) and in 3FG percentage (.373). Lori Bjork leads the way, hitting 20-of-49 (.408), which ties her for the conference lead in three's made per game (2.50).
• Listen Up: Follow Tuesday's game live on fightingillini.com with streaming video and GameTracker. The match-up can also be heard live on WDWS AM-1400 and WDAN.
Scouting the Gators
An NCAA Tournament team a year ago after going 21-8, Florida was picked sixth in this year's SEC preseason coaches poll. UF started off the season 1-3 and is now 4-4 after a 62-50 victory at South Alabama on Friday. The Gators are 1-4 in games away from Gainesville. Sha Brooks (11.5), Marshae Dotson (11.1) and Depree Bowden (11.1) lead a balanced scoring attack, while Dotson is the team's top rebounder at 6.8 per game. The Gators force over 20 turnovers per game and are averaging 10.1 steals per game.
Florida is led by former Purdue coach Carolyn Peck. Peck is 67-58 in her fifth season with the Gators. In two years at the helm at Purdue (1997-99) she led the Boilers to a 57-11 record, including a 34-1 mark and an NCAA Title in 1998-99. Following that season, she left Purdue to coach the Orlando Miracle of the WNBA. Grentz is 3-2 head-to-head vs. Peck in her career.
The Illinois-Florida Series
The all-time series between Illinois and Florida is tied at 2-2 after the Gators took a close 69-64 contest last season in Gainesville. The Illini have won the only previous meeting in Champaign, 97-77, on Dec. 19, 1998. Grentz is 2-1 in her career vs. the Gators, all while she has been at Illinois.
Bjork Makes Point
• Sophomore sharpshooter Lori Bjork has been on fire the last three games, hitting 18-of-33 (.545) from the field and 9-of-21 (.429) from three-point land to total 61 points (20.3 ppg). She scored a team season-high 25 points at Saint Louis last week to go along with a career-high six assists and is currently tied for the Big Ten lead in three-pointers made per game (2.5).
• Bjork has had to make the transition to point guard this season after the Illini lost Maggie Acuna and Janelle Hughes to graduation last spring. The Johnston, Iowa, native has flourished in the role, leading the team in scoring (14.4), assists (22), three-point field goals (20) and minutes (34.1).
Gordon Has Career Night...Again
Sophomore Chelsea Gordon was the lone bright spot in the loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, scoring a career-high 21 points and pulling down seven rebounds. It was the third time in the last five games that Gordon has eclipsed her career-high in points. In the victory at Saint Louis last week the Erie, Pa., native hit 6-of-7 from the field and 3-of-3 from behind the arc for what was then a career-best 17 points and on Nov. 20 she poured in 16 points at Northern Illinois, which was a career-high at the time.
Simpson Sizzles
• Redshirt freshman Lacey Simpson has already shown that she will be a force to be reckoned with in 2006-07. Simpson posted game-highs in points (17) and rebounds (7) in Illinois' season-opening win over Butler, then followed that up with her first career double-double (12 p, 12 r) in the UIC victory and hasn't let up since. She is third on the Illini in scoring (10.1) and second in rebounding (6.5) and ranks in the top 12in the Big Ten in steals (5th - 2.88), blocked shots (8th - 1.38) and field goal percentage (12th - .516).
• The Zion, Ill., native played four games early last season before missing the rest of the year after having internal surgery and taking a medical redshirt.
Clutch Crutch
Junior forward Danyel Crutcher has stepped up big thus far for the Illini, averaging 9.9 points and 6.9 rebounds thus far. Against UIC, Crutch had a key put back with just eight seconds remaining to seal the 53-48 victory. The Orange, N.J., native had a team-high 14 points in the win and is shooting .525 (31-of-59) for the season with one double-double (11 p, 12 r at Northern Illinois).
Fresh Faces
• Jenna Smith, Illinois' lone true freshman, has wasted no time making an impact with her new team. She scored double figures in each of her first two games as an Illini (10 vs. Butler and 11 vs. UIC) and poured in a game-high 14 points, including making 6-of-6 from the line against Northern Colorado. She nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds vs. Saint Joseph's. For the season, she is averaging 8.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
• Rebecca Harris, a 5-8 point guard who transferred from Rend Lake College, scored 9 points and had 3 assists vs. Northern Colorado and added another six points at Saint Louis. She is averaging nearly 15 minutes per game and contributing 3.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Harris was slowed early in the season by a sprained ankle and missed the game vs. Saint Joseph's due to a death in the family.
Injury Report
• Sophomore forward Danielle Gratton is out 4-6 weeks (as of Nov. 18) with an injury to her left foot. The Bethel Park, Pa., native has already missed four games after scoring six points and grabbing seven rebounds off the bench in the first two games.
• Senior center Audrey Tabon tore her ACL in her right knee in the Orange and Blue Scrimmage on Oct. 29 and will miss the entire 2006-07 season. Tabon started 26 games last season and ranked fifth in the Big Ten in rebounding (7.2 per game). The Pittsburgh, Pa., native has won the team's Most Improved award in each of the last two seasons. She intends to have surgery on the knee on Nov. 21 and return next season for a fifth-year.
• Redshirt-sophomore guard Megan Nyquist hasn't practiced yet because of a bad back. Nyquist sat out all of her freshman season with a torn ACL and missed all but four games in 2005-06 after re-injuring the knee. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native was the 74th-ranked senior in 2004 according to Blue Star Report.
