Jan. 14, 2007
Box Score
Madison, Wis. - Illinois looked impressive in a 70-62 Big Ten road victory over the Wisconsin Badgers Sunday afternoon in front of over 8,000 fans at the Kohl Center. The Illini led by 12 at the half and by as many as 17 in the second half and then held off a late UW rally to improve to 13-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten. Senior Erin Wigley led four Illini in double figures with 15 points. Lori Bjork had 13 points, while Jenna Smith and Chelsea Gordon each chipped in 12.
"This was a hard fought game and I'm very pleased with how we kept our composure and kept the crowd out of it," said Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz, who picked up career win 665.
The Fighting Illini harassed the Badgers defensively, blocking 11 shots for the game, which set a new Kohl Center record and tied the Illinois school record for blocks in a game. Illinois also had 11 blocks back on March 1, 1997 in a 98-76 win over Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament. Freshman Jenna Smith led the block brigade with a career-high five swats. In addition to the blocks, Illinois also forced 17 Badger turnovers, including 12 in the first half, and held them to just 36 percent shooting overall and 15 percent from beyond the arc.
"Our defense was the key to the whole thing," said Grentz. "We were able to get some steals and block some shots early to build a big lead. We knew they'd fight back, but we maintained our composure and had built up a big enough lead to take it."
The Orange and Blue controlled nearly the entire game. Wisconsin led twice early on, 2-0 and 8-6, but Illinois went on a 14-4 run to take a 20-12 lead and extended that to 31-19 at the half. The Illini held the hosts to just 26 percent shooting and held leading scorer Jolene Anderson (17.1 ppg) to just two points and 0-of-3 shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
The UI lead was extended to as many as 17 early in the second half, but the Badgers began chip away as Anderson came to life, scoring 16 second half points to keep UW within striking distance. The hosts fought back to within seven, 53-46, at the 6:44 mark, but Illinois responded with buckets from Wigley and Gordon to take the lead back to double figures. The Illini would then make 13-of-14 from the free throw line in the final three minutes to salt the game away. For the game, Illinois was 25-of-29 (.862) from the line.
"We shot well from the free throw line," said Grentz, "and in a game like this, that's almost like having a sixth player out there."
Illinois shot 44 percent from the field (21-48) and 27 percent from three-point land (3-11) to take its second straight at the Kohl Center. Last season, UI topped the Badgers 84-54 in Madison. The Illini are now 5-3 on the road this season and 2-1 in Big Ten road games. Smith led the Orange and Blue on the glass with eight boards, but the Illini lost the team rebounding battle for the first time in the last nine games, 35-34.
Illinois' now returns home on Thursday, Jan. 18, to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers at 7 p.m. The Illini will try to avenge a 70-61 loss to the Gophers in Minneapolis on Dec. 31. The game will be televised live by Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
