Jan. 28, 2007

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Champaign, Ill. - Illinois continued its dominance over Northwestern with a 77-49 victory in front of 2,087 fans at Assembly Hall Sunday afternoon. It was the 16th straight victory over the Wildcats for the Orange and Blue, who improved to 15-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big Ten, good for sole possession of fourth place in the conference. The win also improved Illinois' record to 5-0 in games following a loss and upped the squad's mark at home to 9-1.

Freshman Jenna Smith and junior Danyel Crutcher each notched double-doubles as the Orange and Blue dominated the boards, 50-23. Smith finished with a game-high 17 points and 11 rebounds, seven of which were offensive, and Crutcher tallied 10 points, 12 boards and a team-high four assists. The duo's total of 23 rebounds equaled Northwestern's total for the game, and Crutcher's 10 first half boards were just one shy of NU's halftime total of 11.

Sophomore Lori Bjork finished with 16 points and hit 3-6 from behind the arc. Bjork has now made at least one three-pointer in 27 straight games and at least two treys in 20 consecutive games. Lacey Simpson was also in double-figures with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, helping the Illini shoot 49 percent for the game.

Defensively, the Illini we dominant once again, holding the Wildcats to just 49 points, 33 percent shooting and 19 percent from three-point range. Illinois turned the +27 rebounding margin into an 18-4 advantage in second chance points and outscored the `Cats 30-12 in the paint.

Illinois broke the game open with a 24-4 first half run after Northwestern drew to within 12-11 at the 12:59 mark. Smith led a balanced Illini attack with nine points at the break, including a three-pointer at the half time buzzer, the first trey of her collegiate career, to give UI a 39-19 cushion. As a team, the Illini out-rebounded NU 27-11 in the first 20 minutes and held an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers at the break.

Illinois was sloppy to start the second half, letting the Wildcats get as close as 12 at one point, 54-42 with 10:09 remaining. However, the Illini would finish the game on a 23-7 run to seal it.

The Illini coaching and support staff, as well as several hundred fans, wore pink as part of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's effort to promote cancer awareness. Additionally, Illinois honored several former captains who had returned for the game at halftime.

The Fighting Illini return to Assembly Hall on Thursday, Feb. 1 when they host the Michigan Wolverines at 7 p.m.