Game Notes for Illinois at Iowa Thursday Night
February 24, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2009
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Game 28: Illinois (8-19, 4-12) at Iowa (18-9, 11-5)
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 // 8 p.m. CT // Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,500) // Iowa City, IowaOn The Air
Television: Big Ten Network (Brent Stover, play-by-play; Brenda VanLengen, expert analysis)
Radio: Illini Sports Network - WDWS AM 1400 - LIVE (Dave Loane and Mike Koon)
*Radio will be tape-delayed after the Illini men's basketball local postgame show. Live on the internet
Livestats: fightingillini.com GameTracker
The Series
Illinois trails 43-16 overall and 22-5 in Iowa City
Last meeting: Iowa 72, Illinois 62 on Jan. 15, 2009 in Champaign
The Coaches
Illinois: Jolette Law, 28-34 overall and at Illinois (second season)
Iowa: Lisa Bluder, 522-249 overall (25th season) and 166-107 at Iowa (ninth season)
Quick Hits • Opening Tip: The Fighting Illini (8-19, 4-12) begin the final week of the regular season by heading to Iowa City to face the Hawkeyes (18-9, 11-5) on Thursday night at 8 p.m. The game will be televised live on the Big Ten Network with Brent Stover and Brenda VanLengen calling the action. It will be senior night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, as five Iowa seniors will honored after the game.
• Law Heads to Alma Mater: Illinois coach Jolette Law will be traveling to her alma mater for the first time as a head coach on Thursday when the Illini head to Iowa City. When Law was an assistant at Rutgers the Scarlet Knight's played in Iowa City once, in 2005. The Hawkeyes and Illini have met twice in Champaign since Law took over, but it will be her first trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena since coming to Illinois.
As the Hawkeyes' floor general from 1987-90, Law helped Iowa to four consecutive Big Ten titles and a record of 105-18. She was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection (1989 &1990) playing for former Hawkeye coach and long-time mentor C. Vivian Stringer. Law graduated from the University of Iowa in 1990 with a degree in sports studies/corporate fitness.
• Dynamic Duo: Juniors Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson have been Illinois' go-to players all season, combining to average 29.3 points and 17.6 rebounds per game to form one of the most potent duos in the country. In the Illini's recent seven-game stretch, where they've gone 4-3, Smith and Simpson have combined for 31.9 points and 20.0 rebounds per game. The duo is tied for the Big Ten lead in double-doubles during league play as each has seven.
• Peaking at the Right Time: Last season, the Fighting Illini peaked late in the season, making a historic run to the Big Ten Tournament title game as the No. 9 seed before falling to Purdue at the buzzer in the championship game. This year, the Orange and Blue appear to be playing their best basketball as the season winds down once again. After struggling to an 0-9 Big Ten start, Illinois is 4-3 in its last seven and is looking to gain momentum towards another long tournament run.
• Fighting for Seeds: Heading into the final week of the season, Illinois sits in ninth place in the standings and would be the No. 9 seed if the Big Ten Tournament began today. The Illini are one game behind eighth-place Penn State (5-11) and two behind seventh-place Wisconsin (6-10), while Michigan (3-13) and Northwestern (3-13) are both one game behind the Orange and Blue, making this week's games important for seeding purposes.
• Law Inks No. 3 Recruiting Class: Jolette Law signed the best recruiting class in school history during the fall signing period. The highly-touted class features six student-athletes, including McDonald's All-American Destiny Williams. It was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz on signing day, and moved to No. 3 at the end of the early signing period. See page 6 for more information on the recruits.
What to Watch For
• A win would give Illinois five wins in its last eight games.
• Lacey Simpson needs three steals to pass Jill Estey for second on the UI career steals list and eight to tie Allison Curtin's all-time career school record.
• A double-digit scoring night for Jenna Smith would make it 36 straight games with at least 10 points.
• Smith needs eight rebounds for 800 in her career.
• Smith needs five blocked shots tie Kendra Gantt's career school record of 156 and six to tie her own single-season school record of 59.
Scouting the Hawkeyes
Iowa has been one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten as of late, winning four straight and six out of their last seven games. Last week, the Hawkeyes picked up a home win over Wisconsin and beat Michigan on the road. Iowa is 11-1 at home this season, with the only loss at Carver-Hawkeye Arena coming to Purdue on Dec. 28. The Hawkeyes currently stand fourth in the Big Ten standings and are fighting for an NCAA Tournament berth.
The Hawkeyes have one of the most balanced teams in the conference, with three players scoring in double figures and all five starters averaging at least 8.0 ppg. Senior Kristi Smith averages 13.3 points per game while shooting .419 from behind the arc. Senior center Megan Skouby averages 12.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, while senior forward Wendy Ausdemore averages 12.1 ppg.
Iowa is the best shooting team in the conference, as evidenced by ranking first in Big Ten games in scoring offense (68.8), free throw percentage (.788), field goal percentage (.431), three-point field goal percentage (.394) and three-point field goals made (7.00). The Hawkeyes also share the basketball well, ranking first in the league in Big Ten games with 16.06 assists per game and an assist/TO ratio of 1.07.
• The Illinois-Iowa Series: The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 43-16 and hold a 22-5 advantage over the Illini in games played in Iowa City. Iowa has won eight of the last nine games in the series, with the only Illinois win in the stretch coming on Feb. 14, 2007 in Iowa City. Iowa already beat Illinois once this year, winning 72-62 at Assembly Hall on Jan. 15.
• This Year vs. the Hawkeyes: Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson both recorded double-doubles, but the Illini fell to Iowa 72-62 at Assembly Hall on Jan. 15. Illinois committed only 11 turnovers and out-rebounded the Hawkeyes by 17, but was unable to overcome hot three-point shooting by Iowa. Smith had 18 points and a season-high 18 rebounds for the Illini, while Simpson had 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.
As a team Illinois had a season-high 46 rebounds, including 20 offensive boards, and held a significant 46-29 advantage on the glass over Iowa. The difference in the game proved to be three-point shooting, however, as Iowa was 10-of-16 (62.5 percent) from behind the arc compared to Illinois' 1-of-7 (14.3 percent) from downtown. Hawkeyes senior point guard Kristi Smith hit five-of-six of her three-point attempts.
 Jenna Smith had recorded double-doubles in back-to-back games.  |
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All-American Girl: Smith is Double Trouble
• A Model of Consistency: Junior All-American Jenna Smith has scored in double-figures in all 27 games this year and in 35 straight games dating back to last season, the second-longest current streak in the Big Ten and the seventh-longest in the nation. In all, she has scored in double-figures in 63 of the last 64 games, with only a six-point outing against Michigan last season getting in the way.
Current Consecutive Games of 10+ points• Perfect 10: Smith currently ranks 10th on the Illinois career scoring list with 1,461 points. She is now 41 points behind Tajua Catching's ninth-place total of 1,502 points and needs 75 points to crack the UI's top five in all-time scoring.
(Through games of 02/23/09)
Rk Player, School Streak Next Game 1. Robyn Fairbanks, Utah Valley St. 76 Feb. 28 2. Megan Frazee, Liberty 61 Feb. 28 3. Morgan Warburton, Utah 59 Feb. 25 4. Jantel Lavender, Ohio State 58 Feb. 26 5. Sade Logan, Robert Morris 54 Feb. 28 6. Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State 51 Feb. 25 7. Jenna Smith, Illinois 35 Feb. 26 8. Chante Black, Duke 30 Feb. 25 9. Shavonte Zellous, Pittsburgh 29 Feb. 24 10. Maya Moore, Connecticut 28 Feb. 24
• Doubling Up: Smith had her ninth double-double of the season with 22 points and 13 boards against Penn State on Feb. 22. Smith now has 31 double-doubles for her career, which is tied for the Big Ten's active lead and is fourth on the Illinois career list. Her seven double-doubles in Big Ten play this season are tied for the conference lead with teammate Lacey Simpson and Ohio State's Jantel Lavender.
• Block Party: Smith is inching closer to Kendra Gantt's 24-year old Illinois career record for blocked shots. Smith's three blocks against PSU brought her career total to 151, leaving her just six swats from passing Gantt's record of 156. With 53 blocks this season, Smith is also six blocks shy of equaling her own single season record of 59 from last season. Smith currently ranks third in the Big Ten and 48th in the nation in blocks.
• Cleaning the Glass: Smith isn't climbing up just the scoring and blocks lists, she also is steadily making her way up the UI career rebounding list. The junior has 794 boards after pulling down 13 on Sunday against Penn State, putting her seventh on the Illinois all-time list. She has stepped up her rebounding in conference play, ranking fourth in the league in overall rebounding (9.3) and first in offensive boards (3.50) during Big Ten games. The season-high 18 boards she pulled down against Iowa on Jan. 15 is the third-highest total in the conference this season and was just one off her career-high of 19.
• She Keeps Going and Going: Despite being the focal point of every defense this season and seeing constant double and triple teams, Smith has been the most durable player in the Big Ten. She leads the league in minutes at 38.59 per game and has played all 40 minutes 15 times this season. Smith has sat out just 10 out of 640 minutes during conference play to average an incredible 39.4 minutes per game, and has rested just 43 out of 1085 minutes throughout the entire season.
• Smith Named to Naismith Watch List: Smith has been named to the Naismith Award Watch list. She is one of 50 players nominated for the award, which is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball's player of the year.
• Grand Game: Smith went over 1,000 career points when she poured in 29 during the season-opener at IPFW, becoming the 22nd player in school history to reach the milestone and the seventh fastest to do so, accomplishing the feat in 66 games.
• JennaSmith13.com: Stay up-to-date on Smith's season and her quest for All-America and Big Ten Player of the Year honors at jennasmith13.com. The site will be updated throughout the season with videos, photos, stats, news and much more.
 Lacey Simpson is one of the top all-around players in the league. |
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Sensational Simpson
• Getting Defensive: Junior forward Lacey Simpson has certainly made a case to be this year's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. She leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the nation in steals, averaging 3.19 per game, and ranks second in rebounding (9.0 rpg) and seventh in blocks (1.42). She's been just as impressive in conference play, ranking second in rebounding (9.6) and first in defensive rebounding (7.3), while ranking second in steals (2.9) and fourth in blocks (1.7).
• Simpson Steals the Show: Simpson needs just eight steals to tie and nine to break the Illinois career steals record in less than three full seasons of play. She currently has 244 career thefts, leaving her two shy of Jill Estey's second place total of 246 and eight short of the Allison Curtin's school record of 252. Her nine steals in the season-opener vs. IPFW set a new career-high and equaled the second most in a game in school history.
• Double Take: Simpson is nearly averaging a double-double in conference play (10.5 ppg and 9.6 rpg) and is tied for the league with seven double-doubles in Big Ten play. She has racked-up double-doubles in four of the last six games and has nine on the season, which ranks third in the league.
• Big Ten POW: Simpson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week (Feb. 10) after a pair of big games against Michigan State and Indiana. Simpson had 16 points, 14 boards and three steals to lead the Illini to an upset win at Indiana on 2/8 and also had a huge game against Michigan State on 2/5 with 12 points, 12 rebounds, seven steals and four blocks. The Zion, Ill., native averaged 14.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 5.0 steals and 2.5 blocks while shooting 50 percent on the week.
• Rare Company: Simpson is one of only three players in the nation that averages at least 3.0 steals and 9.0 rebounds per game. The other two are Louisville's Angel McCaughtry (9.3 rpg, 4.8 spg) and IUPUI's Jernisha Cann (10.9 rpg, 3.6 spg). Simpson is averaging 9.0 rpg and 3.2 steals per game entering Sunday's game against Penn State.
• All-Around Player: Simpson is one of the most versatile players not only in the Big Ten, but in the nation. She is one of just two Big Ten players to appear in the conference rankings in nine categories, joining Purdue's Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton. Simpson ranks in the top-10 in seven of those nine categories and leads the league in steals at 3.19 per game. She is the only player to rank in the league's top-10 in rebounding (second), assists (eighth) and steals (first).
• Picking Up Where She Left Off: After stellar performances at the 2008 Big Ten Tournament and WNIT, Simpson has stepped her game up even more this season. Her 11.2 points per game is four points higher than her average last season and, defensively, she has taken it to another level as evidenced by her steals, blocks and rebounding numbers. Simpson nearly had the second triple-double in school history with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine steals in the season-opener.
• Working Woman: Simpson, a fourth-year junior, finished up her class work during the fall semester and is working as an intern in the Illinois Athletic Public Relations office this semester to complete her undergraduate degree. Simpson plans on taking the GRE this spring and beginning graduate school next year during her final year of athletic eligibility.
• Lacing Up: This semester Simpson is writing a weekly blog to keep Fighting Illini fans up-to-date on what's going on behind-the-scenes. Check out the newest post at www.fightingillini.com.
And then There Were Eight
Illinois' lone senior, Chelsea Gordon, tore the ACL in her right knee in the Jan. 25 victory over Indiana and will miss the rest of the season. The injury ends Gordon's UI career after the Erie, Pa., native saw action in 116 games, the sixth most in school history. Gordon scored 680 points (5.9 ppg), grabbed 360 rebounds (3.1 rpg) and was twice named the team's Best Defensive Player during her Illinois career. With Gordon out, the Illini are left with eight scholarship players on the roster.
Youth is No Excuse
With seven years of Division I experience on the team this year (one senior and two juniors), Illinois is one of the youngest teams in the country. In fact, Illinois is tied with Tennessee as the fourth youngest team in the nation in terms of least returning experience. Now with lone senior Chelsea Gordon out for the season, the Illini have just four years of experience available to play.
Bling, Blinn
Freshman guard Macie Blinn has shown flashes of being a dynamic scorer for the Orange and Blue. The sharpshooter from Greenville, Ohio, has been Illinois' third leading scorer in Big Ten play, averaging 6.9 points per game while knocking down a team-high 15 threes. Blinn has reached double figures six times this season, including a 16-point outburst on Jan. 3 against Minnesota and a 14 point night against Missouri on Nov. 19. She tied her career-high with three three-pointers at Northwestern on Jan. 29 and has shown signs of becoming another scoring threat to complement Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson. In Illinois' recent seven-game run, Blinn is averaging 9.0 points per game.
McCully On Point
McCully has made a case of her own to become the team's third scoring option after Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson. She has scored double-figures 10 times this season, including a career-high 15 points against South Dakota State on Nov. 27. One night later against #10 Maryland, she hit 4-of-7 from three-point land for 12 points. She leads the team from downtown on the season, hitting 28 threes at a 33 percent clip, and is third on the team and fourth among Big Ten freshmen in scoring at 7.7 points per game.
McDonald's Girl
Illinois signee Destiny Williams was named to the McDonald's High School All-America Game last week. She will join 23 of the other top players in the nation for the game on April 1 in Miami.
In addition to being named a McDonald's All-American, Williams is one of 20 girls' basketball players selected to participate in the 18th annual Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) High School All-America Game presented by Nike on April 4 at Washington University's Athletic Complex in St. Louis, Mo. The game is part of the WBCA National Convention, which takes place at the site of the NCAA Women's Final Four.
Fellow Illinois signee Karisma Penn was one of 20 players to receive Honorable Mention accolades for the WBCA game. Williams and Penn are two of the six student-athletes who signed National Letters of Intent to play for Illinois and Coach Jolette Law in November. The class was ranked as high as No. 3 in the country by one publication.
Tough Slate
Illinois has faced the 15th toughest schedule in the nation thus far according to RealTimeRPI.com. The Illini's 11 non-conference opponents have a combined record of 202-90(.692) through games of Feb. 23, and overall, their opponents combine for a 447-273 record (.621).
Last Time Out
It was an action-packed day on Sunday at Assembly Hall with several events taking place including Senior Day for lone UI senior Chelsea Gordon, the raising of all-time great Ashley Berggren's jersey to the rafters and WBCA "Pink Zone" day to raise awareness for breast cancer.
In the game, Penn State pulled away in the final minutes for a 67-56 victory over the Fighting Illini. Jenna Smith hit back-to-back jumpers to give the Orange and Blue a 49-47 lead with 7:48 remaining, but PSU went on a 20-7 run to close out the game. The Fighting Illini got back within three, 55-52, with 4:23 left and were within five with just over a minute remaining, but PSU hit its free throws to pull away down the stretch. Smith had a huge game, hitting 10-of-16 from the field for 22 points and also added 13 rebounds and three blocks.
Looking Ahead
After Thursday's game at Iowa, the Illini will finish the regular season on Sunday at Minnesota before heading to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament March 5-8. The game between the Illini and Gophers will tip at 1 p.m. and will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com.
