Feb. 11, 2011
Complete Illinois-Purdue Game Notes
GAME 26 - ILLINOIS (7-18, 2-10) AT PURDUE (16-9, 6-6)
Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011 // 2 p.m. ET / 1 CT // Mackey Arena (14,123) // West Lafayette, Ind.
ON THE AIR
TV: None
Streaming Video: None
Radio: Tape delayed on WDWS-AM 1400 and live online at fightingillini.com (pay), Dave Loane and Mike Koon
Livestats: fightingillini.com Gametracker
THE SERIES
Purdue leads 45-17 overall and 25-4 in West Lafayette
Last Meeting: Illinois 61, Purdue 57 on Feb. 21, 2010 in Champaign
THE COACHES
Illinois: Jolette Law, 56-69 overall and at Illinois (fourth season)
Purdue: Sharon Versyp, 223-123 overall (11th season) and 106-58 at Illinois (5th season)
FOLLOW THE FIGHTING ILLINI
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CoachJoletteLaw.com
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QUICK HITS
• Tip-off: The Fighting Illini (7-18, 2-10) head to Purdue (16-9, 6-6) on Sunday (2 p.m. ET/1 CT) in hopes of snapping an eight game losing streak. Illinois is coming off a disappointing 59-52 home loss to Indiana, while the Boilermakers have dropped two straight road games at Michigan State and Ohio State.
• Block Party: Sophomore All-America candidate Karisma Penn needs seven blocks to break Jenna Smith's single-season Illinois blocked shots record. After setting the UI freshman blocks mark with 57 last year, she already has 64 rejections this season, which is second on the UI list behind only Smith's record of 70 in 2009-10. Penn's career total of 121 already ranks fifth all-time at Illinois and puts her on pace to break Smith's career mark of 231.
• Seeing Double: Penn has posted 15 double-doubles this season to lead the Big Ten and rank fourth in the nation. That total also ranks fifth on the Illinois single-season double-doubles list. She has posted seven double-doubles during conference play, which also leads the league, and has 16 in her career.
• Select Company: Penn is one of just six players nationally that averages at least 18 points and 10 boards per game, joining VCU's Courtney Hurt, Buffalo's Kourtney Brown, Ohio State's Jantel Lavender, Alabama State's Tanika Jackson and Xavier's Amber Harris
• Bold Move: In the last five games, sophomore Adrienne GodBold is averaging 12.0 points, 2.6 steals and 2.6 blocks per game and has set or tied career-highs in all three categories (16 points and five steals at Michigan on 2/6 and six blocks vs. PSU on 1/27). She's also become one of the team's top three-point threats, hitting .417 from behind the arc in Big Ten play, and ranks fifth in blocks per game during league play.
PINK ZONE GAME SET FOR FEB. 20
On Sunday, Feb. 20, Illinois women's basketball will be hosting its fifth annual WBCA Pink Zone game when the Michigan State Spartans come to Assembly Hall for a 2 p.m. tip. The Fighting Illini will be wearing pink uniforms to help increase breast cancer awareness, and all fans that wear pink will receive free admission. There will also be a raffle benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer and a "Tunnel of Hope" before the game for breast cancer survivors. To participate, call 217-244-0062.
SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS
Purdue enters Sunday's contest with a 16-9 overall record and a 6-6 conference mark. The Boilermakers have been impressive at home, boasting a 13-2 record at Mackey Arena this season. They are coming off back-to-back road losses at Michigan State, 76-57, and Ohio State, 90-67.
The Boilers join Illinois as one of only seven teams in the country without a senior on the roster. They are led by junior guard Brittany Rayburn (13.7 ppg, .920 FT%) and freshman guard Courtney Moses (12.8 ppg, .442 3FG%). Maryland transfer Drey Mingo (10.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) is also a force for Purdue after missing four games in December with bacterial meningitis. As a team, Purdue leads the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.777) and field goal percentage defense (.370).
• The Illinois-Purdue Series: Illinois has not had much success against Purdue historically. The Boilers own a 45-17 advantage over Illinois in the all-time series and have won 39 of the last 44 over the Illini. PU has been even more dominant in West Lafayette, going 25-4 against Illinois at home, including 22 of the last 23. The Illini's only win at Purdue since 1984 came on Feb. 3, 2005. Last year, Illinois split two meetings with the Boilers, falling on the road 53-48 but getting a win at home on Senior Day, 61-57. Sunday will mark the only regular season meeting between the two teams this season.
CLOSE, BUT...
The Illini have lost four games this season where the opponent has made a shot in the final 10 seconds with the game tied or Illinois leading. Take a look at Illinois' buzzer-beating defeats:
• Dec. 8 at Oakland: Oakland's Bethany Watterworth hit a putback with 2.3 seconds left to give the Grizzlies a one-point lead, then Amber Moore's 35-footer at the buzzer rattled in and out in the 62-61 OT loss.
• Jan. 9 vs. Northwestern: NU's Beth Marshall hit a three as time expired to send the game into overtime. In OT, Illinois missed two threes in the final seconds in the 69-66 defeat.
• Jan. 27 vs Penn State: PSU's Julia Trogele scored the go-ahead bucket with 9.1 seconds left and then Illinois' Lydia McCully missed the potential game-tying shot at the buzzer in the 67-65 loss.
• Feb. 3 at Northwestern: With Illinois leading 79-78, Northwestern's Amy Jaeschke hit a contested, turn-around, fall-away, 15-foot bank shot with 1.4 seconds left to give the Wildcats an 80-79 win.
PENN FILLING BIG SHOES
Heading into the season, many wondered how the Illini would replace Jenna Smith, a three-time first team All-Big Ten selection and the school's all-time leader in points, rebounds and blocks. While Smith left some big shoes to fill, Illinois sophomore Karisma Penn has virtually matched Smith's numbers as a sophomore, when she was named an honorable mention All-American. Take a side-by-side look at their sophomore seasons:
Sophomore Stars: Karisma Penn vs. Jenna Smith
Stat Penn '10-11 Smith '07-08
Points per game 18.0 18.3
Rebounds per game 10.4 9.4
Blocks per game 2.6 1.7
Steals per game 2.2 1.1
Field Goal Percentage .509 .503
Double-Doubles 15 16
Minutes per game 34.4 37.3
• All-Around Player: Penn is the only player in the conference that ranks in the top-four in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals this season. The Shaker Heights, Ohio, native is fourth in the conference in scoring (18.0 ppg), second in rebounding (10.4 rpg), second in blocks (2.6 bpg) and fourth in steals (2.2 spg). In conference play, Penn ranks in the top four in all four categories and also is second in FG percentage (.503).
• Climbing the Charts: Penn currently ranks second in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation in blocks (2.6 bpg) and is quickly climbing up the program's rejection lists. Take a look at where Penn ranks on the Illinois single-season and career blocks lists:
ILLINOIS CAREER BLOCKED SHOT LEADERS
1. 231 Jenna Smith 2006-10
2. 163 Lacey Simpson 2005-10
3. 156 Kendra Gantt 1981-85
4. 135 Jonelle Polk 1983-87
5. 121 Karisma Penn 2009-
ILLINOIS SEASON BLOCKED SHOT LEADERS
1. 70 Jenna Smith 2009-10
2. 64 Karisma Penn 2010-11
3. 63 Jenna Smith 2008-09
4. 59 Jenna Smith 2007-08
5. 57 Karisma Penn 2009-10
57 Kendra Gantt 1982-83
• Penn POW: Penn picked up her third Big Ten Player of the Week honor of the season on Jan. 31 after averaging 21.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 3.0 steals in close losses to Penn State and #18 Iowa. She also won POW honors on Jan. 3 and Dec. 20, tying her for the second most POW honors in a season by an Illini.
• Making a Name: Penn went toe-to-toe with Ohio State All-American Jantel Lavender on Jan. 20 and posted some impressive numbers. Penn scored a game-high 26 points, pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds and had four steals against the three-time Big Ten Player of the Year. Lavender finished with 19 points and 12 boards in a classic battle of two the conference's top players.
MCCULLY ON POINT
Junior Lydia McCully has given the Illini excellent point guard play as of late, combining for 27 assists, nine steals and only five turnovers in the last four games. Her 10 point, 11 assist, zero turnover game last at Northwestern on Feb. 3 not only marked her first career double-double, but also is the second-highest assist total in a Big Ten game this season. She currently ranks fourth in assists (4.0 apg) and third in assist/TO ratio (1.8) during conference games.
BOMBS AWAY!
Redshirt freshman Amber Moore has been an explosive outside threat for the Illini this season. Moore has hit 27 threes during conference play (2.3 per game) to rank fifth in the Big Ten. She is averaging 10.5 ppg in Big Ten games, well above her average of 6.8 ppg in non-conference action. Her seven threes at Indiana on Jan. 13 equaled the second most in a game in school history behind only Katie Coleman's school-record of nine in 1997, and her 48 threes this season already put her in a tie for eighth on the UI single-season three-point field goals list.
CROATION SENSATION STEPPING UP
Junior forward Lana Rukavina exploded for a career-high 22 points at Northwestern on Feb. 3, shattering her previous high of 13. She hit 9-of-14 from the field, including a career-high two three-pointers, and also had a career-high three steals versus the Wildcats. In her first two seasons, Rukavina averaged just 1.0 points and 5.1 minutes per game while playing behind All-American Jenna Smith. This year, she has stepped up to start all 25 games and is averaging 5.7 points and 24.4 minutes per game.
Though she has lived her whole life in Wheeling, Ill., Illinois junior Lana Rukavina has deep roots to her Croatian heritage. Lana actually learned Croatian as a first language when she was little before mastering English. Lana's parents, Davor and Mirella, moved to the U.S. from Croatia in 1983 and each summer they take the family back to the Croatian coastline near the city of Zadar to visit over 20 family members that still live there. A psychology major, Lana hopes to return to her native land to play professionally after she earns her degree from Illinois.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Coach Jolette Law has changed up her starting lineup just once this season. Lydia McCully, Eboni Mitchell, Centrese McGee, Karisma Penn and Lana Rukavina started the first 18 games for the Illini. For the Jan. 20 game against Ohio State, Amber Moore was inserted into the lineup in place of Mitchell and that has remained for the last seven games.
WHERE ARE THE SENIORS?
Illinois is one of only seven Division I teams in the nation without a senior on its roster heading into the 2010-11 season, joining Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Murray State, Oral Roberts, Purdue and Rutgers. With the absence of senior leadership, Illini head coach Jolette Law has singled out redshirt junior Lydia McCully and sophomores Karisma Penn and Kersten Magrum as players who have stepped up as leaders this season.
