Box Score | Printable Box | Highlights | Coach Bollant Postgame Interview

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois sprinted out to an 18-0 lead and never looked back, bludgeoning Valparaiso 80-58 at the Athletics-Recreation Center on Saturday. Senior transfer Brittany Carter had her best game in the Orange and Blue, scoring a game-high 22 points to go along with six steals and six rebounds. Ivory Crawford added 15 and Chatrice White had 11, as Illinois made a school-record 15 three-pointers and led by as many as 29 in the game.

"We really came out on edge to start the game and our shots were falling," Illinois head coach Matt Bollant said. "Brittany came and talked to us about her role on the team this week and we told her `just go be a basketball player,' and she sure did today. It's great to see us shoot the ball like we did. Now we've got a week to finish up with school for the semester and get our legs back under us."

Carter shot a blistering 9-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-4 from three-point range. Kyley Simmons chipped in nine points on 3-of-5 three-pointers and six assists, while Taylor Tuck had eight, including 2-of-3 from long range.

Illinois made 15-of-28 (53.6 percent) three-pointers on the day, breaking the single-game school record for three-pointers made and shooting the second-highest percentage when making 10-plus treys in a game. Eight different Illini made a three-pointer in the game.

As a team, the Orange and Blue shot 47.7 percent from the field (31-of-65) and had 15 assists. The Illini also out-scored the Crusaders 30-5 off turnovers and 10-0 on fast-break points. Illinois scored the contest's first points 33 seconds into the game and never relinquished it, leading for 39:27.

Ivory Crawford started the scoring with a three-pointer from the right corner, Simmons drew a charge on the defensive end and Carter knocked down a jumper in the paint to put the Illini up 5-0. A couple of possessions later, Jacqui Grant banked in a trey then ran the floor off a missed shot and got an easy layup for a 10-0 lead.

After a Valpo turnover, Simmons drained a step-back three, Valpo missed two shots and Carter nailed a three of her own. After another timeout by the Crusaders, Carter stole the ball and fed it ahead to Crawford for a layup and a quick 18-0 lead, just 3:48 into the game.

Valpo didn't reach double digits until the 8:57 mark of the first half, pulling within 27-10 of the Illini, but Crawford hit another trey to make the lead 30-10. Illinois extended its lead to 43-19 at halftime. The Orange and Blue kept a similar margin throughout the second half, extending the lead to 29 on a Simmons three-pointer with 15:54 to go. The Crusaders pulled within 19 with 1:18 left but Kennedy Cattenhead drained a three from the left corner with 32 seconds to go, making the final score 80-58.