Illinois...
...is hosting Mercer for the first time in program history
...had five players score in double-figures vs. USC Upstate
...leads the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.849)
...has four players shooting 90-percent or better from the line
...is returning five players from last year's squad
...freshman are combining for almost 30 points per game
...is set to face 19 opponents coming off of postseason appearances
...is at home for the entire month of November
QUICK HITS
THE COACHES
ILLINOIS: Matt Bollant // 54-74 at Illinois (5th year) // 336-129 overall (15th year)
MERCER: Susie Gardner // 92-101 at Mercer (7th year) // 268-248 overall (18th year)
SERIES NOTES vs. MERCER
Series Record: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Series Streak: First Meeting
Series in Champaign: First Meeting
Series in Macon: First Meeting
Bollant vs. Mercer: First Meeting
• TUESDAY'S Game: The Illini will host Mercer on Nov. 22, the first meeting in program history. The game will mark the beginning of Illinois' Holiday Toy Drive, and fans can redeem their men's basketball ticket stub from the Illinois vs. Winthrop game for free admission. The game will be livestreamed on FightingIllini.com, or fans can listen in on WDWS-AM 1400.
• COMING UP: Illinois will have a few days off during the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action on Nov. 30 for the ACC/B1G Challenge. The Orange and Blue will host Wake Forest in a 7 p.m. contest
• LAST TIME OUT: Fighting Illini women's basketball led a balanced attack on Sunday to earn a 77-57 victory over the USC Upstate Spartans. Five Illini put up double-digit scoring numbers in the contest led by freshman Ali Andrews who posted a career-high 15 points. Freshmen Brandi Beasley and Courtney Joens joined Andrews in double-figures with career-high scoring numbers, and sophomore Alex Wittinger earned her third consecutive double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
• SCOUTING MERCER: Mercer boasts a 3-1 record on the season, coming to Champaign after a 74-57 victory over Florida Atlantic. The Bears' only loss came at Georgia as the team fell 72-64. Mercer is averaging 74.5 points per game this season, led by Kahlia Lawrence's 21.8 points per game. Two other Bears are averaging double-digit scoring numbers in KeKe Calloway (19.5) and Sydni Means (10.5). Mercer averages 9.5 turnovers per game, forcing an average of 19 from its opponents.
STRONG START, STRONG FINISH
The Illini are off to a hot start this season, outscoring opponents by 16 points in the first quarter of games. Illinois outscored Marshall 17-4 in the first quarter to open the season and mark the fewest opponent points allowed in a period this year.
The Orange and Blue are also finishing strong, outscoring opponents by 18 points in the fourth quarter of games this year. Illinois held UAPB to just seven fourth-quarter points, and scored 22 points in the fourth quarter against USC Upstate to mark the most points the team has scored in a period so far this season.
#Illini on the Run
Illinois has seen several different trends pop up over the last few games.
• Alex Wittinger has recorded a double-double in three straight games. That number leads the Big Ten and is second in the nation.
• As a team, the Illini have made all but one free throw in each of the last three games. Illinois has shot 87.5-percent or better from the line in each game during that span.
• Freshman Brandi Beasley and sophomore Jaelyne Kirkpatrick have each dished two or more assists in each of Illinois' last three games.
• Illinois has had two or more players score in double-figures in every game this season, including a season-high five players in double-digits against USC Upstate. It marks the first time five players have registered double-figures in a single game since Jan. 20, 2016 against Indiana.
FIGHTING FRESHMEN
As expected, Illinois has seen major contributions from its freshmen to open the season. Brandi Beasley and Ali Andrews both earned their first career starts against Marshall, and Petra Holešínská earned the start against UAPB. Sarah Overcash and Courtney Joens have also made contributions on the court for the Illini so far.
The Illini freshmen are accounting for 29.75 points per game so far this year, led by Andrews who averages 9.3 points per game.
Three Illini freshmen scored in double-digits against USC Upstate in Andrews (15), Beasley (11) and Joens (11). The last time an Illinois squad saw that kind of production from its freshmen was Nov. 17, 2013 in a 112-28 victory over Alcorn State.
CHART TOPPING
The Illini can be spotted at the top of the list in several categories this season, individually and as a team.
Category National Rank B1G Rank
Blocked Shots (21) 32nd 3rd
Blocks per game (5.3) 65th 2nd
FG Percentage Defense (.329) 44th 5th
Free Throw Percentage (.849) 4th 1st
Rebounds (169) 54th 7th
Alex Wittinger
Blocked Shots (11) 15th 2nd
Blocks per game (2.75) 29th 2nd
Double Doubles (3) 2nd 1st
Rebounds (45) 11th 2nd
Rebounds per game (11.3) 25th 2nd
Ali Andrews
Free Throws Made (18) 48th 6th
Free Throw Percentage (.900) 76th 5th
WITTINGER'S HOT START
Illinois' leading scorer, sophomore Alex Wittinger, is off to a strong start to the season. She leads the Illini averaging 16.0 points per game, and has been Illinois' leading scorer in two games. She has posted a Big Ten leading three-straight double-doubles so far this year, with seven career double-doubles. Wittinger has recorded a double-double in three of her four career 20+ point games and was just one rebound away from a double-double when she dropped 21 points at No. 5 Ohio State last season (2/21/16).
Wittinger has recorded multiple blocks in three of Illinois' games this season, and has carded multiple blocks and multiple steals in two of those three matchups. She has posted multiple blocks and multiple steals in four career games.
Wittinger has also dished multiple assists in two of Illinois' games this season. In her freshman campaign, she did not record her first assist until Illinois' seventh game of the season, and only tallied multiple assists in three games all year.
HOLEŠÍNSKÁ'S CAREER DAY
Illini freshman Petra Holešínská had a breakout performance against Memphis, contributing 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3-for-6 from three-point range, in a season-high 23 minutes. Holešínská recorded more points in the first half against Memphis (13) than she did in her first two games combined (8). She also grabbed a career-best four steals in the contest.
D-FENSE
Illinois held both Marshall and UAPB to less than 30-percent shooting from the floor to start the season. The Illini have not held consecutive opponents to less than 30-percent shooting since the 2013-14 season when the Orange and Blue held Alcorn State to 15.3-percent shooting (11/17/13) and followed that up by holding SIU to 22.6-percent from the floor (11/21/13).
Illinois held just one opponent to less than 30-percent shooting last season (Tennessee State, .221), and two opponents to less than 30-percent during the 2014-15 campaign (Southern, .269; Murray State, .275).
PERFECT START
Three Illini are perfect from the foul line so far this season in Jaelyne Kirkpatrick (6-for-6), Cierra Rice (5-for-5), and Alex Wittinger (3-for-3). Three Illini have only missed one shot as Petra Holešínská is 5-for-6, Brandi Beasley is 3-for-4 (.750) and Sarah Overcash is 3-for-4. Ali Andrews is 18-for-20 (.900) from the line this year.
The Illini were on fire from the free throw line against UAPB, making 18-of-19 shots good for 94.7 percent shooting. The last time the Illini shot better than that from the charity stripe was Jan. 3, 2014 against Wisconsin, going 4-for-4. The Illini made 21-of-22 attempts (95.5-percent) at Wisconsin (2/14/08).
ILLINI OFF THE BENCH
Redshirt junior Kennedy Cattenhead made quite the statement off the bench in Illinois' season opener against Marshall. She racked up 10 points and five rebounds. The game marks her first in double-figures since Feb. 10 against Indiana when she contributed 10 points for the Illini. Friday's game marks the first time in her career that she has scored in double-digits when coming off the bench for the Orange and Blue.
Sophomore Jaelyne Kirkpatrick followed in her footsteps, coming off the bench against UAPB. Kirkpatrick recorded a career-high 13 points in the game, marking just her second double-figure scoring game. Third game is the charm, as Petra Holešínská also put up double-digits off the bench against Memphis. So far the Illini have seen double-digit production from at least one player off the pine in each contest.
RICE'S RETURN
Sophomore Cierra Rice returns this season after being sidelined just before Big Ten play last year. Rice was off to a strong start last year as she had record two 20-point games in just 10 appearances. Rice averaged 13.6 points per game, dished 24 assists and swiped 11 steals last year. She played a career-high 40 minutes in her 2016-17 debut, contributing five points, four rebounds, an assist and two steals.
She put up double-figures in Illinois' victory over UAPB, knocking down nine of her 11 points in the fourth quarter to lift Illinois to victory. She also grabbed six rebounds and dished an assist in the matchup.
MCCONNELL's SENIOR SEASON
Senior Ashley McConnell is Illinois' only senior this season. In her time wearing the Orange and Blue, McConnell has made 67 appearances and earned eight starts. She has dished 37 assists and grabbed 24 steals while scoring 102 points.
WITTINGER'S WAYS
Now in her sophomore season, Alex Wittinger had quite the freshman debut. The Delano, Minnesota, native closed the season among Big Ten leaders for her 3.3 offensive rebounds and her 1.8 blocks per game. Wittinger was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice last season, and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team following the year. Wittinger grabbed 193 rebounds last season, good for fifth all-time among Illinois freshmen, and her 50 rejections rank third on Illinois' all-time freshman records list. Wittinger averaged 10 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season, scoring a career-high 27 points and grabbing a personal-best 15 rebounds at Minnesota. She posted four double-doubles on the season, and is looking to improve on those numbers this year.
EXHIBITION RECAP
Several Illini saw their first action in the State Farm Center as freshmen Ali Andrews and Brandi Beasley both earned spots among the starting lineup. It was a young group as the freshmen were joined in the lineup by sophomores Alex Wittinger, Jaelyne Kirkpatrick and Cierra Rice. Freshmen Petra Holešínská, Sarah Overcash and Courtney Joens also made their first appearances for the Illini in a 66-60 loss to Drury University. Wittinger was in double-figures before the end of the game as she put up 15 points and 13 rebounds before the final period. She also finished with two blocks and three steals. Beasley totaled 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Andrews was also in double-figures, racking up 13 points. She added two blocks and three steals to her line. Rice tallied 10 points in her return for the Illini, and Kirkpatrick finished with eight points and four assists.
NEW LOOK FOR THE ILLINI
Coming off of a 9-21 season in 2015-16, the 2016-17 Illini squad will have a new look as the team welcomes six new players in Ali Andrews, Brandi Beasley, Petra Holešínská, Courtney Joens, Cydnee Kinslow and Sarah Overcash. Senior Ashley McConnell and redshirt junior Kennedy Cattenhead will look to lead the young squad, also composed of sophomores Jaelyne Kirkpatrick, Cierra Rice and Alex Wittinger.
CATTENHEAD STEPPING UP
Redshirt junior Kennedy Cattenhead will look to continue her improvements from last season. After averaging just 1.1 points per game in her freshman year, Cattenhead showed major improvements last season. She averaged almost seven points per game and earned 27 starts for the Orange and Blue. Cattenhead was an important asset for the Illini as she also recorded 28 steals. After recording just seven assists in her freshman year, Cattenhead dished out 57 dimes last year.
BTN APPEARANCES
The Big Ten Conference announced game times and television information for the conference portion of the 2016-17 women's basketball season on Monday, Sept. 26, completing Illinois' 2016-17 schedule. All of Illinois' Big Ten contests will be available on the Big Ten Network or BTN Plus. Illinois will open conference play live on BTN Wednesday, Dec. 28, against Iowa at 3 p.m. CT at State Farm Center. The Illini will have two other televised home contests: Saturday, Jan. 7 against Rutgers, and Saturday, Feb. 25 against Indiana. Illinois will appear on BTN Plus for the remainder of the conference schedule.
SET FOR A CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
The 2016-17 season will be an exciting one as the Illini are set to face a challenging slate of non-conference opponents before opening conference play in late December. Illinois will face 19 opponents who are coming off of postseason appearances, including 2016 WNIT Champion South Dakota. The Illini will take on three opponents for the first time in program history, beginning with Marshall (Nov. 11). The Orange and Blue will also match up against USC Upstate (Nov. 20) and Mercer (Nov. 22) for the first time. Meeting both teams for just the second time in program history, Illinois will travel to the 2016 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Champion George Washington (Dec. 4) and WNIT Champion South Dakota (Dec. 7). The nonconference slate will conclude with another set of road games as UI will head to Central Michigan (Dec. 19) and Ohio (Dec. 22) before opening Big Ten play.
Illinois will host a competitive slate of Big Ten opponents this season, including Iowa, (Dec. 28), Rutgers (Jan. 7), Nebraska (Jan. 15) and 2016 Big Ten Tournament Champion, Maryland (Jan. 26). The Orange and Blue will have several road contests during the month of January, including trips to Michigan State (Jan. 1), Iowa (Jan. 11), Minnesota (Jan. 18), Ohio State (Jan. 22) and Penn State (Jan. 29). The squad will return home in the month of February, with back-to-back games against Michigan (Feb. 1) and Purdue (Feb. 5). After a road game at Maryland (Feb. 9), the Illini will host Penn State on Feb. 14. Illinois will conclude regular season travel with games at Northwestern (Feb. 19) and Wisconsin (Feb. 22) before hosting Indiana in the regular season finale on Feb. 25.
BOLLANT SIGNS THREE FOR 2017-18
The Illini signed three highly-ranked recruits to the 2017-18 roster this week. Illinois will welcome the following players to the Illini family next season.
Channise Lewis // 5-8 // G // Miami, Fla. // Miami Country Day School
-Ranked the No. 16 guard in the country and No. 77 overall by ESPN
-Two-time FABC 3A All-State first team honoree
-2016 Miami Herald All-Dade 4A-2A Player of the Year
-Led Miami Country Day to three consecutive Florida Class 3A State Championship titles
-Led her high school to the 2015 Dick's Girls High School Basketball National Championship
-2015-16 USA Today American Family Insurance ALL-USA Florida Girls Basketball Team
-Chose Illinois over Virginia Tech and Purdue, among others
Addaya Moore // 6-0 // G // Granite City, Ill. // Granite City High School
-Led Granite City averaging 19 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in her junior season
-Earned all-tournament honors at Orchard Farm, Jerseyville and Carrollton
-Chose Illinois over Clemson, Columbia and Marquette, among others
Jnaya Walker // 6-1 // F // Bolingbrook, Ill. // Bolingbrook
-No. 19 ranked forward by ESPN
-2016 IBCA 3A/4A All-State honoree
-Averaged almost 14 points per game and five rebounds for Bolingbrook in her junior year
-Chose Illinois over Nebraska and Wisconsin, among others
