QUICK HITS
The Coaches
ILLINOIS: Matt Bollant // 58-80 at Illinois (5th year) // 340-135 overall (15th year)
MICHIGAN STATE: Suzy Merchant // 214-99 at MSU (10th year) // 415-219 overall (22nd Year)
SERIES NOTES vs. MICHIGAN STATE
Series Record: Illinois trails 28-40
Last Meeting: Feb. 24, 2016 // Michigan State 71, Illinois 43 // Champaign, Ill.
Series Streak: L-1
Series in Champaign: Illinois trails, 15-16
Series in East Lansing: Illinois trails, 10-21
Bollant vs. MSU: 2-5
Illinois...
...leads the B1G in FT percentage (.760)
...is shooting 42-percent from the floor over the last 5 games
...is fifth in the Big Ten with 4.3 blocks per game
...soph. Alex Wittinger ranks 8th in the country with 36 blocks
...has four players contributing more than eight points per game
...freshman are combining for 50% of Illinois' scoring
...has used four different starting lineups this season
• SUNDAY'S GAME: The Illini will spend New Year's Day in East Lansing, Mich., facing the Michigan State Spartans at 2 p.m. CT. The Spartans lead the all-time series in East Lansing, 21-10. Illinois' last victory at Michigan State came in 2014, a 61-51 win.
• COMING UP: Illinois will be back at home on Saturday, Jan. 7, hosting Rutgers in another televised contest. The matchup will air live on BTN, and the Illini will welcome local Girl Scout troops and campers from the 2016 Illini summer camps. Illinois trails Rutgers, 0-3, in the all-time series and will look for it's first victory over the Scarlet Knights on Saturday.
• LAST TIME OUT: Illinois women's basketball opened Big Ten play with a 70-65 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Wednesday. Freshmen Petra Holešínská and Brandi Beasley combined for 30 of Illinois' points, and sophomore Alex Wittinger led the way with 18 of her own. Illinois swiped a season-best 15 steals, led by Wittinger (6) and Beasley (4) who each recorded career-highs. The Illini forced Iowa to a season-high 23 turnovers, capitalizing with 24 points off of those miscues. Four Illini contributed to Illinois' season-high 15 steals, as Holešínska and Kirkpatrick also added multiple takeaways. Illinois saw balanced production from the squad on Wednesday as six players scored seven or more points, three of them finishing in double-figures.
• SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE: The Spartans are 10-3 on the season, coming off of an extended holiday break. Prior to the holiday, Michigan State hosted Notre Dame, falling 79-61 to the Irish. MSU's two other losses came on the road to Oregon and Syracuse. Senior Tori Jankoska leads the Spartans, averaging 21.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. MSU is outscoring opponents by nine points per game, and is second in the Big Ten only to Illinois for its 73.5 free throw shooting percentage.
#Illini on the Run
Illinois has seen several different trends pop up over the last few games.
• Freshman Brandi Beasley has recorded multiple assists and multiple steals in six games this season. She's dished a career-high six assists twice, and recorded a career-best four steals against Iowa.
• Alex Wittinger is leading the Big Ten with 2.6 blocks per game this season, and recorded all of Illinois' rejections against Wake Forest and Wright State. She has led the team in blocked shots in nine games and set a school-record with eight against Wright State.
• Illinois has been working on a balanced attack this season. Four or more Illini have posted double-digit scoring numbers in four games this season, and two or more have scored in double-digits in all but two games.
• Illinois made a season-high 12 three-pointers at South Dakota this season. The Illini have knocked down four or more treys in all but three games this year, and have netted seven or more in five games. Illinois has shot better than its opponent from distance in eight of the last 11 games.
• The Illini have held seven opponents to less than 27- percent shooting from beyond the arc, and allowed just one triple from Mercer to mark a season low.
• The Illini have forced their opponents to double-digit turnovers in 11 of 14 games this season. Illinois has forced 15 or more turnover in seven of those matchups, including a season-best 23 opponent turnovers twice.
OPENING B1G WITH A BANG
Illinois got off to a successful start to Big Ten play with a 70-65 victory over Iowa. Prior to this year, Illinois had not won its Big Ten opener since topping Minnesota (64-50) in the 2010-11 season.
The Illini opened Big Ten play recording a season-high 15 steals against the Hawkeyes, and forcing the opponents to a season-high 23 turnovers.
Illinois shot 43-percent from the floor against the Hawkeyes, good for the seventh time this season the Orange and Blue have shot better than 40-percent from the field. The Illini are now 5-2 when shooting 40-percent or higher.
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 (58) 52nd 5th
Blocks per game (4.a) 88th 5th
Fewest Turnovers (199) 176th 6th
Free Throw Percentage (.760) 33rd 1st
3FG Percentage Defense (.303) 130th 5th
Turnovers per game (14.2) 56th 4th
Alex Wittinger
Blocked Shots (36) 8th 1st
Blocks per game (2.57) 20th 1st
Double Doubles (6) 19th 4th
FG Made (94) 14th 4th
FG Percentage (50.3) 90th 8th
Rebounds (123) 23rd 5th
Rebounds per game (8.8) 66th 5th
Offensive Rebounds (52 / 3.7) 3rd
Defensive Rebounds (71 / 5.1) 9th
Brandi Beasley
Assists (53) 100th 14th
Assists per Game (3.8) 185th 14th
Defensive Rebounds (71 / 5.1) 9th
Minutes Played (489:00) 13th 2nd
Minutes per game (34.93) 75th 1st
Jaelyne Kirkpatrick
Minutes Played (453:00) 42nd 7th
BIG TEN WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Sophomore Alex Wittinger was named to the Big Ten Women's Basketball Player of the Week Honor Roll on Monday, Dec. 26. Wittinger averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game on the road against both Central Michigan and Ohio, shooting 62.5-percent from the floor. She has scored in double-digits in five consecutive games, and earned her sixth double-double of the season at Central Michigan. Wittinger carded her third 20-point game of the season and sixth of her career on Thursday night at Ohio after a season-high 25-point performance. She tied her career-high with 12 field goals made in the contest.
RECORD SETTING
Sophomore Alex Wittinger had quite the night against Wright State. Not only was she among team-leaders with her 15-point, eight-rebound performance, but she swatted a career-high eight blocks on the day. That number is an Illinois all-time single-game record, and Wittinger is one of just eight players in Division I to record eight or more blocks in a single game. Previously, Illinois' record was set at seven by Jenna Smith in 2010 and matched by two more players, three times.
Wittinger is averaging 2.6 blocks per game this season, and has accumulated 36 blocks, over half of her 50 total from last season. Wittinger currently ranks 10th all-time at Illinois for her 86 career blocks.
DOUBLE-DOUBLING UP
Through the first 13 games this season, three Illini have recorded at least one double-double. Freshmen Brandi Beasley and Petra Holešínská each posted their first career double-doubles, while Alex Wittinger leads the Illini with six. Illinois has seen at least two players record a double-double in each of head coach Matt Bollant's five seasons, highlighted by five players each recording one or more during the 2014-15 campaign.
MOVING ON UP
The Illini have seen consistent improvements on the floor this season as the young team is gaining confidence. The Orange and Blue improved their field goal percentage in four consecutive games, shooting a season high 48.1-percent against FGCU. Illinois scored a season-best 32 points in the paint just one game prior, against Wright State. The Illini have shot better htan 40-percent from the field in seven games this year, and better than 45-percent in two of those contests.
BEASLEY IS KEY
Freshman Brandi Beasley has become a consistent force on the court for the Illini this season. Beasley's six treys at South Dakota set a new Illinois single-game freshman record, as she made 6-of-8 from downtown. She led the Illini with a career-best 24 points in the contest.
She has reset her career-high scoring number in four games, and is among team leaders for her 11.4 points per game this year. Beasley has scored in double-digits in eight games and earned her first career double-double against Wake Forest.
Beasley has dished three or more assists in 12 games this year, leading the team in dimes in nine games. She currently has a team-leading 53 assists on the year, which ranks 14th in the Big Ten. Should she continue to average 3.5 or more assists per game this season, Beasley will be among all-time freshman single-season assists leaders.
FIGHTING FRESHMEN
As expected, Illinois has seen major contributions from its freshmen to open the season. Brandi Beasley, Ali Andrews and Petra Holešínská have all played significant roles in the Illini starting lineup this year. Sarah Overcash and Courtney Joens have also made contributions on the court for the Illini so far.
The Illini freshmen are accounting for 32 points per game so far this year, good for 50-percent of Illinois' scoring, led by Beasley, who averages 11.4 points per game.
Illinois has seen three freshmen score in double-digits in two games this season, against both Wake Forest and USC Upstate. Prior to this year, 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.
GOING STREAKING
Sophomore Alex Wittinger opened the season posting five straight double-doubles in the first six games of the year. Wittinger's streak marks the second season in a row that Illinois has had a player record five consecutive double-doubles as Chatrice White also matched that number last season. Prior to White, the last time an Illini had recorded five in a row was during the 2010-11 campaign (Karisma Penn). Jenna Smith recorded seven-straight double-doubles at the end of the 2009-10 season.
ILLINI OFF THE BENCH
Illinois has seen impressive productions from it's players off the bench so far this year. Redshirt junior Kennedy Cattenhead started the trend, coming off the bench to score 10 points in Illinois' season opener against Marshall. So far the Illini have seen double-digit production from at least one player off the pine in eight games.
Illinois' bench is averaging 16 points per game. Freshman Petra Holešínská was leading that charge, averaging 12 points per game when coming off the pine, but the current leader is Courtney Joens who averages 5.6 points per game off the bench.
The Illini bench contributed 21 points at Ohio, good for its fifth 20-plus point performance this season.
HOLEŠÍNSKÁ'S CAREER DAYS
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. 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.
She saw even more success in Illinois' victory over Fort Wayne as the Czech Republic, native, knocked down a career-best five three-pointers on 5-of-7 shooting from distance. She led the squad with 17 points in the contest, one short of her career high.
The freshman grabbed her first career double-double against Wright State, leading the squad with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
CATTENHEAD STEPPING UP
Redshirt junior Kennedy Cattenhead has continued to build on 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.
Currently, Cattenhead is among Illini scoring leaders, posting 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She led the team with a career-high five assists against South Dakota, and led the Illini in scoring against Wake Forest. She improved on her career-high with 19 points against Florida Gulf Coast.
JOENS FOR THREE
Freshman Courtney Joens has developed a habit of knocking down three-pointers at just the right time this season. She has hit two or more three-pointers in five games, and is among Illinois leaders with 16 made this year. Joens has scored in double-figures off the bench four times this season, including a career-best 13 points at Ohio.
STRONG START FOR THE ILLINI DEFENSE
The Illini have held four opponents to less than 30-percent shooting from the floor this year, including Fort Wayne who shot just 25.6-percent. The last time an Illinois team held four or more opponents to worse than 30-percent shooting was during the 2009-10 campaign when the Orange and Blue held eight opponents shot below 30-percent.
Illinois held both Marshall and UAPB to less than 30-percent shooting from the floor in consecutive games 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).
Nine Illini opponents have shot below 40-percent from the floor this season, including the Iowa Hawkeyes in Illinois' Big Ten opener.
FREE THROW FEST
The Illini started the season strong from the foul line this season, as five players are shooting 70-percent or better so far. Freshman Ali Andrews has been the most impressive as she is 29-for-33 (.875) 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).
The Orange and Blue have shot 85-percent or better in five games this season and lead the Big Ten with their .760 free throw shooting percentage, a number that sits among the top-50 in the nation.
WITTINGER'S HOT START
Illinois' leading scorer, sophomore Alex Wittinger, got off to a strong start to the season. She currently leads the Illini averaging 15.1 points per game, and posted five-straight double-doubles in Illinois' first six games this year. Wittinger has recorded a double-double in three of her five 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 nine of Illinois' games this season, and has carded multiple blocks and multiple steals in two of those six matchups. She has posted multiple blocks and multiple steals in four career games.
RICE'S RETURN
Sophomore Cierra Rice returned this season after being sidelined just before Big Ten play last year. Rice was off to a strong start last year as she had recorded 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. Rice's return was short-lived, however, as she suffered a foot injury against Memphis that currently has her sidelined.
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.
MCCONNELL'S SENIOR SEASON
Senior Ashley McConnell is Illinois' only senior this season. In her time wearing the Orange and Blue, McConnell has made 79 appearances and earned nine starts. She has dished 39 assists and grabbed 26 steals while scoring 120 points.
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.
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.
THE BIG TEN SCHEDULE
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
