University of Illinois
Detroit Mercy
Illini Set for Clash Against Titans Sunday
December 9, 2017 | Women's Basketball
| Game 12 : Illinois (7-4) vs. Detroit Mercy (0-8) | |
|---|---|
| When |
Sunday, Dec. 10 | 2:00 PM |
| Where |
State Farm Center | Champaign, Illinois |
| Live Links | Watch | Listen | Live Stats | FloHoops |
| Buy Tickets | |
| 2017-18 Information | Illinois Record Book | Illinois Game Notes | Detroit Mercy Game Notes |
| Promotions |
AARP Discount Toy Drive |
THE COACHES
ILLINOIS: Nancy Fahey // 7-4 at Illinois (1st year) // 744-137 overall (32nd year)
DETROIT MERCY: Bernard Scott // 33-37 at Detroit Mercy (3rd year) // 33-37 overall (3rd year)
SERIES NOTES vs. DETROIT MERCY
Series Record: Tied, 1-1
Last Meeting: December 29, 1992 // Illinois 85, Detroit Mercy 76 // Gainesville, Fla.
Series Streak: W-1
Series in Champaign: First Meeting
Series in Detroit: Illinois trails, 0-1
Fahey vs. Detroit Mercy: 0-0
Illinois is...
...7-4 on the season and in the Nancy Fahey era
...offering $2 admission with a donation to Toys for Tots
...Hosting Detroit Mercy for the first time in program history
...led in scoring and rebounding by Alex Wittinger
...ranked third in the B1G for its 75.5-percent free throw shooting
...led in FT shooting by Brandi Beasley (24-of-29)
QUICK HITS
• SUNDAY'S GAME: Illinois will host Detroit Mercy at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Illinois will continue its toy drive, collecting new and unused toys to benefit Toys for Tots. Fans who bring a toy to Sunday's game will receive $2 admission.
• COMING UP: The Illini will welcome Austin Peay on Saturday, December 16 at 2 p.m. The game will mark Scout Night, offering patches for scout troops in attendance. Illinois will also welcome back its summer campers for the game.
• LAST TIME OUT: Fighting Illini women's basketball topped the Indiana State Sycamores, 81-52, on Thursday night to improve to 7-4 on the season. The Orange and Blue led a balanced attack inside the State Farm Center as four Illini scored in double figures, and 12 players put points on the board. Sophomore Petra Holešínská led the way for the Fighting Illini with a season-high 16 points. Sophomore Ali Andrews was also a major contributor, knocking down three three-point field goals on her way to 13 points, while junior Alex Wittinger also scored in double figures to mark the third consecutive game she has tallied 10 or more points. Freshman Addaya Moore set a new career-high, adding 10 points to Illinois' total.
• SCOUTING DETROIT MERCY: Detroit Mercy is looking for its first win of the season, as the Titans have lost eight in a row. The team is most recently coming off of a 74-62 loss at Western Michigan. Senior Brianne Cohen leads the team, as she averages 17.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Detroit Mercy is shooting 36-percent from the floor this season, and 68-percent from the free throw line.
ILLINI IN THE LEAGUE
Illini sophomore Brandi Beasley was tops among players in the country for her minutes played last season, and she is continuing that trend this year. Beasley's 358 total minutes played this season rank seventh in the country and fourth in the Big Ten. Beasley comes in at seventh in the Big Ten for her 82.8-percent free throw shooting. Her 3.7 assists per game check in at No. 14 in the league.
Junior Alex Wittinger ranks third in the Big Ten 4.1 offensive boards per game and for her 2.5 blocked shots per game. Her 27 blocks this season check in at No. 8 in the nation as well. Wittinger leads the Illini, averaging 9.0 total rebounds per game, which checks in at ninth in the Big Ten. Her 99 boards this year rank 16th in the nation and fourth in the league. The Delano, Minnesota, native, has netted 62 field goals this season, putting herself at No. 11 in the Big Ten and No. 47 in the country.
Sophomore Ali Andrews has netted 18-of-38 from distance this season, and her 47.4-percent three-point shooting checks in at No. 3 in the Big Ten.
As a team, the Orange and Blue rank third in the Big Ten for their 75.5-percent free throw shooting and eighth for their 39.2 rebounds per game. Illinois' 12.9 offensive boards per game check in at seventh overall, and the squad's 4.6 blocked shots per game come in eighth.
HAPPY AT HOME
The State Farm Center has been a difficult place for opponents to play this season as Illinois has a 4-2 record on Lou Henson Court so far this year. Illinois is shooting just under 40-percent from the floor at home (39.4) and knocks down 76-percent of its free throws while in Champaign. Alex Wittinger and Brandi Beasley lead Illinois in scoring at home, and Kennedy Cattenhead is shooting 57-percent from the floor. UI is averaging almost nine steals per game at the State Farm Center, also forcing more than 15 opponent turnovers per matchup.
ANDREWS AT A DISTANCE
Illini sophomore Ali Andrews was on fire against Wichita State, knocking down 6-of-8 shots from distance, and going 9-for-11 from the field. She used a career-high 26 points to help lift the Illini over the Shockers. Andrews was also 2-for-2 from the free throw line, and grabbed four rebounds.
Andrews has netted a career-best six three-pointers in two career games (Nebraska, 3/1/2017), and the performance is tied for the sixth-best for an Illini in school history. The Lake in the Hills, Illinois, native has netted a team-leading 18 treys this year, shooting 47.4-percent from beyond the arc.
BLOCKING UP THE RECORD BOOKS
In her junior season, Alex Wittinger has already had quite the career for the Illini. In her two years on the court, the Delano, Minnesota, native racked up 124 blocks and climbed to the No. 6 spot on Illinois' all-time career blocks list. She carded 74 rejections last season to rank second all-time at Illinois and she led the Big Ten with her 2.6 blocked shots per game. Wittinger became just the eighth player in Illinois history to record 100 career blocks on Thursday, Jan. 26, and also set a new single-game record with her eight rejections against Wright State.
She has 27 rejections through 11 games this season, a number that currently ranks seventh in the country. Wittinger has recorded at least one block in every game this season and in each of her last 43 games played, dating back to Feb. 24, 2016. She has recorded five or more blocks in four career games.
Illinois Career Blocked Shots List
1. 271 Karisma Penn 2009-13
2. 231 Jenna Smith 2006-10
3. 163 Lacey Simpson 2005-10
4. 156 Kendra Gantt 1981-85
5. 151 Alex Wittinger 2016-
DISHING IT OUT
Illini sophomore Brandi Beasley leads Illinois with her 41 assists this season, along with junior Jaelyne Kirkpatrick who has passed out 31 dimes. Beasley ranks 10th in the Big Ten for her total assists this season, also sitting among the top 100 players in the country. Beasley has recorded at least one assist in every game of her career (42).
FREE THROW FEST
The Orange and Blue rank third in the Big Ten for their 75.5-percent free throw shooting this season. The Illini have knocked down 117-of-155 foul shots, led by Brandi Beasley who has netted 24-of-29 from the stripe. Beasley's 83-percent free throw shooting ranks seventh in the league. Eight Illini are shooting 70-percent or better from the free throw line, including freshman Addaya Moore (2-2) who is perfect from the line. Illinois' accuracy improves as the game gets further along, as the Orange and Blue are shooting 77-percent from the charity stripe in the second half of games, compared to 72-percent in the opening half.
PETRA OFF THE PINE
Sophomore Petra Holešínská leads the Illini off the bench this season, averaging 8.7 points and 3.8 boards per game. She's racked up four steals and knocked down 12 three-pointers, including a season-high four against Indiana State. Senior Alli Ball is shooting 46-percent from the floor off the bench so far this season, and Courtney Joens contributes almost four points per game. The Illini bench accounts for 19.9 points per game and averages 14.9 rebounds per contest, highlighted by a season-best 44 points against Indiana State.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
With five newcomers and 11 underclassmen on the roster this season, the Orange and Blue boast one of the youngest rosters in the Big Ten. The Illini are composed of 73-percent underclassmen on the court, meaning redshirt sophomore or younger, and only Purdue has a larger percentage of young players. The Boilermakers have 10 underclassmen on their 13-person roster (76-percent). The next-youngest squad in the league is Northwestern, who is 66-percent composed of underclassmen.
A NEW ERA
Illinois opened the Nancy Fahey era of women's basketball on November 10 with a victory over the Fort Wayne Mastodons. A four-time hall of fame inductee, Fahey boasts 744 career victories and led Washington University to five Division III National Championship titles. Fahey was hired as the ninth head women's basketball coach in Illinois history on March 22, 2017.
BEASLEY'S BREAKOUT YEAR
Sophomore Brandi Beasley returns for the Illini this year, looking to build on a breakout freshman campaign. A 2017 Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree, Beasley was among team leaders for the 13.6 points per game last season and also checked in at second among all Big Ten freshmen. She dished 120 assists on the season, becoming one of just four freshmen in Illinois history to record 100 dimes in their rookie season. Beasley was among league and national leaders for her 36.2 minutes played per game. She played a full 40 minutes in six contests.
Holešínská's Hot Shooting
Sophomore Petra Holešínská returns this season after a hot-shooting freshman campaign. The Vracov, Czech Republic, native was among the top three-point shooters in the Big Ten during her freshman season, leading all the league's freshmen with her 45.6-percent three-point shooting in conference play. Holešínská netted 54 treys during 2016-17, a number that ranks third all-time among Illinois freshmen. She shot 35.5-percent from distance on the season, which ranks fifth all-time on Illinois' freshman records list.
SENIOR STORIES
The Illini are looking to redshirt senior Kennedy Cattenhead for direction this season as the Bolingbrook, Illinois, native, has appeared in 87 games for the Orange and Blue. Cattenhead has been a staple in the starting lineup for two seasons, and earned the start in all of Illinois' games this season. She will look to continue her leadership both on and off the court.
Senior Alli Ball also brings experience to Illinois' lineup as she transferred from Akron after spending three years playing for the Zips. She appeared in 90 games for Akron, earning 13 starts throughout her career. Ball had quite the debut for Illinois, leading the team with 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
KIRKPATRICK IN CANADA
Junior Jaelyne Kirkpatrick spent her summer traveling the world as she represented her home country on the Canada Development Women's National Team. Kirkpatrick traveled to both Japan and Australia this August for the U24 Women Basketball League Four Nations 2017 Tournament and the Taipei 2017 29th Summer Universiade. Kirkpatrick played in nine games through the two tournaments, averaging 20 minutes per game. She dished 22 assists overall, and averaged four points per game.
FAHEY SIGNS THREE FOR 2018-19
Head Coach Nancy Fahey announced her first recruiting class on Nov. 8, welcoming two top-100 recruits in Mackenzie Blazek and Arieal Scott, and a national team player in J-Naya Ephraim.
MACKENZIE BLAZEK | 6-3 | Forward | Franklin, Indiana | Whiteland Community High School
2017 IBCA Underclass All-State honoree,,,2016 IBCA Underclass Large School All-State honoree...Ranked No. 90 overall by ESPN Hoopgurlz...Daily Journal 2016-17 Player of the Year...Averaged 18 points and 13.4 rebounds per game for Whiteland last season
J-NAYA EPHRAIM | 5-9 | Guard | St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands | Southern Durham High School
Averaged 16.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game for Southern Durham last season and tallied 16 double-doubles...Represented the Virgin Islands on both the U16 and U17 National Teams at the FIBA World University Games (2013-15)...NCBCA 2017 First Team All-District...2017 Big Eight Conference Player of the Year...Chose Illinois over Temple and James Madison
ARIEAL SCOTT | 5-9 | Guard | Urbana, Illinois | Urbana High School
2016 IBCA First Team 1A/2A All-State...No. 39-ranked recruit in the country according to Prospects Nation...Ranked among the top 100 players in the country by ESPN Hoopgurlz...Two-time News Gazette All-Area First Team honoree...Chose Illinois over Missouri, USC and Washington, among others.
ILLINI ON THE NETWORK
Five of Illinois' contests this season will air live on the Big Ten Network, and the remaining conference games will be streamed on BTN Plus. Illinois will have four home games televised live on the network, beginning January 7 against Iowa. Illinois will also host Michigan State on BTN at 8 p.m. on January 16. The Illini will also appear on the Big Ten Network January 28 against Wisconsin and February 4 against Purdue at the State Farm Center. Illinois will also play one road game on BTN, at Michigan on January 20.
All BTN on-air games can be streamed via the web, smartphones, tablets and connected devices on BTN2Go, BTN's digital extension. More than 100 additional games also will be streamed on BTN Plus on BTN2Go, and many of those will air on delay on BTN as part of the Student U initiative.
ILLINI WBB TICKETS
Illinois women's basketball season and single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at FightingIllini.com, in person at the Illinois ticket office at State Farm Center or by phone at 1-866-ILLINI-1. General admission season tickets start at $30 each, while reserved season tickets are available for $75. Single game tickets can be purchased for $5.
