QUICK HITS
The Coaches
ILLINOIS: Matt Bollant // 61-93 at Illinois (5th year) // 343-148 overall (15th year)
PURDUE: Sharon Versyp // 233-131 at Purdue (11th year) // 350-196 overall (17th Year)
SERIES NOTES vs. PURDUE
Series Record: Illinois trails, 54-18
Last Meeting: Feb. 5, 2017 // Purdue 72, Illinois 64// Champaign, Ill.
Series Streak: L-2
Series in Champaign: Illinois trails, 12-22
Series in West Lafayette: Illinois trails, 5-29
Bollant vs. Purdue: 1-6
Illinois...
...is the No. 12 seed in the 2017 Big Ten Tournament
...had two players earn All-Big Ten honors
...earned its first Big Ten Tournament win since 2011
...has five players shooting better than 38-percent from the field
...boasts the best free throw shooting performance in Big Ten play this season
...freshmen combined for 90-percent of Illinois' scoring last game
...set a Big Ten Tournament record with 14 3-pointers against Nebraska
• THURSDAY'S GAME: The No. 12 seeded Illini advance to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, facing No. 5 Purdue in game four. Tipoff is set for 25 minutes after the completion of game three, or approximately, 1:30 p.m. CT. All games will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, but the championship game on March 5 will air live on ESPN2.
• COMING UP: The winner of game 4 will advance to take on No. 4 seeded Indiana in game 8 on Friday, March 3.
• LAST TIME OUT: Fighting Illini women's basketball topped the Nebraska Huskers, 79-70, in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Illini netted a Big Ten Tournament record 14 three-pointers on Wednesday afternoon, led by freshman Ali Andrews. Andrews led Illinois with a career-high 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting from three-point range. Freshmen Brandi Beasley and Petra Holešínská were also among team leaders with 20 and 21 points, respectively, as the UI freshmen contributed 71 of Illinois' 79 points.
• LAST TIME VS PURDUE: Illinois freshmen Brandi Beasley and Petra Holešínská led the Orange and Blue, combining for 41 of Illinois' points in a 72-64 loss to the Boilermakers. The game was the third consecutive 20-point game for Beasley, while Holešínská's 21 points matched her season-high number. Sophomore Alex Wittinger also tallied double-digit scoring numbers as she finished with 14 points and a team-leading seven rebounds. Wittinger posted five rejections on the night.
ILLINOIS BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TEAM NOTABLES
• Illinois' first-round victory over No. 13 Nebraska marks the program's first Big Ten Tournament victory since the 2010-11 season when the Illini advanced to the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
• The Illini are 18-22 all-time in Big Ten Tournament play and 47-52 in the postseason.
• The Illini knocked down 14 three-pointers as a team on Wednesday to set a new Big Ten Tournament record. The number marks a season-high for the Illini as well. The 14 three-pointers are the second-most for Illinois in a single game in program history, and just one shy of the program's single-game three-pointers record.
• The freshman class contributed 71 of Illinois' 79 points on the day (90%), led by Ali Andrews who finished with a career-high 24. The Illini freshman class is averaging 36.4 points per game this season, which accounts for 58-percent of Illinois' scoring.
• Three freshmen, Ali Andrews, Brandi Beasley and Petra Holesinska, tallied 20 or more points on Wednesday to mark the first time that Illinois has had three 20+-point scorers in a Big Ten Tournament game in program history.
• Prior to Wednesday, Freshmen Petra Holešínská and Brandi Beasley both posted 20-point games against Purdue on Feb.5. Holesinska led Illinois with a career-high 21 points on the day, and Beasley finished with 20 points for the third consecutive game. Illinois has not had two freshmen score 20 or more points in the same contest since Jan. 31, 1997 in an 83-75 victory over Iowa. Both Tauja Catchings and Katie Coleman finished with 20 points in the matchup.
• The Illini committed a season-low five turnovers against Nebraska to mark the fewest in a game in Big Ten Tournament history. It is the first time since March 3, 2006 that a team had five turnovers in a game (Purdue vs. Illinois.
ILLINOIS BIG TEN TOURNAMENT INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES
• Freshman Ali Andrews scored a career-high 24 points on 6-for-10 shooting from three-point range. The six three-point field goals mark a career-high, and also the most for an Illini in a Big Ten Tournament game.
• In all, Andrews netted a career-high seven field goals on the day, shooting 50-percent from the floor. She also posted a career-best four steals.
• Andrews' 24-point performance is tops among tournament games so far, while freshmen Petra Holesinska and Brandi Beasley own the third and fourth-best performances of the first round.
• Sophomore Jaelyne Kirkpatrick matched her career-high with eight assists, also matching Illinois' Big Ten Tournament single-game record, which she set last season against Penn State.
• Freshman Brandi Beasley notched her sixth game of the season Wednesday, scoring 20 or more points as she finished with 20 points on 50-percent shooting including going 3-of-3 from distance. Beasley is a combined 4-for-4 from distance against Nebraska this season.
• Beasley played all 40 minutes in Wednesday's game to mark the fifth time she has done so this season.
• Freshman Petra Holesinska matched her career-high with 21 points against Nebraska. She has dropped 21 in three games this year, one of those matchups being against Purdue.
#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 14 games this season. She dished a career-high 10 assists against Nebraska, and recorded a career-best four steals in both games against Iowa.
• Beasley has led the Illini in scoring in nine games this season and in six of the last 11 games. She has scored in double-digits in each of the last 11 games, which includes three-straight 20-point performances and four total.
• Alex Wittinger led the Big Ten with 2.5 blocks per game this season, and recorded all of Illinois' rejections in eight games. She has rejected three or more shots in four of her last six games.
• Wittinger is one of just eight players in the Big Ten to have recorded 10 or more double-doubles this season.
• Freshman Courtney Joens has netted two or more three- pointers in each of the last five games. Of her 71 points scored in Big Ten play, 35 have came over the last four conference matchups.
• Five Illini are shooting better than 38-percent from the field this season, led by Wittinger who is shooting 46.3-percent from the floor.
• The Illini shot 78-percent from the line in Big Ten games, as three players did not missed a shot in conference play.
• Illinois has been working on a balanced attack this season. Four or more Illini have posted double-digit scoring numbers in eight games this season, and two or more have scored in double-digits in all but two games.
• Illinois netted a season-high 14 three-pointers in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Prior to that Illinois netted a season-best 12 three-pointers in two games. The Illini have netted seven or more threes in 13 games. Illinois has over 30-percent from behind the arc in seven of the last eight games.
Illini in the record books
Several Illini are making their marks in the school record books this season.
SOPHOMORE ALEX WITTINGER
-Wittinger's 252 rebounds this season check in at No. 20 on Illinois' single-season list.
-She is tied for 11th on Illinois' single season offensive rebounds list with 95 this season.
-Wittinger's 74 blocked shots this season sit in second all-time. She is just four behind Karisma Penn at the top spot (78).
-Her 124 career blocks are currently in the No. 6 spot on Illinois' career list.
-Wittinger set a new school single-game record with eight rejections against Wright State.
FRESHMAN BRANDI BEASLEY
-Beasley has racked up 115 assists this season, the second most for an Illini in their rookie year. Jenny Johnson (84-85) holds the top spot with 140.
-She also ranks second all-time among freshmen for her 409 points this season. She needs 39 points to move into the top spot.
-Beasley's 51 steals this season are the sixth-most for an Illini freshman. She will move into the top five with just three more.
-Beasley needs 13 more dimes to move into the top-15 on Illinois' single-season assists list. Tonya Booker currently holds the No. 15 spot as she tallied 128 assists in the 1993-94 season.
FRESHMAN PETRA HOLESINSKA
-Holesinska has knocked down 52 three-pointers this season, which ranks fourth all-time among Illinois freshmen. She is just one away from moving into the No. 3 spot.
-Her 36.4-percent three-point shooting this season currently ranks third all-time among Illinois freshmen as well.
ALL-BIG TEN HONOREES
Fighting Illini freshman Brandi Beasley and sophomore Alex Wittinger were honored by the Big Ten Conference on Monday, as the league announced its All-Big Ten Awards. Beasley was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, as chosen by the league's coaches, and also earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors, as chosen by Big Ten media members. Wittinger earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention recognition, marking the second All-Big Ten honor of her career. Senior Ashley McConnell was also recognized by the league as Illinois' Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
MCCONNELL'S SENIOR SEASON
Senior Ashley McConnell is Illinois' only senior this season. In her time wearing the Orange and Blue, McConnell has made 94 appearances and earned 10 starts. She has dished 45 assists and grabbed 30 steals while scoring 127 points.
A HELPING HAND
Freshman Brandi Beasley is leading Illinois in assists this season, averaging 3.8 per game. She has recorded 115 dimes this year, becoming one of just four freshmen in Illinois history to tally more than 100 assists in their rookie season. She currently ranks second among all freshmen and needs 25 assists to tie Jenny Johnson (1984-85) in the top spot (140).
Beasley's 115 assists this season are the most for an Illini since Alexis Smith dished 163 during the 2012-13 campaign.
LEADING THE WAY
Freshman Brandi Beasley had quite the performance against Penn State, leading all scorers with a career-best 28 points. That performance marks the best single-game scoring number for an Illini freshman since Chatrice White scored 30 points against Michigan on Feb. 28, 2015. Beasley didn't just rack up the scoring numbers at Penn State, but she also tallied seven rebounds, five assists and two steals on the day.
Beasley averaged a team-leading 15.3 points per game in league play. She's posted double-digit scoring numbers in each of the last 11 games, leading the Illini in scoring in six of those contests.
Beasley went on a scoring streak, posting 20 or more points in three consecutive games from Jan. 29-Feb. 5. She played all 120 minutes in that span, shooting 48-percent from the floor and dishing 12 assists.
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 then-career-best 24 points in the contest.
She has reset her career-high scoring number in five games, and has scored in double-digits in 22 games, tallying two double-doubles.
Beasley has dished three or more assists in 21 games this year, leading the team in dimes in 18 games.
CENTURY MARK
Sophomore Alex Wittinger became the eighth player in Illinois history to record 100 career blocks on Thursday, Jan. 26. Wittinger tallied 50 blocks in her freshman season, which rank third among Illinois freshmen and are tied for 12 all-time on Illinois' single-season list. She has 72 rejections so far this year, and sits in 7th for her 122 career blocks. Her 74 rejections this year rank second all-time.
FIGHTING FRESHMEN
As expected, Illinois has seen major contributions from its freshmen this season. The Illini freshmen are accounting for more than 36 points per game so far this year, good for 58-percent of Illinois' scoring, led by Beasley, who averages 13.6 points per game. The freshman class averaged 38 points per game in league play as well, which equated to 62-percent of Illinois' scoring.
Illinois has seen three freshmen score in double-digits in seven games this season, against Wake Forest, USC Upstate, Rutgers, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Nebraska. 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. The Illini freshmen contributed 56 of Illinois' 78 points against Rutgers and 50 of UI's 64 points at Ohio State. At least one freshman has scored in double-figures in Illinois' last 25 games.
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 has led the Illini in scoring in eight games.
The freshman grabbed her first career double-double against Wright State, leading the squad with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
She again outdid herself against Rutgers, dropping 21 points on 5-for-6 shooting from downtown. Her 17 first-half points surpassed Rutgers' 16 first half-points as a team. Holešínská was named Big Ten Freshman of the week for her performance in the Illini victory. She again notched a career-high 21 points against Purdue.
DOUBLE-DOUBLING UP
Three Illini have recorded at least one double-double this season. Freshmen Brandi Beasley and Petra Holešínská each posted their first career double-doubles, while Alex Wittinger leads the Illini with nine. 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.
Leading Illinois on the double-double front, Wittinger now has 10 double-doubles this year and 14 in her career. With one more double-double she will tie for 10th on Illinois' single season double-doubles list. She needs just six more career double-doubles to move into 12th all-time.
A MARGIN TO TALK ABOUT
Illinois earned its second conference victory over Rutgers, 78-41, to mark the second-largest margin of victory for an Illini team in Big Ten play. The largest was a 47-point victory over Michigan State (98-51) in 1998. The 37-point margin of victory over Rutgers was the highest for an Illini team since a 55-point victory over Tennessee State (98-43) on Nov. 24, 2015.
Illinois has earned two 20+-point victories over Big Ten opponents this season, marking just the eighth year that an Illinois team has earned two or more Big Ten victories by a margin of 20 or more. The last time the Illini won two or more Big Ten games by 20 or more points was during the 2006-07 season, when the Orange and Blue topped both Northwestern (77-49) and Michigan (65-44) in back-to-back games.
