SAN LUIS OBISPO, California – Fighting Illini junior Courtney Joens led all scorers with a career-high 19 points on Friday, propelling Illinois to a 74-51 victory over the Cal Poly Mustangs at the ShareSLO Holiday Beach Classic. Joens also registered four rebounds on the day, and she was joined in double-figures by senior Alex Wittinger who finished with 10 points and eight boards. Friday's victory marks the 750th career win for Illinois head coach Nancy Fahey, who is one of just 11 active head coaches in the NCAA to have earned 750 career wins. Illinois now holds a 4-0 record on the season and will face Sacramento State tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT in San Luis Obispo.
"The win represents a lot of players, a lot of coaches who have done incredible jobs, our families and their support," Fahey said of her milestone victory on Friday. "It really is a 'thank you' to all those people. No one does this by themselves and I'm certainly very aware of all those players, including the Illini today."
The Illini were tough on defense to start the game, holding Cal Poly to just one field goal in the first 7:45 of play. The Orange and Blue knocked down the first bucket of the game, and continued to hold the lead in the period. Junior Ali Andrews led Illinois with six points to open the game, and freshman Mackenzie Blazek went 2-for-2 from the floor to contribute four points to UI's early lead.
"I was really pleased with how we showed up at the beginning of the game," Fahey said. "When you get that kind of punch and ball movement it's good. Cal Poly came roaring back in the second half, and I thought we withstood their increased pressure."
The Illini opened up a 9-2 run to start the second quarter and pull away from the Mustangs. Freshman Arieal Scott and Joens each netted two three-pointers in the second frame, helping the Orange and Blue extend their advantage in the quarter. Joens led Illinois with nine first-half points on 3-for-3 shooting from distance. UI defense stayed tough before halftime, forcing six Mustang turnovers in the second frame. The Illini capitalized with 11 points off of turnovers before the halftime break.
Illinois shot 53.8-percent in the first half, holding Cal Poly to 23-percent shooting from the floor. The Illini knocked down six treys in the first half, allowing just one from the Mustangs.
The Orange and Blue came out of the halftime break to score the first five points of the second half. Cal Poly responded with a strong defensive effort, holding UI to just two field goals in the frame. Illinois capitalized from the charity stripe, however, making 8-of-10 free throws in the third quarter. The Mustangs used two three-pointers in the quarter to cut into the Illini lead, but it wasn't enough as Illinois took a 52-33 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Illinois and Cal Poly traded buckets to end the game, but the Mustangs could not catch the Illini. UI shot 61.5-percent to end the game, and also held Cal Poly scoreless from distance in the fourth quarter.
The Illini shot a season-best 48-percent from the floor on the day and forced 21 Mustang turnovers. Nine Illini contributed to Illinois' scoring and rebounding against Cal Poly, including sophomore Meagan McNicholas who scored her first career-points in the game. Wittinger led Illinois on the glass with her eight boards, and transfer Sarah Shewan was also a major contributor to Illinois' rebounding advantage, grabbing seven rebounds and tallying two steals.
NEXT UP
Illinois will close play at the ShareSLO Holiday Beach Classic tomorrow, facing Sacramento State at 4 p.m. CT. The Illini will continue their road trip next week, heading to Clemson for a 6 p.m. matchup on November 28.
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GAME NOTES
-Illinois' 74-51 victory over Cal Poly marks the 750th career victory for head coach Nancy Fahey. Fahey is one of just 11 active NCAA head coaches to have acquired 750 or more career wins.
-With the victory, Illinois improves to 3-0 all-time against Cal Poly.
-The Illini held Cal Poly to just one field goal in the first 7:45 of play.
-Illinois' 23-point margin of victory marks the second win by more than 20 points for Illinois this season and the third under head coach Nancy Fahey.
-UI outrebounded the Mustangs, 43-29, marking the third consecutive game that Illinois' has outrebounded an opponent by 10 or more boards. The Illini have not been outrebounded in a game this season.
-Illinois scored a season-high 23 points off of turnovers. It is the most for an Illini squad since also scoring 23 points off of turnovers in a 74-62 victory over Bradley on November 18, 2017.
-Illini junior Courtney Joens led all scorers with 19 points on the day. The number marks a new career-high, surpassing her previous best of 13 points, which she reached twice in her career.
-Illini junior Meagan McNicholas scored her first points in the Orange and Blue on Friday, knocking down two free throws in the final 30 seconds of play.
