2020-21 ILLINI WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GAME NOTES FIGHTINGILLINI.COM @IlliniWBB @IlliniWBB facebook.com/IlliniWBasketball #ILLINI @IlliniAthletics @IlliniAthletics facebook.com/IlliniAthletics 2021 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament ILLINI WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MEDIA BOX Round 2 // Wednesday, March 10, 2021 The Illini women’s basketball media box will be updated with information and assets throughout the Indianapolis, Ind. // Bankers Life Fieldhouse course of the 2020-21 season. To access the content, including photos, video, and media zoom recordings, visit: uofi.box.com/v/2020-21WBBMedia Pos. No. Name Ht. Yr. GP/GS PPG RPG Other Notes G 0 J-Naya Ephraim 5-9 JR 22/12 4.5 2.1 1.6 ast/gm Career-high two three-pointers vs. Wisconsin (3/9) F 1 Nancy Panagiotopoulou 6-3 R-JR 13/0 0.0 0.5 1 blk Recognized on Senior Day vs. Minnesota (3/5) ILLINOIS (5-17, 2-16 B1G) NORTHWESTERN (13-7, 11-7 B1G) F 2 Lyric Robins 5-11 SR 21/1 1.7 1.6 11 steals 5 points on Senior Day vs. Minnesota (3/5) F 3 Solape Amusan 6-1 SO 21/0 4.1 2.0 14 3FGM Career-high 15 points, 4 3FGM vs. NU (2/24) G 10 Jeanae Terry 5-11 SO 22/22 10.8 7.8 4.5 ast/gm Near triple-double (11 P, 10 R, 9 A) vs. Minn (3/5) TELEVISION | Big Ten Network G 11 Jada Peebles 5-10 SO 22/22 11.8 2.0 33 3FGM 10+ points in 10 of last 12 games » FoxSports.com / Fox Sports App G 13 Tara O’Malley 5-6 JR 5/0 0.4 0.2 1 steal Scored first-career points, two free-throws, vs. Iowa F/C 14 Geovana Lopes 6-3 JR 14/1 3.6 3.1 5 steals Tied career high 6 rebs vs. Wisconsin (3/9) RADIO | Fighting Illini Sports Network F 20 Erika Porter 6-3 FR 16/2 2.0 1.1 10-19 FGs Tied career-high w/ 4 PTS (4-4 FTs) vs. WIS (3/9) » Mike Koon (play-by-play) G 21 Aaliyah McQueen 5-9 FR 18/0 2.1 2.5 9 steals 6 PTS, tied career-high with 2 3FGs at Purdue (2/28) » WDWS 1400-AM / FightingIllini.com/watch C 22 Eva Rubin 6-5 R-JR 21/19 7.5 3.4 20 blocks 16 PTS (8-of-13 FGs) vs. Minnesota (3/5) G 32 Aaliyah Nye 5-11 FR 17/9 8.3 2.2 26 3FGM Career-high 17 PTS (4 3FGs) vs. Wisconsin (3/9) LIVE STATS F 44 Kennedi Myles 6-2 SO 22/22 8.7 8.0 34 steals Double-double (12 P, 11 R) vs. Wisconsin (3/9) » BigTenStats.com HEAD COACHES Bold indicates previous game’s starter. ILLINOIS: Nancy Fahey // 35-78 at Illinois (4th year) // 772-211 overall (35th year) ILLINOIS SCHEDULE NORTHWESTERN: Joe McKeown // 221-184 at Northwestern (13th year) // 730-358 overall (35th year) Date ........Opponent ......................Time/Score SERIES VS. NORTHWESTERN Nov. 25 ......Indiana State + .................. W, 68-49 Series Record: Northwestern leads, 47-34 Dec. 2 . Valparaiso + .....................L, 59-62 Last Meeting: RV/25 Northwestern 67, Illinois 61 // Feb. 24, 2021 // Champaign, Illinois Series Streak: Northwestern, W12 Dec. 6 . Omaha + ....................... W, 53-50 in Champaign: Northwestern leads, 21-18 Dec. 10......at Nebraska * # ...................L, 72-78 in Evanston: Northwestern leads, 24-13 Dec. 19 . .19/19 Michigan * # ...............Canceled Neutral Site: Illinois leads, 3-2 Dec. 22 . .Southern Illinois + ...............Canceled Fahey vs Northwestern: 0-8 Dec. 31......at 20/18 Indiana * + . L, 79-56 Jan. 3 .......RV/RV Iowa * + .................L, 68-107 • OPENING TIP: No. 12-seeded Illinois (5-17, 2-16 B1G), following a 67-42 win opening-round win over Wisconsin, Jan. 7 .......16/16 Ohio State * # ...............L, 55-78 advances to Round 2 of the 2021 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, to face No. 5-seeded Jan. 10 ......at 15/14 Michigan * +..............L, 50-70 Northwestern (13-7, 11-7 B1G). Tipoff between the Illini and the Badgers is set for 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT from Jan. 14 ......RV/RV Michigan State * + ...........Canceled Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The game will be televised live on Big Ten Network. Mike Koon will call the action for the Illini on WDWS 1400 AM. Streaming audio and live stats will also available at FightingIllini.com. Additional Jan. 21 ......at 21/22 Northwestern * +...........L, 54-73 information for all games throughout the will event be available at the Tournament Central page at BigTen.org/WBBT. Jan. 25 ......--/RV Nebraska * # ................L, 53-57 Jan. 28 ......Penn State * + ...................L, 76-80 • ABOUT NORTHWESTERN: No. 5-seeded Northwestern enters Wednesday’s game with a 13-7 overall record, having lost their Jan. 31 ......at Wisconsin * + ..................L, 57-69 last two games to close out the regular season following 67-61 win in Champaign on Feb. 24. Junior G Veronica Burton Feb. 4 .......at Michigan State * # . L, 60-81 paces the Wildcats’ offensive attack at 16.7 points per game. Burton is one of three NU players averaging double-figures scoring alongside senior G Lindsay Pulliam (16.0 ppg) and junior G/F Sydney Wood (12.3 ppg). Junior F Courtney Shaw Feb. 7 .......Purdue * + . W, 54-49 is the team’s top rebounder at 7.1 boards per contest, just ahead of Wood (5.6 rpg). The Wildcats average 69.3 points per Feb. 10 ......at Minnesota * + ..................L, 73-83 game, while holding opponents to 62.0 per contest. Northwestern ranks among the NCAA top-10 in several statistical cat- Feb. 14 ......15/14 Indiana * + .................L, 50-58 egories, including No. 1 turnover margin (+10.35), No. 6 in steals per game (12.2), No. 7 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.40), Feb. 17 ......at 9/10 Maryland * # ..............L, 58-103 No. 7 in turnovers per game (11.2), and No. 9 in turnovers forced per game (21.60). Feb. 20 ......at RV/RV Rutgers * # ...............L, 46-75 • SERIES VS. NORTHWESTERN: Wednesday’s matchup is the 82nd in the series between the Illini and the Wildcats. Feb. 24 ......RV/25 Northwestern * + ............L, 61-67 Northwestern holds a 47-34 lead in the series. Illinois is 3-2 all-time vs. NU in neutral-site contests, and 3-0 vs. the Wildcats Feb. 28 ......at Purdue * +.....................L, 66-70 in Big Ten Tournament matchups. Illinois’ last win the series, overall, came Feb. 14, 2015, a 66-55 win in Champaign. March 5 .....Minnesota * + ................... W, 72-64 Northwestern has won the last 12 meetings since. Northwestern won both regular-season matchups this year, capturing a Big Ten Tournament // Indianapolis, Ind. (Bankers Life Fieldhouse) decisive 73-54 win in Evanston on Jan. 21, before holding on for a 67-61 win at State Farm Center on Feb. 24. March 9......Round 1 vs. (13) Wisconsin #.........W, 67-42 • LAST TIME VS. NORTHWESTERN: The Fighting Illini gave up an early lead before mounting a furious comeback effort that March 10.....Round 2 vs. (5) Northwestern # ...12:30 p.m. CT fell just short in a 67-61 home loss to Northwestern on Feb. 24. The Illini staked to a 19-9 lead in the first period by holding March 11.....Quarterfinal vs. (4) Michigan %...12:30 p.m. CT the Wildcats to 0-for-13 from the field in the first 8:48 of the contest. But NU regained its composure in the second period, March 12.....Semifinal vs. TBD %...............1 p.m. CT outscoring the Illini 22-3 to establish a lead they would not relinquish. Illinois cut the lead to single digits with 9:13 left in the March 13.....Championship vs. TBD & ...........1 p.m. CT fourth quarter, and pulled as close as four points, 65-61, with eight seconds remaining. Jada Peebles and Solape Amusan All times Central and subject to change each scored 15 points, a career-best for Amusan. Kennedi Myles and Aaliyah Nye each tallied 11 points. Myles also ripped Home games in BOLD # - Televised on Big Ten Network down a game-high 12 rebounds to finish with a double-double. * - Big Ten Conference game % - Televised on FS2 + - Streamed on Big Ten Network + & - Televised on ESPNU • With a win, the 12th-seeded Illini would advance to face No. 4 seed Michigan (14-4, 9-3) in the quarterfinal (#) - Tournament Seed UP NEXT: round of the Big Ten Tournament. 1 // FIGHTINGILLINI.COM // @ILLINIWBB // #ILLINI 2020-21 ILLINI WOMEN’S BASKETBALL • THE FAHEY ERA CONTINUES: The Illini enter their fourth season under the direction of head coach Nancy Fahey in 2020-21. QUICK FACTS > In Fahey’s first season, she led the Illini to a 9-5 non-conference record, which marked the best start to the season since Illinois also earned nine non-conference victories in the 2014-15 campaign (9-3). Illinois won four of its last five games UNIVERSITY INFORMATION leading up to league play, with the streak marking the most consecutive victories for the program since the start of the 2015- 16 season. Junior Alex Wittinger garnered All-Big Ten Second Team, and also matched the school record for single-season Location ��������������������������������������������Urbana-Champaign, Ill. offensive rebounds (125). Wittinger earned the program’s second-ever triple double during the 2017-18 campaign, and set a Enrollment. 52,331 new single-game record for blocked shots (11). Nickname . Fighting Illini > In her second season at the helm of the Illini, Fahey’s squad opened the year with a 7-0 record on Lou Henson Court for the Founded ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1867 first time since the 2006-07 season.