Big Ten Network : Illinois Top Stories

Taylor, Leuer help Wisconsin send Illinois to defeat

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 13:09:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The first time Wisconsin and Illinois met this season, the Illini couldn't miss on the way to winning their fifth straight. Badger forward Jon Leuer missed that game with a broken wrist and Jordan Taylor struggled with eight points. Sunday was a different story. Leuer and Taylor had 20 points apiece as the 17th-ranked Badgers won 72-57, dealing the Fighting Illini's NCAA tournament hopes a significant blow. "Jordan Taylor, what are you going to say?" Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "His heart's twice as big as he is." "Leuer's obviously a great player," Illinois forward Bill Cole added. "He hurt us a little bit in the first half, parts of the second half. He's a big difference in their team." Wisconsin's win gave the Badgers (23-7, 13-5 Big Ten) the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament, meaning they'll face the Illini again on Friday in Indianapolis. While the Badgers are a lock for the NCAA tournament, the Illini (18-13, 10-8) are probably in must-win mode. They have lost five of six and could miss the NCAAs for the second time in three seasons. Wisconsin led by as many as 16 midway through the second half, but the Illini, according to coach Bruce Weber, wasted a chance to climb back in the game. Leuer and Trevon Hughes -- who finished with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds -- both headed to the bench within about three minutes of each other midway through the half after picking up their fourth fouls. That gave the Illini, trailing 54-38, their best shot. In the 2½ minutes they sat, Illinois cut a 14-point gap to nine, with Cole hitting two free throws to close within 54-43. A couple minutes later, Cole hit a 3-pointer that made it 55-48. Before the crowd had a chance to settle back into their seats, Mike Davis stole the ball from Leuer, setting up a break that ended with a foul on Mike Tisdale, sending the 7-1 center to the line for a pair of free throws that cut the lead to 55-50. Weber brought his team to the bench and reminded them the win was there for the taking. "I said, 'You're going to have one opportunity to grab the game. You've got to play smart on both ends of the court,'" Weber said. "And we have three straight possessions on the other end -- two air balls and a turnover on the offensive end. "Sooner or later against a good team, they're going to grab the game. And that's what happened." Keaton Nankivil put back a free throw miss by Hughes with 5:27 to play to stretch the Badger lead back to 57-50, and over the next three possessions, the Badgers held Illinois to only a pair of free throws while extending the lead to 60-52. The Badgers held the Illini to seven points over the last seven minutes. Illinois was 2-9 from the floor over that stretch and 16 of 45 (35.6 percent) for the game. Wisconsin hit 41.9 percent of its shots (26 of 62). Ryan gave credit to his bench, which let Illinois close the gap but kept the Badgers in the lead while Leuer and Hughes were out of the game. "They did a pretty good job of making sure that it didn't get to the point where they caught us or got ahead of us," he said. "They stepped up big." Tisdale led Illinois with 16 points and Cole had 14. Midway through the first half, Illinois looked like it might give the Badgers a run. The Illini temporarily fixed an early rebounding drought -- one that allowed the Badgers to take almost twice as many shots as the Illini in the game's first 10 minutes -- and took their first lead at 15-14 with 8:18 to play in the first half on a jump shot by Tisdale. The teams traded leads four times over the next five minutes before the Badgers pulled away again, thanks in part to their rebounding. Wisconsin finished the game with a 40-30 edge on the boards and Illinois had only eight offensive rebounds. When the Illini beat the Badgers 63-56 last month in Madison, Wisconsin shot 35.8 percent while Illinois was an efficient 53 percent from the floor. Since then, the Illini have struggled with poor shooting and now Weber has to find a way to fix the problem if they want to stay with the Badgers in the Big Ten tournament. "They've got one last chance to make the season a positive," Weber said. "But we've got to play smarter."

A bump along the Illini road; Weber talks down talking-to

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

After another dramatic chapter in their stormy relationship, All-Big Ten guard Demetri McCamey and Illinois coach Bruce Weber downplayed the incident Tuesday, saying they're focused on salvaging the Illini's sagging NCAA tournament hopes. The latest donnybrook came with five minutes left in Illinois' loss Sunday to Wisconsin. Trying to avoid a huddle after he'd been whistled for a frustration foul, McCamey bumped Weber, who angrily pulled his pouting junior point guard back into the huddle. ''I wasn't trying to bump him; I was trying to go to the bench,'' McCamey said. ''People blew it out of proportion. I'd let my frustrations out. He understood that and was trying to calm me down. It wasn't any form of disrespect. ''It was just a player and a coach both wanting to win, wanting to go all-out. There's no disrespect. I still have tremendous respect for coach Weber, and he has the same for me.'' Similarly, Weber said he regularly jawbones his players in practice. The only difference was, everyone saw this. ''It was a nice teaching moment, a father-son talk,'' Weber said. ''It's a shame it happened on TV. I'm just happy he cares. If you would have seen some of the ones I had with Deron [Williams] and Dee [Brown], that was nothing. It's just part of being a coach and a teacher and a dad. And making sure kids know what's right and wrong.'' Insisting that he and Weber have a good relationship, McCamey said their clashes would have no bearing on whether he tests the NBA waters this spring. ''Coach Weber and I will talk about that after the season,'' said McCamey, who's second in the nation in assists (6.8) and was named first-team All-Big Ten on Monday. ''Right now, all I'm worried about is the Big Ten tournament. I'm not worried about NBA talk right now.'' What might persuade him to leave? ''If an NBA GM says I'm an automatic first-rounder with guaranteed money,'' McCamey said. ''It won't be because of [any problems with Weber].'' Inciting coaches is hardly new stuff for McCamey, who used to fluster St. Joseph legend Gene Pingatore as much as Weber. ''They both yell,'' McCamey said. ''They're both tremendous coaches, feisty coaches who get the best out of their players. I'm glad I came here to be part of it, just like I'm glad I went to St. Joseph's.'' Like his teammates, McCamey has cooled off lately. Illinois, which has lost five of its last six, needs to make the most of its rematch against Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament Friday to boost its NCAA tournament hopes. ''We go as Demetri goes,'' Weber said. ''He doesn't deal with success very well. He loses his edge, his concentration. He was humbled the other day, but maybe it's a good thing for him. Come back to earth and get focused on having a good finish to the season. It could help him.'' Copyright 2010 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.All Rights Reserved

No. 4 Illinois men beat No. 10 Iowa

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:44:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The fourth-ranked Illini men's gymnastics team posted a new season-high team score and improved to 10-0 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten after defeating No. 10 Iowa (5-9, 1-5 Big Ten), 357.500-346.600 Sunday afternoon at Carver Hawkeye Arena. Illinois won five of six team and individual events and set a new season-high score on vault (63.550). "Our performance on vault was exceptional today, so that was exciting to see," associate head coach Justin Spring said. "Our scores keep building and as we get closer to Michigan next weekend and the Big Tens, we want to keep pushing and keep raising those scores. We had some misses today on a couple events, but the second, third and fourth guys really stepped up and carried their weight. I'm excited for the guys. It was a great win." Junior Paul Ruggeri led the way with event titles on parallel bars (15.300) and high bar (16.100), on which he tied the career-high and school-best score he set earlier in the season. Additionally, his score on parallel bars ranks second in school history under the FIG Open Ended "Code of Points" introduced in 2008. Senior Luke Stannard won his second straight pommel horse title with a career-high score of 15.700, which ties for fifth in school history, while sophomore Tyler Mizoguchi won on rings (15.000) and the all-around (88.850) and tallied new career highs in both. Junior Daniel Ribeiro rounded out the group with his second title of the season on vault (16.100), which ties for third in school history. The Illini secured top-three finishes in nearly every event, as senior Tyler Williamson placed second on floor (14.950) and Ribeiro finished third with a season-high score of 14.900. He also finished in second place on pommel horse (14.600) and sophomore C.J. Padera followed in third place(14.300). In his season debut on vault, senior Andres Saavedra tied for second with Mizoguchi with a career-high score of 15.950 and also recorded a new season high on parallel bars (13.950). Padera and Mizoguchi tied for second place on parallel bars (14.950), with Padera tying his career high and Mizoguchi tying his season high on the event. Additionally, career highs also were set by Mizoguchi on high bar (14.100), sophomore Devin Regan on rings (14.200) and high bar (13.500) and freshman Yoshi Mori on parallel bars (14.500). The Illini return to Huff Hall next weekend for the first of two home meets to end the regular season beginning with No. 3 Michigan on Saturday, March 13 at 2 p.m. The meet will be held in conjunction with the Illini women's gymnastics team's meet against No. 18 Missouri. "Gym Jam," sponsored by the News-Gazette, WDWS and WHMS, will feature free food for the first 1,000 fans beginning at 1 p.m. at Huff Hall and fans also can pick up a free admission ticket at the Football Family Fun Fest from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on March 13.

Illinois women squeak by TCU, 4-3

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:43:00 +0000

FORT WORTH, Texas - Despite dropping the doubles point, the No. 43 Illini women's tennis team stormed back in singles to top No. 62 TCU, 4-3 Sunday afternoon at Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. With the win, Illinois improves to 5-6 and picks up its first true road win of the season, while TCU falls to 1-9 with its eighth straight loss. "It was a great win for us today," head coach Michelle Dasso said. "The girls really pulled it together after doubles and brought a different level of competitiveness into singles. Marisa (Lambropoulos) keeps getting better and better each match. It was also a special match for Amy Allin. She fought hard in her match and it really could have gone either way. We're looking forward to getting back to Big Ten play with a solid Indiana program at their place on Friday." The Horned Frogs won their first doubles point at home this season, but the Illini quickly responded in singles, as sophomore Chelcie Abajian defeated Gaby Mastromarino in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3 to tie the match at one. No. 112 senior Megan Fudge improved to 8-2 in her last 10 matches, topping No. 94 Nina Munch-Soegaard, 6-0, 7-5. TCU's win at No. 2 singles evened the score at two apiece, before junior Leigh Finnegan defeated Idunn Hertzberg, 6-4, 6-4 for her fourth straight win and classmate Marisa Lambropoulos clinched the victory with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 defeat of No. 86 Katariina Tuohimaa. The Illini resume Big Ten play on Friday, March 12 at No. 30 Indiana at 2:30 p.m. CT. #43 Illinois 4, #62 TCU 3 Singles competition 1. #112 Megan Fudge (ILL) def. #94 Nina Munch-Soegaard (TCU) 6-0, 7-5 2. #110 Kayla Duncan (TCU) def. #94 Rachael White (ILL) 6-2, 6-1 3. Marisa Lambropoulos (ILL) def. #86 Katariina Tuohimaa (TCU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 4. Leigh Finnegan (ILL) def. Idunn Hertzberg (TCU) 6-4, 6-4 5. Chelcie Abajian (ILL) def. Gaby Mastromarino (TCU) 6-4, 6-3 6. Maria Babanova (TCU) def. Amy Allin (ILL) 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-6) Doubles competition 1. Kayla Duncan/Katariina Tuohimaa (TCU) def. #46 Leigh Finnegan/Megan Fudge (ILL) 8-6 2. Nina Munch-Soegaard/Maria Babanova (TCU) def. Rachael White/Chelcie Abajian (ILL) 8-5 3. Marisa Lambropoulos/Breanne Smutko (ILL) def. Idunn Hertzberg/Gaby Mastromarino (TCU) 8-3 Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,1,2,4,3,6)

Illini can't complete comeback, fall to WVU

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 15:06:00 +0000

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Illinois led 5-3 heading into the fifth inning but West Virginia scored eight unanswered runs and held off a late Illini rally as the Orange and Blue fall, 11-8, in their final game of the Keith LeClair Classic. The Illini (1-5) had five players record multiple hits, led by first baseman Matt Dittman's 3-for-4 day. "We're doing things in games that we haven't done in practice, so we have to get that corrected," Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb said. "We weren't good out of the bullpen. We got some hits, but we also had opportunities to move runners and score runs without getting hits and we didn't put the ball into play. We continue to strike out too much and we're playing passively." West Virginia got on board first with a run in the top of the first when Illini starter hit WVU third baseman Grant Buckner with two outs and Buckner stole second. He came home on a base hit, giving the Mountaineers a quick 1-0 lead. But the Illini rebounded just as quickly, as catcher Aaron Johnson and first baseman Matt Dittman knocked consecutive two-out singles, and Dittman stole second to put men at second and third. Left fielder Casey McMurray singled to left field, driving in Johnson, but the left fielder misplayed the ball, allowing Dittman to motor home and McMurray to advance to second. Second baseman Pete Cappetta singled to third base, putting men at the corners, and Cappetta stole second. Third baseman Brandon Hohl responded with a two-run single up the middle to post the Illini to a 4-1 lead. WVU put two on the board in the top of the third but the Illini got one of them back in the bottom half when Johnson ripped a leadoff double and Dittman drove him in with a base hit to left, pushing the Illini lead to 5-3. Dittman's double chased the Mountaineer starter but the Illini couldn't keep the rally going against WVU reliever Chris Enourato. The Mountaineers tied it up in the fifth, though, on a two-run homer by catcher Matt Malloy, evening the score at 5-5. Reliever Corey Kimes gave up a run in the sixth but danced out of trouble when WVU executed a double-steal but the lead runner attempted to go home when Johnson threw to second and he was put out for the second out of the inning. Kimes induced a grounder to second to end the inning with the Mountaineers up 6-5. Freshman Matt Milroy worked a scoreless inning in the seventh and right fielder Craig Lutes led off with a single and stole second. But a groundout, a strikeout and a flyout kept the Illini from capitalizing as WVU held onto its 6-5 advantage. But the Illini gave up five runs in the top of the eighth on four hits, a walk, a hit batter and an error to push WVU ahead 11-5. Illinois got two of those runs back in the bottom half when Dittman drew a one-out walk and McMurray singled and stole second. One out later, a wild pitch brought Dittman home and Hohl singled home McMurray to cut WVU's margin to 11-7. The Illini loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth on a walk by Giller, Johnson being hit by a pitch and a Dittman single. McMurray drove in Giller with a groundout to second but Cappetta grounded out to end the game as Illinois fell, 11-8. Hohl was 2-for-4 with a career-best three RBIs and Dittman was 2-for-3 with an RBI, two runs and two steals. McMurray was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, and Johnson was 2-for-4 with two runs. Lutes also had two hits and stole two bases. The Illini return to the Carolinas next weekend to play in the Caravelle Resort Classic hosted by Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C. Illinois faces the host Chanticleers twice as well as Lipscomb and Ball State.

Illinois men drop NU in Big Ten opener

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 23:30:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. – In a match that lasted just under five hours, the 12th-ranked Illini men's tennis team (7-5, 1-0 Big Ten) was victorious in its Big Ten opener Saturday night at No. 34 Northwestern (7-4, 0-1), 5-2 at Combe Tennis Center. No. 66 junior Abe Souza held off Andrew McCarthy to clinch Illinois' third win of the week with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory. It was Souza's third straight win and team-best 19th overall and he also improved to 10-1 this season at Nos. 3-5 singles. After dropping the doubles point the night before, the Illini took control this time around, as the No. 38 tandem of junior Johnny Hamui and sophomore Dennis Nevolo topped Alex Sanborn and Spencer Wolf, 8-3. No. 49 senior Marek Czerwinski and freshman Stephen Hoh edged Tobias Reitz and McCarthy, 9-8 (3) to secure the 1-0 lead. For the second straight night, No. 43 Nevolo cruised to a straight sets victory in singles, sweeping Wolf, 6-2, 6-1, and Hoh followed suit with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Sanborn. The Wildcats earned their first point of the night at No. 6 singles, before Souza clinched the win. In the final match of the night, No. 106 Czerwinski needed over two hours to rally back and defeat Joshua Graves, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6), 1-0 (15-13). The Illini return to action in two weeks when they host Ball State (10 a.m.) and Illinois State (3 p.m.) in a rare Friday doubleheader on March 19 at Atkins Tennis Center. #12 Illinois 5, #34 Northwestern 2 Singles competition 1. #106 Marek Czerwinski (ILL) def. Joshua Graves (NU) 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (8-6), 1-0 (15-13) 2. #43 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. Spencer Wolf (NU) 6-2, 6-1 3. #66 Abe Souza (ILL) def. Andrew McCarthy (NU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 4. Sidarth Balaji (NU) def. Johnny Hamui (ILL) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 5. Stephen Hoh (ILL) def. Alex Sanborn (NU) 6-2, 6-3 6. Mark Schanerman (NU) def. Connor Roth (ILL) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 Doubles competition 1. #49 Marek Czerwinski/Stephen Hoh (ILL) def. Tobias Reitz/Andrew McCarthy (NU) 9-8 (7-3) 2. #38 Johnny Hamui/Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. Alex Sanborn/Spencer Wolf (NU) 8-3 3. Joshua Graves/Mark Schanerman (NU) def. Connor Roth/Abe Souza (ILL) 8-1

No. 13 Illinois women cruise past Ohio State

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 18:36:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - No. 13 Illinois dominated Ohio State, 196.300-194.700, on Saturday afternoon at Huff Hall, topping the Buckeyes on every event and sweeping the individual event titles. Senior Sarah Schmidt won the all-around for the second time in her career, tallied her sixth floor crown this season and tied for first with junior Melissa Fernandez and sophomore Kelsey Joannides on beam. Fernandez took the top spot on bars with a career-high 9.925, while junior Allison Buckley picked up her fifth vault title of the year. "We had really good performances on all four events," head coach Bob Starkell said. "One of our goals is to not count a major break, and we didn't have any today, so we accomplished that goal. I feel pretty good about the stretch we have had as we continue to get ready for Big Tens." The Illini notched season highs on bars (49.225) and beam (49.175), helping the squad eclipse the 196 mark for the fourth time this season. The beam score tied the second-best mark in school history while the bars score matched the fifth-best score on the UI all-time list thanks to Fernandez, who tied the fifth-best individual score (9.925) on the event. "We kept the energy level high on bars by remaining focused, staying composed and sticking the dismounts," Starkell said. "Beam is just a mentally tough event, but our group is looking pretty confident and strong. Even though they did really well today, I still believe they can do even better." Illinois grabbed an early lead with a 48.825 on vault, paced by Buckley's winning score of 9.850. Freshman Jaclyn Kantecki took third with a 9.775 while senior Nicole Cowart tied for fifth with a 9.750. Schmidt and Joannides rounded out the scoring with a pair of 9.725s. The Orange and Blue extended their lead with an impressive showing on bars, where they boasted the top three individuals. Schmidt came in second behind Fernandez with a 9.900 followed by freshman Alina Weinstein in third with a career-high 9.850. Kantecki tied her career high with a 9.775 to tie for sixth with Buckley. After two rotations, the Illini led by over half a point. On balance beam, Schmidt posted a career high for the second straight week to tie Fernandez and Joannides for the event crown with a 9.850. Buckley tied for fourth with a 9.825 followed by Cowart with a 9.800 to give the its season best score. Junior Samantha Perino scored a 9.725 which did not count toward the team score. Illinois filled the top-five spots on floor exercise and recorded a 49.075 to close the night. Schmidt, who has won the floor crown at every Big Ten dual meet this season, notched a 9.900 to capture the victory. Perino matched her career high for the third straight week with a 9.800 and tied with Fernandez and Buckley for the runner-up slot. Cowart tied for fifth with a 9.775 to wrap up the Illini scoring. In the all-around competition, Schmidt led the way, tying the sixth-best mark in school history with a 39.375. Fernandez came in second with a 39.275 followed closely behind by Buckley at 39.250. Cowart posted a 39.050 to tie for fourth. All four Illini all-arounders now have won the title at least once this season. With the victory, Illinois improved to 8-7 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten duals while knocking off the Buckeyes for the fifth time in a row. The meet will air on the Big Ten Network next Saturday, March 13 at 11 a.m. Up Next: Illinois closes out its home season on Saturday, March 13 at 2 p.m. with Gym Jam, a double dual featuring the women against No. 18 Missouri and the men's gymnastics team versus Michigan. Free food will be provided to the first 1,000 fans beginning at 1 p.m. as part of the premiere promotion sponsored by the News-Gazette, WDWS and WHMS. A trio of Illini, Nicole Cowart, Sarah Schmidt and Laura Woolf, also will be honored as part of Senior Day festivities.

Top-seeded Buckeyes beat Illinois

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 18:11:00 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Jantel Lavender controlled the middle and Samantha Prahalis took care of the perimeter work, leading No. 10 Ohio State past Illinois 66-55 in Friday's Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. Lavender, the Big Ten player of the year, finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Prahalis had 13 points and eight assists. The Buckeyes (28-4) are the defending tourney champs and will face either Purdue or Wisconsin in Saturday's semifinals. Illinois (16-14) was led by Jenna Smith, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds. She fell three points short of breaking Illinois' career scoring record but did set a new single-season record for rebounds. Smith now has 2,087 career points, trailing Ashley Berggren by two. Lacey Simpson had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Illini, who had won three straight before Friday. It was an unusually tough struggle for Ohio State, which is seeded No. 1 in Indianapolis for a record sixth straight year and had swept the season series from Illinois by a combined total of 38 points. The long, athletic Illini refused to let the Buckeyes run away from them again. They limited the prolific shooting Buckeyes to 40 percent from the field and outrebounded Ohio State 45-34. However, the Buckeyes' 1-2 combination proved too much. With Lavender repeatedly forcing Smith to catch the ball away from the basket, and Prahalis holding Simpson in check, the Illini's top two scoring threats were shut down. Ohio State, meanwhile, took control with a 17-4 run that gave them a 17-7 lead with 11:29 to go in the first half. Twice during the half, Ohio State appeared poised to pull away, only to watch the Illini continue to hang around. Illinois trimmed a 22-12 deficit to 24-19. Ohio State answered with seven straight points to make it 31-19 with 3:10 to go in the half. But again Illinois rallied. After trailing 33-24 at the half, the Illini opened the second half with five straight points. The Buckeyes followed that with an 11-4 run, rebuilding a 44-33 lead that they finally expanded to 55-39 with 8:46 to go. Game over, right? Wrong. The Illini went on a 14-2 over 3 1/2 minutes to close to 57-51 when freshman Karisma Penn hit a 3-footer with 5:04 left, but the Buckeyes closed it out with free throws in the final minute.

Illinois can't rally past Western Carolina

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 17:18:00 +0000

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- The Western Carolina Catamounts held off the Illinois Illini for a 4-2 win at Clark-LeClair Field in the Keith LeClair Invitational Tournament on Saturday. Illinois (1-4) was unable to overcome a three-run sixth inning deficit. The Illini fought back in the seventh inning, putting up one run when Craig Lutes hit into a fielder's choice. The Catamounts (8-1) teamed up on a stellar pitching performance. The five pitchers combined to allow seven hits. Kyle Stewart started it all off with a strong performance and a combination of relievers Matt Benedict, Mat Batts, Brandon Johnson and Daniel Ottone finished it off. Six strikeouts helped Stewart get the win for Western Carolina. He allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks over five innings. Michael Giller had a good game at the plate for the Illini. He went 1-3, scored one run and drove in one run. Giller homered in the fourth inning. Western Carolina scored in four innings to claim the victory. In the second, Brian De la Torriente gave up one run on a Tyler Kirkpatrick single, in the third Trevor Collias put up a solo-shot home run, in the fourth Ollie Goulder brought a run in with a double and in the fifth a run scored when Austin Schultz reached on a throwing error by third baseman Brandon Hohl. De la Torriente took the loss for Illinois. He went 4 2/3 innings, gave up no walks, struck out one, and allowed four runs. Illinois's next game is on Sunday, March 7 at West Virginia. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

No. 19 East Carolina rallies to beat Illinois

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 13:38:00 +0000

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Illinois took a one-run lead in the top of the seventh but No. 19 East Carolina used a four-run bottom half of the inning to grab the lead for good as the Pirates took a 7-5 win at the seventh-annual Keith LeClair Classic. Center fielder Willie Argo and catcher Aaron Johnson each notched two hits and two RBIs, and right fielder Craig Lutes was 2-for-3 with two runs. "We played hard," Ilinois head coach Dan Hartleb said. "We struck out too much and when we have scoring innings, we need to turn around and put zeroes on the board in the next inning. But we continued to play hard when things didn't go well and we saw some good things from our guys." The Pirates touched the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third after a leadoff single, a steal of second and a throw into center field put a runner on third with no outs. A grounder back to the mound kept ECU at bay initially, but the next grounder went to shortstop Josh Parr, who threw home. But catcher Aaron Johnson couldn't handle the throw and the run scored. ECU added a run in the fourth on a solo homer and made its lead 3-0 in the fifth. A one-out single and a steal of second started the inning. After a hit batter, Pirate first baseman John Wooten drove in the runner with a base hit to left-center. Illinois started its comeback in the sixth when Johnson knocked a one-out single and moved to third on first baseman Matt Dittman's double down the right-field line. Left fielder Casey McMurray drove in Johnson with an RBI groundout to cut ECU's lead to 3-1. The Illini pulled ahead with a three-run seventh inning when right fielder Craig Lutes doubled to the opposite field with one out and Parr singled to right. Center fielder Willie Argo singled to right to bring home Lutes and the runners moved up to second and third on a wild pitch. One out later, Johnson smashed a double to left-center, bringing in both Parr and Argo for a 4-3 Illinois lead. But ECU exploded for four runs off Illini relievers Bryan Roberts and Mike Sterk to pull into a 7-4 lead. Illinois looked to rally in the ninth when Lutes started with a leadoff single and, one out later, Argo doubled him home. But the next two Illini hitters struck out to make the final score 7-5 in favor of the Pirates. Argo was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run in his first game in the top spot in the batting order. Johnson went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and a run, and McMurray went 2-for-5 with an RBI. The Illini return to action Saturday when they take on Western Carolina at 10 a.m. CT.

Ohio State beats Illinois, wins share of crown

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 20:12:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State's players would watch other schools rush the court and they always wondered what it would be like if they were in the midst of such a wild celebration. Now they know. Jon Diebler once again lit up Illinois from behind the arc, hitting seven 3-pointers for 21 points, to lead the seventh-ranked Buckeyes to a 73-57 victory on Tuesday night that assured them of at least a share of the Big Ten title. After the game, just as the Buckeyes had hoped, they were mobbed by fans. Evan Turner and Dallas Lauderdale had discussed what the reaction would be if they won the title. "Watching other schools rush the court, I said, 'Dang, I just wonder how it would be if that was to happen!'" Lauderdale said. "Evan was like, 'Let's make it happen.' So that's what we did." It was the third conference title in the last five years for Ohio State (24-7, 14-4), winners of four straight overall and 13 of 15. "It felt like you could finally live out one of those moments that they show you when you get recruited here. They show you video of everybody on the floor celebrating, all happy," said Turner, who had his typical, all-around game with 16 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. "That was cool." After the game, fans swarmed onto the court and cheered while several players ran over to their families to celebrate with them. The crowd chanted "One More Year!" for Turner, a front-runner for national player of the year who has not decided if he will give up his senior season to jump to the NBA. "I don't even know what to say," said Turner, who missed 4½ weeks with broken bones in his back while the Buckeyes lost three of their first four Big Ten games. "All this hard work we put in, we always persevered through tough times. The stuff we did during the summer, growing as a team and going through all the [things] we went through, this is a testament to [that]. It's a great accomplishment. It's great. "But it's not over yet. We've got a couple of more trophies to worry about." Athletic director Gene Smith presented the Big Ten championship trophy to the players -- it was the school's 18th title -- while the band played. The Buckeyes will be the top seed in the Big Ten tournament, after taking a nine-day rest, and will likely be a high seed in the NCAA tournament. William Buford added 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists but it was David Lighty, who finished with 15 points, who might have provided the biggest spark for the Buckeyes in the second half. The lead hovered around four points until sub Kyle Madsen hit a baseline jumper and, after an Illinois turnover, Lighty took one quick step to the basket and scored on a left-handed layup while Illini big man Mike Tisdale picked up his third foul. Lighty's three-point play pushed the lead to 58-49 with 9 minutes left. "Coach [Thad Matta] was telling us to drive and attack," Lighty said. "[Power forward Mike] Davis was guarding me and he's a little bit slower than me. I just tried to be aggressive." Five straight points by Buford and a basket by Turner on a 3-on-1 fastbreak pushed the lead to 65-51 with less than 7 minutes left. Diebler hit six 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the Buckeyes' 72-53 rout at Illinois on Feb. 14. "They can use their athleticism to spread us out," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "When Diebler shoots like that, it really puts you in a bind." Diebler never took a shot inside the arc, hitting half of his 14 attempts. "The guys had confidence in me," said Diebler, who was just 3 of 17 on 3-pointers the last two games. "They were collapsing on ET, Will and Dave and they were driving. It just left open shots for me. I was fortunate to knock them down tonight." DeMetri McCamey had 18 points for the Illini (18-12, 10-7), who have lost two straight and four of five. Illinois now must win its season finale at home on Sunday against Wisconsin (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP) to clinch a top-five seed in the Big Ten tournament and a first-round bye. "The shark got one leg, now it's got another," Weber said. "It's pulling us under. We'll see if we can get away." Echoing his star player's sentiments, Matta said the Buckeyes still have some unfinished business in the conference and NCAA tournaments. "In coaching I've been blessed; this is 12 rings in 15 years," Matta said. "I said the most important ring is the next one."

Illinois wins the right to face Buckeyes

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 17:02:00 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS - The Fighting Illini find themselves in a familiar position as they head into the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Seeded ninth for the third straight season, Jolette Law's squad once-again upset the No. 8 seed to set up a quarterfinal matchup with top-seeded and regular season champion Ohio State. This year, behind spirited play by seniors Jenna Smith and Lacey Simpson, the Illini's first round victim was Indiana. Smith pulled down a tournament record 19 rebounds to go along with a game-high 23 points and four blocks, while Simpson added 12 points, eight steals, seven rebounds and six assists in the 59-53 Illini victory at Conseco Fieldhouse on Thursday. The Illinois victory avenged two regular season losses to the Hoosiers and advanced them to quarterfinals for the sixth straight year. The Illini are now 5-2 in the Big Ten Tournament since Law's arrival prior to the 2007-08 season and, amazingly, all five victories have come as the lower-seeded team. On Thursday, the Illini (16-13) trailed just once in the game and that was during the opening minute. After Indiana led 3-2, Illinois rattled off five straight points to take a 7-3 lead and would never relinquish it. The UI lead fluctuated between one and six points throughout the first half and the Illini took a 26-25 lead into the break behind a strong defensive presence that held the Hoosiers to 28 percent first-half shooting. The Orange and Blue had a chance to build a bigger lead before the half, but a 5:46 scoring drought and 10 first-half turnovers prevented that. Illinois started the second half on a 9-2 run to open up a 35-27 lead after a Simpson steal led to a fast-break lay-up by sophomore Fabiola Josil at the 16:44 mark. The Illini would push the lead out to nine a couple times after that, the last coming after a Smith lay-up at the 6:26 mark that made the score 52-43. The Hoosiers wouldn't go away, however, as they battled back to within two during the final minute before Simpson, Smith and sophomore Lydia McCully each knocked down a pair of free throws to put the game away. For the game, Illinois overcame 25 turnovers and 38 percent shooting to get the victory. Nine blocked shots (four by Smith, three by freshman Karisma Penn and two by Simpson) helped limit the Hoosiers to 27 percent shooting and Simpson's eight steals helped lead to 12 fast-break points for the Illini. The Orange and Blue got to the line 19 times compared to 11 for IU, making Illinois 9-0 this season when shooting more free throws than its opponent. Smith hit 8-of-17 from the field for her 23 points, which move her to within 16 points of breaking Ashley Berggren's Illinois career scoring record of 2,089 points. She also hit 6-of-6 from the charity strip to up her conference-leading free throw percentage to 87.6. Simpson, meanwhile, moved to within one steal of breaking Allison Curtin's UI single-season steal mark with her eight thefts on the night. She now has 101 on the season, just one behind Curtin's record of 102, and 356 for her career to move up to third on the Big Ten's career steals list. Penn and McCully each had eight points for the Illini on Thursday, and Josil added four points and two assists during a key stretch in the second half. Jori Davis led Indiana (14-16) with 20 points.

No. 12 Illini men knock off Notre Dame

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 23:17:00 +0000

URBANA, Ill. – Playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in over a month, the 12th-ranked Illini men's tennis team (5-5) got back on track with a 5-2 defeat of No. 38 Notre Dame (6-6) Tuesday night at Atkins Tennis Center. Freshman Stephen Hoh clinched the victory after rallying back in a thrilling, three-set win over David Anderson, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. "The biggest key in Stephen's match was composure," head coach Brad Dancer said. "He really stayed calm and trusted his shots and earned the win. Bruno (Abdelnour) came up huge for us, especially playing in a situation where nerves are on the line. You can see the toughness and tenacity Abe's (Souza) playing with right now and Marek (Czerwinski) was very focused tonight and wasn't as emotional as he usually is. There was some tremendous leadership on their part in staying with their tactics and with what they wanted to do. I'm really proud of both of them." With sophomore Dennis Nevolo forced to sit out due to illness, the Illini made some last-minute adjustments to the lineup that ended up paying off big for several players. No. 106 senior Marek Czerwinski filled in at No. 1 singles and captured a straight sets upset over No. 19 Casey Watt, 7-5, 6-4, while freshman Bruno Abdelnour made his singles dual debut and topped Blas Moros, 6-4, 6-3 to setup Hoh's match-clinching victory. Illinois captured an early 1-0 lead after securing the doubles point, as Abdelnour and junior Johnny Hamui, who were playing together for the first time this season, cruised to an 8-1 win over Anderson and Matt Johnson. Souza and junior Connor Roth clinched the point with an 8-6 defeat of Niall Fitzgerald and Tyler Davis. The Illini close out their homestand Friday night against No. 17 Texas A&M at 6 p.m. at Atkins Tennis Center. #12 Illinois 5, #38 Notre Dame 2 Singles competition 1. #106 Marek Czerwinski (ILL) def. #19 Casey Watt (ND) 7-5, 6-4 2. Stephen Havens (ND) def. Johnny Hamui (ILL) 6-0, 6-1 3. #66 Abe Souza (ILL) def. #72 Daniel Stahl (ND) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) 4. Stephen Hoh (ILL) def. David Anderson (ND) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 5. Samuel Keeton (ND) def. Connor Roth (ILL) 6-2, 6-1 6. Bruno Abdelnour (ILL) def. Blas Moros (ND) 6-4, 6-3 Doubles competition 1. Casey Watt/Stephen Havens (ND) def. #49 Marek Czerwinski/Stephen Hoh (ILL) 8-4 2. Abe Souza/Connor Roth (ILL) def. Niall Fitzgerald/Tyler Davis (ND) 8-6 3. Bruno Abdelnour/Johnny Hamui (ILL) def. David Anderson/Matt Johnson (ND) 8-1 Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,2,1,6,4,3)

No. 3 Illinois stays perfect, beats UIC

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:37:00 +0000

CHICAGO - The No. 3 Illini men's gymnastics team improved to 9-0 on the season with a 351.300-337.200 victory at No. 12 UIC (2-11) Sunday afternoon. Senior Luke Stannard won his first two event titles of the year on floor exercise (15.000) and pommel horse with a season-high score of 15.200, while sophomore C.J. Padera placed first on parallel bars (14.800) and high bar with a career-high score of 15.000. Junior Paul Ruggeri secured his second vault title of the season, tallying a score of 15.300 and senior Tyler Williamson led the Illini on rings with a second-place finish (14.750). Freshman Malcolm Brown placed seventh on pommel horse (13.850) in his collegiate debut, while sophomore Maxwell Portocarrero also made his first-career appearance for the Illini and posted a 13.150 on floor exercise and 12.000 on rings. Junior Daniel Ribeiro competed on parallel bars for the first time this season and placed sixth (14.050) and also finished in second place on pommel horse (14.800) and third on vault (15.100). Several Illini set new career highs on the day, including sophomore Kyle Moe on rings (6th; 14.250), freshman Yoshi Mori on pommel horse (3rd; 14.600) and parallel bars (2nd; 14.450), sophomore Devin Regan on high bar (8th; 13.500) and senior Chad Wiest on high bar (7th; 13.650). As a team, the Illini won on all six events and recorded a season-best on pommel horse with a score of 58.800. The squad returns to Big Ten action next Sunday, March 7 at No. 10 Iowa at 2 p.m. CT.

No. 39 Illini women get it done vs. Harvard

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:04:00 +0000

URBANA, Ill. – The No. 39 Illini women's tennis team (4-6) concluded the weekend with a solid 5-2 victory over No. 53 Harvard (5-4) Sunday afternoon at Atkins Tennis Center. After sweeping all three doubles matches, Illinois wasted no time clinching the match with three consecutive victories in straight sets at the Nos. 5, 6 and 2 positions. "It was an oustanding day for us across the board," head coach Michelle Dasso said. "Sweeping the doubles was a step in the right direction and we battled on all courts in singles. Unfortunately we lost two of them, but their opponents really earned it and played well at the end. Overall, I thought doubles looked great this weekend we liked what we saw with the different combos. I think they're clicking because they're complementing each other well. We've been working a lot on doubles and movement and being in the right position and I think that was the main key in our doubles success this weekend." Sophomore Chelcie Abajian and freshman Rachael White cruised to an 8-0 victory over Kristin Norton and Samantha Rosekrans and junior Marisa Lambropoulos and freshman Breanne Smutko followed shortly after, topping Alexandra Lehman and Samantha Gridley, 8-3 to clinch the doubles point. Senior Megan Fudge and junior Leigh Finnegan made it a clean sweep with their second straight victory, as they defeated Holly Cao and Hideko Tachibana, 8-4. In singles, Finnegan picked up right where she left off Friday night and swiftly topped Lehman, 6-3, 6-1, while Smutko defeated Gridley, 6-3, 6-2 for her 12th win of the season and No. 85 White clinched the match with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 115 Tachibana. Fudge picked up the final win of the day for the Illini and her 13th overall, as she topped No. 57 Cao, 6-4, 6-3. The Illini will compete on outdoor courts for the first time since mid-January when they travel to No. 32 TCU for a match next Sunday, March 7 at Noon CT. #39 Illinois 5, #53 Harvard 2 Singles competition 1. Megan Fudge (ILL) def. #57 Holly Cao (HARV) 6-4, 6-3 2. #85 Rachael White (ILL) def. #115 Hideko Tachibana (HARV) 6-4, 7-5 3. Kristin Norton (HARV) def. Marisa Lambropoulos (ILL) 6-4, 6-4 4. Samantha Rosekrans (HARV) def. Chelcie Abajian (ILL) 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 5. Leigh Finnegan (ILL) def. Alexandra Lehman (HARV) 6-3, 6-1 6. Breanne Smutko (ILL) def. Samantha Gridley (HARV) 6-3, 6-2 Doubles competition 1. Megan Fudge/Leigh Finnegan (ILL) def. Holly Cao/Hideko Tachibana (HARV) 8-4 2. Rachael White/Chelcie Abajian (ILL) def. Kristin Norton/Samantha Rosekrans (HARV) 8-0 3. Breanne Smutko/Marisa Lambropoulos (ILL) def. Alexandra Lehman/Samantha Gridley (HARV) 8-3 Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,6,2,3,1,4)

Red Storm take down Illini, 6-4

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:55:00 +0000

ST. PETERSBURG, Flor. -- Matt Wessinger was the most important player in the St. John's Red Storm's 6-4 victory over the Illinois Illini (1-2) on Sunday at Naimoli Complex in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge. Wessinger drove in two Red Storm (6-0) runners. He singled in the fifth inning scoring Joe Panik and grounded out in the sixth inning scoring Panik. Reliever Kyle Hansen earned the victory for St. John's. He allowed no runs over 2 1/3 innings. The freshman pitcher struck out two, gave up one walk and surrendered one hit. Reliever Nick Chmielewski took the loss for Illinois. He went 1 1/3 innings, gave up no walks, struck out none, and allowed two runs. St. John's was unable to make good contact against John Anderson. The Red Storm managed no hits off of the junior pitcher. Anderson allowed no earned runs, two walks and struck out one during his two innings of work. Four relief pitchers finished off the game for St. John's. Brendan Lobban faced five batters in relief out of the bullpen, while Hansen managed to record seven outs to aid the victory. Illinois's next game is on Friday, March 5 against East Carolina in Greenville, N.C. in the Keith LeClair Invitational Tournament. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Fighting Illini tame Wildcats for 21st straight time, 58-48

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:39:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. - The Illinois women's basketball team just seems to have Northwestern's number. Jolette Law's Fighting Illini defeated the Wildcats for the 21st consecutive time with a convincing 58-48 win at Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday afternoon in Evanston. Senior Lacey Simpson led the way with 17 points and six steals, while fellow senior Jenna Smith had 15 points and 12 boards for the Orange and Blue, who close the regular season tied for eighth place in the Big Ten with a 15-13 overall record and a 7-11 conference mark. The Illini head in to next week's Big Ten Tournament on a roll, having won two straight after a 61-57 win over Purdue last Sunday and today's victory. Illinois will be in familiar territory in Indianapolis as it will be the No. 9 seed for the third consecutive season. On Sunday in Evanston the Illini were focused right from the start, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Illinois jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes and used a 15-3 run later in the half to open up a 20-8 lead following a steal and fast break lay-up by freshman Karisma Penn with 4:45 left to play. From the 14:54 mark to the 3:31 mark of the first half, the Illini defense allowed just one Northwestern field goal. For the half, the Illinois defense limited the hosts to just 17 percent shooting en route to a 23-13 halftime lead. The 13 points allowed are a season-low for an Illinois opponent. Northwestern (16-13, 7-11) opened the second half with a three-point play to close with in 23-16, but Illinois countered with an 11-0 run, capped by a steal and fast break lay-up by Simpson, to take command of the game, 34-16, with 16:34 remaining. The 'Cats would get no closer than nine the rest of the way as Illinois shot lights-out in the second half, hitting 12-of-19 from the field (63.2 percent). For the game, Illinois shot 52.4 percent and held NU to 28.1 percent from the field. The Illini also dominated in the paint, outscoring the 'Cats 28-10 inside, and held a 12-0 edge in fast break points thanks mostly to Simpson's six steals and Penn's three thefts. Simpson was magnificent, hitting 7-of-12 from the field for her game-high 17 points, while also adding seven rebounds, six steals, three assists and three blocks. She locked up her second straight Big Ten steals title and climbed up to fourth on the Big Ten's career steals list. Smith, meanwhile, picked up her 16th double-double of the season and moved up two spots on the Big Ten career rebounding list. She's now the third-best rebounder in the history of the conference with 1,138 career boards. The Illini freshmen also came up big in today's game. Penn had a solid all-around game with 10 points, six rebounds, a career-high six assists, four blocks and three steals. She moved into sole possession of the Illini freshman blocks record as she now has 43 to move out of a tie with Smith and Simpson for the record. Adrienne GodBold also provided a spark with seven first-half points during a stretch when the UI offense needed a boost. Kersten Magrum also contributed to the win with four points, while sophomore Lydia McCully had a solid game with five points, four rebounds and three assists while playing a full 40 minutes. The Illinois win evened up the overall season series between the two teams at 31-31, though Illinois has dominated lately, winning 24 of the last 25 against the Wildcats. The Fighting Illini will now head to the Big Ten Tournament March 4-7 in Indianapolis to try to earn the Big Ten's automatic NCAA Tournament bid. Illinois will be the No. 9 seed and will face No. 8 seed Indiana the third and final game on Thursday (approx. 4:30 p.m. ET). Postgame Notes - Feb. 28 at Northwestern 1. Illinois beat Northwestern on Sunday for the 21st straight time, extending the longest current winning streak of one Big Ten team over another. The Illini have now won 11 straight road games vs. the Wildcats and how not dropped a game to NU in Evanston in 14 years. 2. Jenna Smith's 15 points bring her career total to 2,051. She now needs 39 points to break Ashley Berggren's Illinois career scoring record of 2,089. She also passed former Minnesota Golden Gopher Laura Coenen (2,044) for 12th on the Big Ten's all-time scoring list. 3. Smith's 12 rebounds bring her career total to 1,138 and move her into third place on the Big Ten's career rebounding list past former Michigan State Spartan Liz Shimek (1,130) and former Minnesota Golden Gopher Molly Tadich (1,135). 4. Smith's double-double was her 16th of the season and the 48th of her career. 5. Lacey Simpson had three blocks to bring her career total to 159, which moves her sole possession of second on the UI career blocks list. She entered the game tied with Kendra Gantt. She is now behind only Smith's Illinois career record of 213. 6. Simpson had six steals on the day to up her career total to 348 and move her into fourth on the Big Ten career steals list. She passed former Michigan State guard Kristin Haynie's total of 346 today. 7. Simpson's 17 points up her career scoring total to 1,104 points and move her past Alicia Sheeler (1,091) and into 19th place on the Illinois all-time scoring list. 8. Karisma Penn became Illinois' freshman blocked shots record holder with four swats on the day. She now has 43 blocks on the season to move out of a tie with Smith and Simpson for the Illini rookie record.

Illinois beats Arkansas, wins tourney crown

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:13:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ga. -- The Illinois Illini and the Arkansas Razorbacks both had their opportunities on Sunday, but it was Illinois that took advantage of them and pulled out a 7-4 victory to win the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Illini (14-1) had five hits compared to the Razorbacks's six hits. Arkansas (8-6) left seven runners on base. The Illini have been on a roll lately. They have won eight games in row. The Illini last lost on Feb. 19 against Stanford. Miranda Dixon drove in two Razorbacks runners. Dixon homered in the fifth inning scoring Jessica Bachkora. Monica Perry got the victory in relief for Illinois. The sophomore pitcher pitched four innings and allowed two runs. The Illini offense was spurred by a home run from Jessica Davis in the fifth. Davis and Ashley Conrad helped lead the Illini. They combined for one hit, four RBIs and three runs scored. Layne McGuirt took the loss for Arkansas. She went 2 1/3 innings, gave up three walks, struck out one, and allowed five runs. Illinois's next game is on Tuesday, March 9 at Bradley. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Illini men win Tinervin Cup for 7th straight year

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 10:51:00 +0000

PLACIDA, Fla. – For the seventh year in a row, Illinois is victorious in the Tinervin Cup, an annual dual match with Illinois State held at Coral Creek Golf Club. Illinois defeated the Redbirds, 9-0 in a match that featured six single dual matches in the morning and fourball match play in the afternoon. The victory marked the first shutout in the Tinervin Cup since the first year of the event in 2004. In the morning singles matches, the Illini got comeback victories from senior Matt Hoffman, senior Zach Barlow and freshmen Ross Frankenburg. Barlow (74) rebounded to defeat Kyle Bragg (76) of Illinois State by two strokes. Hoffman edged Eric Meir, 76-77 while Frankeberg downed Will Cullen by one stroke, 79-80. The other singles matches featured Scott Langley defeating Tommy Bliefnick, 69-76; Luke Guthrie over Will Kellen, 74-83; and Chris DeForest over Joe Emerich, 68-79. Illinois also won the afternoon fourball matches with relative ease. DeForest and Frankeberg defeated Cullen and Emerich, 5&4; Barlow and Hoffman downed Meir and Bragg, 5&4 and Langley and Guthrie defeated Bliefnick and Kellen, 4&3. ""What I liked most about today was how we finished in the afternoon,"" said Illinois head coach Mike Small. ""We made a lot of birdies and closed down the stretch. We enjoy playing this event. It's something we look forward to. I feel good about where we are heading into our first stroke play tournament next week."" Illinois opens the spring stroke play season March 8-9 at the LA Classics in Louisiana. Made a lot of birdies and closed down the stretch. Th Hoffman, Barlow and Frankenburg. Other three had them down. Got on them early when get on them early. Morning Singles Matches Langley (69) def Bliefnick (76) Guthrie (74) def Kellen (83) Barlow (74) def Bragg (76) Hoffman (76) def Meir (77) DeForest (68) def Emerich (79) Frankenberg (79) def Cullen (80)

Minnesota holds off Illinois, 62-60

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:21:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Devoe Joseph scored 16 points and Minnesota helped its NCAA tournament chances while dealing a blow to Illinois' hopes with a 62-60 road victory on Saturday. The Golden Gophers (17-11, 8-8 Big Ten) led by 19 with 7:11 to play and looked to be cruising to the victory, but the Illini (18-11, 10-6) rallied to cut the deficit to one in the final 80 seconds. D. J. Richardson's shot to tie the game at the buzzer was short. Each team had just two points 6:20 into the game. Minnesota led 24-14 at halftime. At one point, Illinois endured a 4:45 scoring drought while the Gophers scored seven points. Illinois' Demetri McCamey was held to nine points on 4-of-18 shooting while registering 10 assists. McCamey fouled out as did Bill Cole, who led the Illini with 15 points. Mike Davis had 10 points and 12 rebounds for Illinois.