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[NOV. 30, 2001]   

Seventh grade

Carroll              45
Springfield        12

Justin Ritchhart, 10 reb, 14 pts; Pat Washam, 5 reb, 5 steals, 10 pts; Josh Baker 9 pts; Brandon Endres, 6 pts.

Record 6-3

Eighth grade

Carroll              58
Springfield        27

Matt Schick, 8 reb, 21 pts; Derrick Schonauer, 7 reb, 6 steals, 5 assists, 16 pts; Jeff Oller, 5 steals, 15 pts.

Record 9-0

[NOV. 30, 2001]   

Girls

At Stanford

Mahomet-Seymour       8 20 35   53

Olympia                      16 33 45   61

Wilcox 0-1-1; Floyd 5-3-14; Short 6-2-14; Brand 2-0-4; Gaither 7-7-22; Canopy 3-0-6; Goebel 0-0-0.

Total 23-13-61

At Lincoln

Springfield SHG          16 25 31   45

Lincoln                          8 20 24   29

Dawson 2-1-5; Robbins 1-0-3; Freesmeier 1-0-2; Ingram 2-0-5; Froschauer 1-0-2; Moore 0-2-2; Schonauer 1-0-2; Carey 1-0-2; Verderber 3-0-6.

Totals 12-3-29

At Mount Pulaski

Rochester                     15 29 42   53

Mount Pulaski                1 12 18   24

Maske 2-1-5; Sanders 4-0-8; Rucks 0-2-2; Reeley 0-0-0; Tillquist 0-0-0; Hudson 1-0-2; Jason 1-0-2; Howe 2-1-5; Cyrulik 0-0-0; Stoll 0-0-0; Gleason 0-0-0.

Totals 10-4-24

[NOV. 30, 2001] 

LCC    36 27   63
MBI     17 39   56

Matt Clark 7-3-19; Jake Raymer 1-1-4; John Holderby 5-1-12; Aaron Johnson 0-0-0; Zach Below 3-0-6; Ben Brodfuehrer 0-0-0; Jim Turney 0-0-0; Antoni Okusami 3-6-12; Josh Grooms 2-0-4; Joel Searby 2-2-6.

Totals 23-13-63

[NOV. 30, 2001]   NORMAL — Jenny Yopp believes taking care of the basketball is as much about having a good head as having good hands.

As the Illinois State University head coach takes her team to this weekend’s Indiana Classic, she wants the Redbirds to take a step forward in cutting down turnovers. Illinois State, 0-3, plays Indiana, 2-2, at 5 p.m. (Central time) Friday.

"When you play the ‘94-40’ style (94 feet for 40 minutes) we like to play, there will be some turnovers because of the (large) number of possessions that tempo produces," said Yopp. "But, when we get into our half-court offense, we need to take better care of the ball. And that begins with making better decisions. You have to get the defense to move to create passing lanes."

Yopp acknowledges that, with young players, that can be easier said than done.

"Decision-making is the key to half-court offense. Obviously, it’s something we’re still working very hard on in practice," said Yopp. "I’m confident, and our players are confident, that we can do better."

Yopp has seen plenty of progress already in a lot of areas. Her team has out-rebounded all three of its opponents — on the offensive end and in total — so far this season, and that’s a good sign. Freshman Katie Donovan’s 14 rebounds vs. Louisville were the second-highest total in Redbird Arena by a freshman (teammate Steph Reichle of Lincoln had 15 against Southern Illinois as a freshman Jan. 2, 2000).

[to top of second column in this article]

"When you rebound well on the defensive end, you only give your opponent one shot," said Yopp. "When you are successful rebounding on the offensive end, it can negate some of those turnovers because you get another opportunity. Our defense is playing hard and our rebounding has been successful. Those are good signs."

Northern Arizona (4-0) and Murray State (2-2) are the other teams in the Indiana Classic; they play at 7 p.m. Central time on Friday.

For Yopp, the tournament is an opportunity to coach against friend and former Missouri Valley Conference rival Kathi Bennett. They opposed each other in Bennett’s last year at Evansville, where the daughter of former Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett built a perennial league doormat into an NCAA Tournament team.

"I spent two days at the IU basketball clinic before the season," said Yopp. "Our basketball philosophies, goals and objectives are very similar. Our personnel are different, so those things might be expressed on the court a bit differently."

IU features a trio of outstanding seniors in 6-foot-5 center Jill Chapman, 6-foot-1 forward Erin McGinnis and point guard Heather Cassady, a former Dunlap High School star. Together, that trio averages 47 points per game for Indiana.

After the tournament, the Redbirds return home to play Ball State at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday in Redbird Arena.

[ISU news release]

[NOV. 30, 2001]  STATESBORO, Ga. — Shawn Jeppson led Illinois State with 19 points and Baboucarr Bojang added 14, but Georgia Southern survived by shooting 59.6 percent from the field, downing the Redbirds 87-76 in men’s college basketball action on Thursday in Statesboro, Ga.

Bojang’s 14 points plus 10 boards, a team high for the night, marked his third double-double in five games.

It took the Redbirds seven minutes to score double digits in the first, as Jeppson hit a 3-point basket with 13 minutes to play, shrinking the Eagle lead to 17-11. Illinois State led 33-30, its only lead of the game, with 5:08 left in the first after Ford and Lincoln’s Gregg Alexander connected on matching, back-to back jumpers. But the Eagles broke out on an 18-7 run to end the half.

The score at the break was 48-40 Eagles, who shot 66.7 percent in the first 20 minutes.

[to top of second column in this article]

In the second half, the Redbirds came to within two points of their opponents, 56-54, with 13 minutes remaining, before Georgia Southern’s offensive fire was relit. They outscored Illinois State 10-2 in the next three minutes. Illinois State pulled to within six at the eight-minute mark, but Georgia Southern’s shooting power dominated as the Eagles ended the game on a 19-14 run.

Julius Jenkins of Georgia Southern led all scorers with 26 points, 18 of which came in the first half, and Kashien Latham added 20 with 11 rebounds. Vince Greene scored 12 for Illinois State while Shedrick Ford added 11.

Illinois State wraps up its five-game road swing when the Redbirds face Texas-San Antonio on Saturday at 2:05 p.m.

[Erica Fricke, assistant director of
media relations for ISU athletics]

[NOV. 29, 2001]   At Lincoln: Lincoln 42, Canton 29

103 — Piper (C) def. Valdes (L), 11-5

119 — Brandon (C) dec. Rogers (L), 5-4

125 — McWilliams (C) pinned C. Allen (L), 3:03

130 — Carpenter (C) technical fall over Martin (L), 17-2

135 — Sullivan (L) dec. Oswald (C), 16-3

140 — W. Allen (L) dec. Bick (C), 13-8

145 — Sparks (L) pinned Myers (C), 1:48

152 — Frost (L) technical fall over Ayers (C), 18-2

171 — Barrenger (L) pinned McMahill (C), 1:11

189 — Harris (C) pinned Agaid (L), 2:56

Heavyweight — Copper (L) pinned Cape (C), 5:59

[NOV. 28, 2001]   

Boys

At Mount Pulaski

Mount Pulaski               15 35 53   72

Niantic-Harristown          9 21 45   61

Blaum 0-1-1; Deibert 3-0-6; Erlenbush 3-0-6; Geiske 2-2-6; Schilling 3-1-7; Smith 5-5-15; Wilson 1-2-4; Anderson 1-1-3; Coers 1-2-4; Olson 1-1-3; Schaffnaker 0-2-2; J. Tierney 4-1-9; N. Teirney 0-0-0; Waymire 0-2-2; Clements 0-0-0; Erlenbush 2-0-4; Milner 0-0-0.

[to top of second column in this article (girls' results)]

Girls

At Stanford

Olympia                      17 28 44   53

Midwest Central            6 14 21   32

Floyd 5-0-12; Prager 2-0-4; Wittmer 1-2-4; Nactigall 1-0-3; Short 3-0-6; Brand 3-1-7; Gaither 3-1-7; Canopy 4-0-8; Goebel 1-0-2.

At Springfield

Lincoln                          9 18 34   51

Springfield SE              13 26 35   54

Dawson 8-1-17; Robbins 4-0-11; Ingram 2-0-4; Froschaver 3-0-6; Moore 2-3-7; Schonaver 0-1-1; Bunch 0-2-2; Verderber 1-1-3.

[NOV. 28, 2001]   Five players scored in double figures as Lincoln College defeated 14^th-ranked Kankakee 91-88 in double overtime at the Lincoln College gym Tuesday night. The loss drops Kankakee to 3-1 for the season while Lincoln College moves to 8-0.

The game was close throughout, with the Lady Lynx taking a 34-31 halftime lead.  Kankakee held a 75-72 lead when the Lady Lynx called a timeout with 10 seconds remaining.  Coach Carol Wilson set up a play to get Angie Bossingham a shot, and the LCHS graduate drained a 24-footer, while being closely guarded, to send the game into overtime. Bossingham hit the shot with two seconds on the clock.

Lincoln College had a three-point lead, 86-83, in overtime with 23 seconds remaining after Ronni Beebe hit a pair of free throws.  Laura Harms knocked down a game-tying 3-point goal with nine seconds left to send the game into a second overtime.

Kankakee controlled the overtime tap, and Jenny Dezee scored from close range with 3:54 left in OT.  That was the last scoring for the Cavaliers. Bossingham drained a 3-point goal with 3:03 showing to put Lincoln on top 89-88.  Beebe hit one of two foul shots, and with 1:23 left Tiffany Thomas made one of two free throws to give Lincoln a 91-88 lead. Neither team was able to score the rest of the way.

Coach Carol Wilson said, "Turnovers and free throws really hurt us tonight.  We could have put them (Kankakee) away if we had just taken better care of the basketball and made a few free throws. I didn’t think they were ever going to miss a free throw.

"We did show a lot of character to be able to hang in and beat a good club. We battled and never gave up, even when we were down by three. Angie hit a big shot at the end of regulation, under a lot of defensive pressure.

[to top of second column in this article]

"I thought Tammy (Bausley) made some really nice interior passes to give us some easy baskets. Overall our rebounding was OK, but we need to do a better job on the offensive end and get some second-chance points."

Leading the balanced Lincoln attack was Sarah McLaughlin with 13 points. Joining the Lincoln High School grad in double figures were Victoria Scott and Jessie Dullard with 12 each, Jenny Story with 10, and Bossingham with 11.  Dezee led all scorers with 20 for the Cavaliers.

Lincoln College  (91) — Tammy Bausley 1-0-0-2; Jenny Story 4-2-2-10; Victoria Scott 5-2-7-12; Sarah McLaughlin 6-1-2-13; Angie Bossingham 4-1-2-11; Ronni Beebe 1-7-15-9; Kim Calhoun 3-2-3-8; Ashley Sims 1-1-2-3; Jessie Dullard 4-4-6-12; Tiffany Thomas 3-1-4-7; Zabrina Harper 2-0-0-4.  Totals 34-21-43-91.  Three-point goals: Bossingham 2.

Kankakee (88) — Laura Harms 3-0-0-7; Stephanie Bancroft 1-2-2-5; Laura Brumfiel 2-8-9-12; Jenny Dezee 7-6-6-20; Rebecca Stewart 3-2-3-8; Amber Law 1-0-2-2; Nikki Denton 2-5-6-9; Abbie Moore 5-1-1-12; Andrea Engleking 2-6-6-10; Kathleen York 1-1-2-3.  Totals 27-31-37-88.  Three-point goals: Harms, Bancroft, Moore.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

[NOV. 28, 2001]   NORMAL — Freshman Katie Donovan had her first career double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough as Louisville downed Illinois State 72-58 Tuesday in women’s college basketball at Redbird Arena.

"We really didn’t take care of the ball," Donovan said after the game. "Our defense was awesome, but we weren’t sharp and turned the ball over on easy things."

The Redbirds, 0-3, out-rebounded the Cards 55-48 behind Donovan’s 14, the second-highest total by an Illinois State freshman at Redbird Arena. Huston backed Donovan’s play with 12 points, her career high.

The Cardinals, 3-1, fell far short of their 87-points-per-game average but still got 18 points from Tiana Ford and 16 from Marju Sober.

Donovan, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds at halftime, scored ISU’s first seven points, and a pair of free throws by Sharon Blade gave ISU a 10-9 lead with 13:44 left in the first half. Louisville led by as many as seven at 29-22, but a pair of Beth Huston free throws and a Kristi Larson rebound basket cut the lead to 29-25 before Kara Kassans hit a jumper at the buzzer to put Louisville up 31-25 at intermission.

Early in the second half, the ’Birds scrambled back within a point at 37-36 on a Donovan rebound basket with 14:20 left in the game, but Kim Graham sank a pair of free throws to start a 20-4 Louisville run to build the lead to 57-40 at the nine-minute mark. Louisville’s largest lead was 67-46 with 3:50 left.

[to top of second column in this article]

The lead was cut to 12 with one minute remaining after Stacey White hit a 3-point basket, but two missed shots in the remaining seconds of the game gave Louisville the comfortable advantage at the buzzer.

Illinois State head coach Jenny Yopp said after the game that this match against Louisville was something completely different from Sunday’s effort.

"We had such drastic improvements in this game from what we produced on Sunday, and Katie, as well as the team, played extremely aggressive tonight," Yopp said. "Obviously Louisville is one of the best teams we are going to play, and we have some big teams ahead of us, but our effort today was so much better than before.

"We still didn’t come out with a win," Yopp continued. "This group is coming a long way and they are not OK with losing at all, even when it is obvious we are improving. We need to get a few more shots to fall, and that will happen as long as we stay healthy, improving and regroup after games to prepare for the next one."

[Erica Fricke,
ISU assistant director of media relations]

[NOV. 28, 2001]   Illinois lost its first game of the season last night to the Maryland Terrapins 76-63 in a game that was not that close.

Juan Dixon led the way for Terps with 25 points, and Chris Wilcox added 19. The Illini were led in scoring by newcomer Blandon Ferguson with 11 and Frank Williams with 10. Illinois guards were 7-for-30 from the field while the post players went 10-for-18.

The Illini held a brief lead early in the first half but fell behind in double digits by half. They closed within eight a couple of times in the second half, but could get no closer.

The No. 4 Terps took it to Illinois early and often and showed why they went to the Final Four last season. They very well could get back there again this year.

Lincoln’s Brian Cook, who found himself in foul trouble again, finished with eight points.

Illinois takes on Texas-Corpus Christi on Saturday!

[Jeff Mayfield]

[NOV. 27, 2001]   Lincoln College dominated Eureka College JV, 89-47, in men’s basketball at Lincoln College Monday night to run the season record to 5-2. 

Derik Hollyfield opened the scoring with an early 3-point goal, and the Lynx were never headed. Coach B.J. McCullum was able to use his entire bench, with Hollyfield leading the scoring with 21 points.  Mike Sams was the only other Lynx to reach double figures with 16; however, eight other players reached the scoring column.

Lincoln College connected on 49 percent of its field goal tries while Eureka managed to shoot just 34 percent. The Lynx had a huge rebounding advantage, 49-27, with Paris Williams pulling down seven to lead the way.  Lincoln finished the game hitting 11 3-point baskets.

Coach McCullum said, "I thought we came out and played hard from the beginning.  We were able to get a lot of guys some playing time and had an opportunity to work on some things."

Lincoln plays at Moline Dec. 4 against Black Hawk East and will return home for the Lynx Classic Dec. 7 and 8.  Lincoln plays Shawnee at 8 p.m. Dec. 7 and will play Rend Lake at 3 p.m. Dec. 8.

[to top of second column in this article]

Lincoln College (89) — Paris Williams 3-6-0-0-8; James Roberson 3-7-0-0-8; Josh Clark 3-5-0-0-6; Gene Reed 2-5-2-2-8; Mike Fowler 4-7-0-0-8; Steve Turner 2-8-0-0-4; Andrew Kehr 1-2-3-3-5; Mike Sams 8-13-0-0-16; Amir Major 0-2-0-2-0; Derik Hollyfield 8-13-0-0-21; Sam Jackson 2-5-1-1-5.  Totals 36-73-6-8-89.  Three-point goals: Williams 2, Roberson 2, Reed 2, Hollyfield 5.

Eureka JV (47) — Troy Hall 1-2-0-0-3; Jared Woodcock 1-4-0-0-2; Zack Gulley 2-9-5-6-9; Chester Reeder 1-6-1-3-3; Terron Abrams 3-3-1-2-7; Neil Ropp 1-7-0-0-2; J.T. Ashley 0-5-0-0-0; Mick Webb 5-10-0-0-11; Travis Wilcoxen 0-0-0-0-0; Adam Lopez 5-9-0-0-10.  Totals 19-55-7-11-47.  Three-point goals: Hall, Webb.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

[NOV. 27, 2001]   NORMAL — Louisville, a team coming off three NCAA Tournaments in four years, brings a 2-1 record off a hectic schedule into Redbird Arena Tuesday for a 7:05 p.m. tipoff with Illinois State.

Redbird coach Jenny Yopp, whose team is looking for its first win of the season, knows what her team is up against.

The Cards beat Missouri Valley Conference member Evansville 84-74 last Tuesday at home, then got up early the next morning to hop a plane to Los Angeles for the Pepperdine Thanksgiving Classic. U of L dropped a 90-89 heartstopper to Alabama, then spanked William and Mary 89-67. Coach Martin Clapp’s crew got off a plane on Sunday, then began their trek to Normal on Monday.

But Clapp has the talent to deal with tough travel. Senior guard Marju Sober, with 16.0 points per game, leads five players averaging in double-figure scoring. U of L’s 87-point-per-game offense is quarterbacked by sophomore Sara Nord (11.3 points, 11.0 assists per game), the former Indiana prep Miss Basketball.

"They are extremely talented," said Yopp. "They are physical and spread the floor very well. No doubt, this is a quality opponent."

[to top of second column in this article]

Yopp wants her young squad to be healthier for Tuesday’s game. Senior center Kristi Larson played just 13 minutes in Sunday’s loss to Central Michigan because of bronchitis. Freshman post player Sophie Tirtiaux, who showed well in exhibition games, has been battling upper leg injuries.

But Steph Reichle, ISU’s junior guard, looked like the Reichle of old on Sunday. She had arthroscopic knee surgery in October, but had 17 points in 13 minutes vs. Central Michigan.

"Steph didn’t practice on Saturday and felt good Sunday," said Yopp. "We planned to keep her out of practice Monday and hope she would have the same energy on Tuesday."

The Redbirds are on step two of a stretch of six games in 12 days.

[Illinois State news release]

University of Illinois vs. Maryland basketball notes

http://graphics.fansonly.com//photos/schools/ill/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/weekly-release.pdf 

[NOV. 26, 2001]   

Boys

GCMS Tournament at Gibson City

Mount Pulaski          22 43 56   71

GCMS                     15 25 30   47

Wilson 2-0-4, Coers 3-0-7,  Schilling 2-0-4,  Olson 1-4-6,  Blaum 3-2-8,  Anderson 9-6-25,  Delbert0-1-1,  Smith 6-0-12, Erlenbush 2-0-4.

Mount Pulaski          16 35 50   75

Reed-Custer            16 32 48   77

Wilson 0-0-0; Coers 0-0-0; N. Tierney 1-0-2; Schilling 0-3-3; Olson 1-0-2; Blaum 7-0-14; Anderson 10-4-28; Deibert 1-0-2; J. Tirney 0-0-0; Smith 7-0-14; Erlenbush 3-1-10.

Olympia Tournament at Stanford

Dunlap                     18 22 36 46   46

Olympia                   10 19 31 46   48

Dillenburg 7-0-16,  Sherman 0-1-1,  Kendrick 0-3-3,  Elliott 1-3-5,  Criswell 0-1-1,  Olson  3-2-11,  Wright 2-1-5,  Wise 3-0-6,  Schultz 1-0-2.

Eureka                     11 23 25   40

Olympia                     4 14 24   41

Dillenberg 1-3-5; Cheek 1-0-3; Kendrick 1-1-4; Elliot 2-7-12; Criswell 1-2-4; Olson 2-2-; Wright 0-4-4; Wise 0-1-1; Schultz 0-1-1.

Lincoln Tournament at Lincoln

Lincoln                     23 39 58   66

Guilford                      9 23 38   54

Farmer 3-1-8,  Komnick 2-0-5, Gallaghner 1-0-2,  Peters 1-0-3,  Schonauer  1-0-2, Bast1-0-2, Schrader 9-0-24, Welch 3-1-7,  Werner 2-2-7, Young 3-0-6.

Peoria Manual          17 31 50   60

Lincoln                     13 23 37   49

Farmer 4-2-12,  Komnick 2-1-5,  Schonauer 3-0-8,  Schrader 5-2-14,  Welch 2-0-4,  Young 2-2-6.

Athens Tournament at Athens

Litchfield                   12 22 42   56

Hartsburg-Emden        9 18 23   29

Anderson 1-3-5; Gleason 2-0-6; Wrage 1-2-4; Fletcher 1-0-3; Leesman 2-5-9; Sherwood 1-0-2.

[to top of second column in this article (girls' results)]

Girls

Clinton Tournament at Dwight

Lexington                      9 21 29 50   53

Mount Pulaski             10 23 38 50   56

Howe 0-6-6, Faith 5-3-14,  Hudson 0-1-1, Jason 3-0-6,  Rucks 4-8-16,  Sanders 6-1-13.

Quincy Tournament at Quincy

Chicago Simeon            8 24 41   59

Lincoln                        13 32 45   63

Dawson 2-5-9,  Robbins 1-5-8,  Ingram 7-0-18,  Froschauer 1-4-6,  Moore 1-0-2,  Schonauer 2-0-4,  Carey 0-1-1,  Bunch 3-0-6,  Whalen 0-2-2,  Verderber 2-3-7.

Lanphier                      14 26 34   43

Lincoln                          8 22 34   46

Dawson 2-2-6, Robbins 4-0-9, Ingram 0-2-2, Moore 3-1-7, Schonauer 4-0-8, Carey 1-0-2,  Verderber 5-0-10.

[NOV. 26, 2001]   I think the Illini basketball team may have celebrated a little too long for their football brothers on Saturday night. How else to explain an exceedingly tough ball game with Southern Illinois University? However you slice it, Illinois (5-0) came away with a hard-fought 75-72 victory over the Salukis.

Frank Williams led the way with 19 points, but he was anything but on fire as his shooting line was only 7-of-21. Look for him to come up big at Maryland, however. Also helping the Illini land the invitational trophy were Sean Harrington with 14, Lincoln’s Brian Cook with 12 and Cory Bradford with 10.

The game was a physical slugfest, and that helped SIU stay close.

The win sends Illinois victoriously on to a premier matchup with No. 4 in the country Maryland tomorrow night in College Station, Md.

[Jeff Mayfield]

[Click here for Jeff Mayfield’s article on Illini football.]

[NOV. 26, 2001]   MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Gregg Alexander scored a career-high 24 points, and three other Redbirds contributed double-digit numbers, but it was not enough for the Illinois State men’s basketball team to get the victory as the ’Birds fell to Hofstra 80-82 in overtime Sunday in Moon Township, Pa.

Hofstra (3-1) took home third-place honors with the win over Illinois State. The Redbirds come out of the University Hoops Classic with a 2-2 overall record.

Hofstra scored the first four points of the game before Randy Rice stepped to the basketball for a layup to get the Redbirds on the board at the 18-minute mark. Trailing the entire half, Illinois State continued to close the Hofstra lead throughout the first and came within one, 24-23, with eight minutes left before halftime.

A turnover by Dirk Williams and a steal by Joel Suarez kept the pace with Hofstra, however, and the lead extended to 13 at the break, 52-39. Alexander scored 13 of his 24 points in the first half, with Shedrick Ford close behind at 12.

Through the first 10 minutes of the second half, Hofstra continued to dominate offensively, leading by as many as 18 before the Redbirds got the lead down to nine with seven minutes remaining. A 3-pointer by Shawn Jeppson followed by another trey from

Alexander pulled Illinois State within five with 4:24 left to play, and Rice hit another 3-point basket for the ’Birds with one minute remaining, downing Illinois State by only four.

[to top of second column in this article]

A quick steal by Jeppson after Rice’s bucket set up the fast break for Baboucarr Bojang’s dunk, giving Hofstra only a two-point lead, 74-72. With 20 seconds left, Suarez turned the ball over again, giving Ford the easy layup, tying the score and sending the game into overtime.

The game stayed close throughout OT, with neither team leading by more than two and Illinois State up 80-78 with 1:49 remaining. A layup by Kenny Adeleke in the last minute tied the score at 80 before Hofstra took advantage of a missed layup and turnover by Ford and Alexander fouled Osei Miller, who got the steal, to take him to the line.

Miller made both his free throws and secured the victory, 82-80.

Hofstra shot 62 percent in the first half, 51 percent for the game. Rick Apodaca led the team with 19 points, followed by Suarez with 15. Alexander led the Redbirds, followed by Ford with 21, Jeppson with 14 and Bojang with 10.

Illinois State returns to action Thursday, Nov. 29, when the Redbirds travel to play Georgia Southern.

[Erica Fricke,
ISU assistant director of media relations]

[NOV. 26, 2001]   MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Illinois State men’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season Saturday as the Redbirds fell to Pittsburgh, 65-46, in the semifinal round of the University Hoops Classic in Moon Township, Pa.

The Redbirds (2-1) shot 26.9 percent from the field and nine percent from 3-point range, going 1-11 from behind the arc. Pittsburgh out-muscled Illinois State throughout the match, ending the game shooting 47 percent from the field and remaining undefeated on the year (5-0).

Baboucarr Bojang connected on the first bucket of the game, giving Illinois State two points before the Panthers broke out on a 20-4 run. Pittsburgh kept the cushion in the first and was leading by 12 at halftime with a score of 32-20 over the Redbirds.

In the second half, the ’Birds fought to within seven, taking seven-straight points to close the gap to 34-27. But Pittsburgh’s shooting got hotter when the Panthers took a 16-2 run and posted a 21-point lead over Illinois State with 14 minutes left in the game.

The Redbirds got the lead back down to 16, but that was the closest they came to taking over in the rest of the game.

[to top of second column in this article]

Shedrick Ford was the only ’Bird in double digits. He scored 13 while Gregg Alexander and Bojang each had seven.

Brandin Knight of Pittsburgh scored 13 points for the Panthers as well as notching nine rebounds and five assists. Donatas Zavackas followed Knight with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Illinois State plays the loser of the Hofstra-South Florida game for a third-place finish in the University Hoops Classic. The final game of the tournament for the Redbirds is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start on Sunday (CST).

[Erica Fricke,
ISU assistant director of media relations]

[Click here for a report on the Illinois State-Hofstra game.]

[NOV. 26, 2001]   Mark this date down: Nov. 24, 2001. Decades from now people will be able to tell you where they were when Ohio State upset Michigan at the Big House and handed the Big Ten title over to its rightful owners, the Fighting Illini of Illinois!

I myself happened to be in Indiana doing a little missionary work. Actually, I was in — of all places — West Lafayette, Ind. Maybe the Illini vibes are starting to do better over there than they have in a while. I was in the mall watching the game on a sports store screen, but ESPN was having a meltdown. For some reason, they were showing the score OSU 3-Mich. 0 with not much time to go in the game.

Not until later that night was I informed by my wife’s nephew in Texas that the score was 26-20 OSU and that Illinois was the outright BIG TEN CHAMPION! Amen! Can I get a witness from the congregation!

It probably means a tougher bowl opponent in a BCS game, probably against Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl. But, it also means a big payday and hopefully the enticement and the landing of the top recruits in the country. The LDN will update you loyal fans as soon as we hear anything. Stay tuned.

As a wrap up, we do offer this final Big Ten segment:

Big Ten team of the week: Ohio State

NCAA Coach of the Year: Ohio State’s Jim Tressel

Big Ten Player of the Year: Ohio State Buckeyes

In case you don’t see the trend here, all the LDN is trying to say is a big thank you to Ohio State and congratulations for your first victory at Michigan since 1987!

[Jeff Mayfield]  

[NOV. 24, 2001]   Rochester defeated Hartsburg-Emden 62-52 in the Athens tournament yesterday.  Hartsburg-Emden will play Litchfield today.

H-E stats

(field goals, 3-point, total score)

Leesman 0-0-4; Fletcher 3-2-10; Wrage 3-0-8;  Anderson 1-0-4; Gleason 4-3-11; Jones 1-0-4; Sherwood 4-0-9; Duckworth 1-0-2; Herbert 0-0-0; Western 0-0-0.

Game total 17-5-52

[NOV. 24, 2001]   Roanoke-Benson defeated Olympia 61-58 in the Olympia tournament yesterday.  Olympia will play Dunlap and Eureka today.

Olympia stats

(field goals, 3-point, total score)

Criswell 2-0-6; Dillenburg 6-2-15; Elliott 0-0-6; Kendrick 1-1-3; Olson 2-0-4; Schultz 1-0-4; Sherman 4-0-8; Wise 8-0-10; Wright 1-0-2.

Game total 22-3-58

[NOV. 24, 2001]   Lincoln defeated Morton 70-66 in the Lincoln tournament yesterday.  Lincoln will play Rockford Guilford and Peoria Manual today.

Lincoln stats

(field goals, 3-point, total score)

Farmer 5-2-23; Komnick 3-3-9; Peters 2-2-6; Schonauer 3-0-6; Bast 0-0-0; Shrader 4-0-11; Welch 2-0-7; Werner 0-0-0; Young 2-0-8.

Game total 21-9-70

[NOV. 24, 2001]   Tri-Point defeated Mount Pulaski 49-45 in the GCMS tournament yesterday.  Mount Pulaski will play Reed Custer and GCMS today.

Mount Pulaski stats

(field goals, 3-point, total score)

Blaum 0-0-1; Delbert 2-0-4; B. Erienbush 2-0-4; Geiseke 1-0-2; Schilling 1-0-2; Wilson 1-1-5; Anderson 4-1-11; Coers 2-1-6; Olson 4-0-8; Milner 0-0-0; Clements 1-0-2.

Game total 18-3-45

[NOV. 24, 2001]   Lutheran South defeated Lincoln 55-47 in the Quincy tournament yesterday.  Kirksville, Mo., defeated Lincoln 55-44.  Lincoln will play Morton today.

Lincoln stats (vs. Lutheran South)

(field goals, 3-point, total score)

Dawson 5-1-14

Robbins 1-1-3

Ingram 1-1-5

Froschauer 3-0-8

Moore 0-0-1

Schonauer 1-0-2

Carey 1-0-2

Bunch 0-0-2

Whalen 0-0-2

McFadden 1-0-2

Verderber 3-0-6

Game total 16-3-47

Lincoln stats (vs. Kirksville)

(field goals, 3-point, total score)

Dawson 4-0-10

Robbins 1-0-2

Ingram 1-1-3

Froschauer 2-0-4

Moore 0-0-2

Schonauer 1-0-4

Carey 4-1-11

Bunch 2-0-4

Whalen 0-0-0

McFadden 0-0-0

Verderber 1-0-2

Game total 17-2-44

[NOV. 24, 2001]   After a slow start on Thursday, Illinois took care of business early and often Friday as they smoked Georgia Tech 105-66.  

[Click here to view pictures from the game]

Illinois’ big men made sure that not all of the work went to the guards as Robert Archibald led the way with 16 points, Lincoln’s Brian Cook had 14 and Damir Krupalija had 12 off the bench to go along with 9 rebounds.

The Illini guards had outstanding games with a rejuvenated Cory Bradford throwing in 15 and Sean Harrington continuing his solid play by adding 12 to the mix.  Illinois went on a big first-half run and was actually leading 67-43 at the half.

Again Illinois’ stifling defense continues to be the moniker for coach Bill Self’s troops, as they limited the Yellow Jackets to 37 percent shooting.

Illinois will play Southern Illinois for the Las Vegas Invitational championship tonight before flying across the country for a big date with No. 3 Maryland. 

[Jeff Mayfield]  

[NOV. 24, 2001]   Shedrick Ford’s jumper with 22 seconds remaining in the game in Illinois State’s tournament opener against UC-Irvine secured the Redbird victory, 58-52, over the Anteaters at the University Hoops Classic in Moon Township, Pa., Friday.  

Illinois State improves to 2-0 while the loss for UC-Irvine was its first of the year as it falls to 2-1.

Leading by only two points with a score of 49-47 and four minutes remaining in the game, Illinois State went on a 9-5 run down the stretch, led by Vince Greene, Bojang Baboucarr and Ford. While the Anteaters would not give up, taking the score back to within three with one minute remaining, Ford’s jumper followed by two free throws made by Gregg Alexander was all the ’Birds needed for the victory.

Illinois State started the game with an 8-0 run, led the whole first half and never trailed in the contest.  A layup by Baboucarr at the 17:49 mark of the first gave ISU the advantage that the team never relinquished.

Three Redbird players scored in double digits, including 13 points contributed from Baboucarr, the team’s leading scorer for the day.  Shawn Jeppson had 12 points and Vince Greene posted 11, while Baboucarr also led the team in rebounds with eight.  Jerry Green and Mike Hood led UC-Irvine in scoring with 13 points each.

The second round of the tournament resumes tomorrow with Illinois State facing Pittsburgh at 3 p.m. Eastern time.  Pittsburgh defeated Oakland today 70-53 to advance in the winners bracket. 

[Erica Fricke, ISU assistant director of media relations]

[NOV. 24, 2001]   The Lincoln College wrestlers won one of three dual matches in Reno, Nev., on Friday afternoon.

The Lynx defeated Yakima Valley Community College 28-22 for their first dual meet win of the season.  The Lynx lost to Pima College 45-6 and were defeated by Ricks College 34-19.  Lincoln College is now 1-6 in dual meets this season.

Winners for coach Dave Klemm in the Yakima Valley match were Josh Collins (133) by fall over Rob McGruder in 4:57 and Dave Tackett (149) by fall over Isreal Flores in 2:32.  Winning by decision was Justin Collins (141) over Jeremy Darling, 10-1. Mike Moharreri and Steve Crawford were winners for the Lynx by forfeit.

Against Pima College, Tackett was a 7-4 winner over Mark Cruz, and Josh Lepper (197) was a 4-2 winner against Melvin Hunter.

Josh Collins (125) was an 8-0 winner over Tyler Price in the Ricks College match, while Lepper was a 12-6 winner over Brandon Hanson.  Scott Hubbard (157) pinned Dustin Hoops in 2:26 for the Lynx.  Steve Jones was a winner by forfeit at 165.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

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