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[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]

[NOV. 23, 2001]   While Thanksgiving Day 2001 may not go down as the greatest day in Illinois sports history, it certainly will be remembered as one of the greatest! And that’s with two great games, one a football contest and the other a basketball game, neither of which were televised. I don’t know who is in charge of the network broadcasting schedule, but I think they should be heavily scrutinized!

It’s like the Lincoln High School basketball tourney that’s going on right now. Great teams, great athleticism and pure amateur sports at its best; and where are all the fans? Apparently out doing all the fun things there are to do in the greater Lincoln area. How they can’t televise at least one of those games, if not both, is totally beyond our understanding! I’m boycotting all the local networks the rest of the weekend and probably the big boys, too! We did have LDN staff on hand at both events, so you should be able at least to enjoy some great photos!

Illinois clinches Big Ten Championship 

The Illinois Fighting Illini refused to lose all season long. And when it was all said and done yesterday, the Illini proudly walked off the field with a hard fought 34-28 victory over the pesky Northwestern Wildcats.  

Senior QB Kurt Kittner led the Illini parade as he has done all season by going 33-for-43 for 387 yards, four touchdowns and only one interception. He may not have the stats of all the other Heisman hopefuls, but if the W’s truly are the most important stats, I submit Kittner for the award.

Not to be outdone were some splendid performances by Brandon Lloyd, who caught 12 passes for 140 yards and two TD’s (how much do you think we missed him last season? — we could be celebrating back-to-back titles!); Walter Young, who hauled in seven passes for 23 yards and a touchdown; and Rocky Harvey, who continued to eat up the slack left by the loss of Antoineo Harris, by running for 96 yards on only 19 carries! 

[to top of second column in this article]

 The No. 10-ranked Illini (10-1, 7-1) claimed a share of the Big Ten title for the first time since 1989 and could win it outright if Ohio State could somehow upset Michigan at the big house on Saturday. At worst, Illinois has secured a spot in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on New Year’s Day. At best they could be headed for the Sugar Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl. At any rate, what a great season... I hope the celebration lasts for months! 

Basketball Illini escape 

I know the Illini hoops team hasn’t spent much time in Las Vegas in the past, but last night’s game was ridiculous. The Illini looked more like they were a part of the Sigfreid & Roy show than the No. 2-ranked team in the country! But on the mat with an eight-count ringing in their ears, suddenly they sprang to life and came back from a 13-point deficit to take a Houdini-like escape victory 78-71 over a tougher-than-advertised bunch of Pennsylvania Quakers (1-1).  

Coach Bill Self must have gotten someone’s attention at intermission because the Illini lit up Valley High School gym for some 71 percent shooting in the second half.

Illinois (3-0) took the lead for good on a thunderous dunk by Lincoln’s Brian Cook with a little over seven minutes to play.  Cook, who was mired in foul trouble, erupted for all 10 of his points in the second half.

Frank Williams led the way with 22.  Nick Smith had a good game for Illinois with 11, as did Robert Archibald. 

Illinois did win the rebounding battle 34-26 but were outshot 10-5 from beyond the arc.  The win sets up a meeting with Georgia Tech tonight at 9:30. 

 [Jeff Mayfield]

[NOV. 21, 2001]   

Girls

Clinton Tournament at Dwight

Mount Pulaski             10 17 20 27

Clinton                          7 17 29 49

Howe 0-1-1, Faith 2-3-8, Hudson 2-0-4,  Jason 2-0-4, Tillquist 1-0-2, Rucks 1-3-5, Sanders 1-0-3.

 Boys

Lincoln Tournament at Lincoln

Lincoln             18 33 46 60

Limestone           9 24 36 48

Farmer 5-2-16, Komnick 1-0-2, Schonauer 2-0-5, Bast 2-0-4, Schrader 5-3-14, Welch 3-0-6, Werner 1-0-2, Young 5-1-11

[NOV. 23, 2001]  The Illinois football team secured at least a share of their first conference title in 11 years and will play in at least one Jan. 1 bowl game after their 34-28 victory over Northwestern, played Thursday in Champaign. Several players had excellent games for the Illini, but none was better than senior quarterback Kurt Kittner’s. Playing his final game in front of the home crowd, Kittner completed 33 of 43 passes for 387 yards and four touchdowns. At one point in the first half, he completed 12-straight passes. Two of Kittner’s receivers enjoyed 100-yard receiving days, as sophomore Brandon Lloyd caught 12 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Walter Young caught seven passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. Kittner’s first touchdown pass went to senior tight end Brian Hodges.

With the victory, Illinois moves to 10-1 on the season, their best record since the 1983 Rose Bowl season, and clinches at least a tie for the conference championship. If Ohio State upsets Michigan on Saturday at the Big House, Illinois will be the outright conference champs for the first time in 18 seasons. Coach Ron Turner, in just his fifth season in Champaign, has watched his Illini program improve from 0-11 in his first season to an almost perfect 10-1 in season number five. Do not be surprised if Turner’s name becomes linked with several high-profile college and professional programs which could possibly make coaching changes in the off-season, including Notre Dame and the Indianapolis Colts.

So now what? At the very least, Illinois will play on New Year’s Day in the Florida Citrus bowl in sunny Orlando, Fla., against the second-place team of the Southeastern Conference, probably South Carolina with coach Lou Holtz. However, several Illinois players mentioned without apology their desire to play in one of four BCS (Bowl Championship Series) games. The four BCS games are the Fiesta Bowl (played on Jan. 1, 2002) in Tempe, Ariz.; the Sugar Bowl (played on Jan. 1, 2002) in New Orleans, La.; the Orange Bowl (played on Jan. 2, 2002) in Miami, Fla.; and the Rose Bowl (played Jan. 3, 2002) in Pasadena, Calif. The Rose Bowl will serve as the national championship game.

[to top of second column in this article]

The following is a quick recap of the 2001 Illini season:

9-1-01      at California             44-17 victory

9-8-01     vs. Northern Illinois   17-12 victory

9-22-01     vs. Louisville            34-10 victory

9-29-01     at Michigan              45-20 loss

10-6-01    vs. Minnesota            25-14 victory

10-13-01     at Indiana               35-14 victory

10-20-01   vs. Wisconsin           42-35 victory

11-3-01       at Purdue               38-13 victory

11-10-01    vs. Penn State         33-28 victory

11-17-01   at Ohio State            34-22 victory

11-22-01  vs. Northwestern       34-28 victory

[Greg Taylor]

[NOV. 23, 2001]   The Game: 2001 University Hoops Classic, 2 p.m., Nov. 23, at the Sewall Center in Moon Township, Pa.

The probable starters

Illinois State Redbirds (1-0)

Gregg Alexander    6-4    190    Fr.-HS    Lincoln, Ill.

Baboucarr Bojang    6-9    205    Jr.-TR    Greenville, S.C.

Shedrick Ford    6-5    220    Sr.-1L    Macon, Ga.

Randy Rice    6-0    165    Sr.-1L    Springfield, Ill.

Shawn Jeppson    6-2    180    Sr.-3L    Spring Valley, Ill.

UC-Irvine Anteaters (2-0)

J.R. Christ    6-9    245    Sr.    St. Louis, Mo.

Jordan Harris    6-5    217    Jr.    Phoenix, Ariz.

Adam Parada    7-0    240    So.    Alta Loma, Calif.

Jerry Green    6-3    190    Sr.    Pomona, Calif.

The coaches

  Tom Richardson is 31-29 in his third season at Illinois State. He is assisted by Chad Altadonna, Anthony Beane and Doug Novsek.  UC-Irvine is  coached by Pat Douglass, who owns a 56-57 record in his fifth season with the Anteaters. He is assisted by Todd Lee, Len Stevens and Tim Cleary.

Alexander goes where few freshmen have gone before  

Since 1990, three true freshman have started their first collegiate games at Illinois State. One of them is current Redbird Gregg Alexander. Alexander drew the starting nod in the opener against Weber State and responded with eight points, one rebound and two assists in 20 minutes of play.  Alexander joins P.J. Smith (1999) and Dan Muller (1994).  

Bryson lost for season

Tarise Bryson, the nation’s top returning scorer, the reigning Missouri

Valley Conference Player of the Year and the Redbirds’ leading scorer for the last three seasons, fell to the floor on a drive to the basket at the 17:46 mark of the second half in Illinois State’s 74-70 opening night victory over Weber State. The fall ended the season for the Redbirds sixth all-time leading scorer, as Bryson dislocated his right wrist and suffered severe ligament damage to his shooting hand. Bryson underwent surgery the day after the game and will face a year of rehabilitation. His wrist will be in a splint for two weeks, a hard cast four weeks and another splint for four weeks. It will take six months to heal.

About UC-Irvine

UC-Irvine is located in Irvine, Calif. and enrolls 19,710 students. The Anteaters are members of the Big West Conference.

Head coach Pat Douglass is in his fifth season at UC-Irvine.  He owns a 56-57 record with the Anteaters and a 432-175 mark overall.  He was the 2000-01 Big West Coach of the Year.

UC-Irvine was voted the Big West preseason favorite by both the league coaches and media.

The Anteaters return two starters from last season¹s 25-5 team that lost in the first round of the NIT to eventual champion Tulsa.  Big West Player of the Year Jerry Green averaged 19.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season, while Adam Parada, a member of the Big West All-Freshman Team, averaged 7.6 points and 6.2 boards per contest last year.

[to top of second column in this article

For UC-Irvine, the 2000-01 Big West regular season title was its first in school history.

In addition to being selected as the league’s player of the year, Green was also an honorable mention all-America selection by the Associated Press.

The Anteaters opened the 2001-02 campaign by hosting a pair of West Coast Conference opponents.  UC-Irvine dropped Saint Mary’s 71-64 last Friday night at the Bren Center, before topping Pepperdine 96-93 in double overtime on Tuesday.

The smallest players on the Anteater roster are Green, DeVaughn Peace and Aras Baskauskas -- at 6-foot-3.  With four players 6-foot-10 and taller, the UC-Irvine roster averages 6-foot-7.

Last season, the Anteaters claimed wins over Pac-10 opponents California and Washington.

The series

This is the first meeting between the two schools. Illinois State owns a 22-11 mark all-time against schools hailing from California.  The last time the Redbirds faced a team from California was in 1998, when Illinois State topped Pacific, and future No. 1 NBA draft pick Michael Olowokandi, 64-63 in Redbird Arena.

4,239 miles from Redbird Arena

It’s doubtful if Kevin Costner and Courtney Cox will be embarking on this journey, but today¹s game against UC-Irvine does mark the start of the longest road swing for the Redbirds this season. After the three games at Moon Township, Pa., for the 2001 University Hoops Classic, Illinois State will travel to Statesboro, Ga., to face Georgia Southern on Nov. 29 and will play at Texas-San Antonio on Dec. 1. In all the Redbirds will travel 4,239 miles in nine days, before returning to Redbird Arena to face Samford on Dec. 8.

Picked to win the league?  Chances are you’re playing Illinois State

Illinois State will play 11 nonconference games this season. Of the Redbirds’ 11 non-Missouri Valley Conference foes, seven of the teams were selected in the preseason polls to win their respective leagues.  The seven preseason favorites are Weber State (Big Sky), UC-Irvine (Big West), Texas-San Antonio (Southland), Illinois (Big Ten), Georgia Southern (Southern) and Central Michigan and Kent State, which are both favored to win the two divisions of the Mid-American Conference.

Been there, done that

At the Missouri Valley Conference media day, Illinois State was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the league title by the conference media and sports information directors. The Redbirds received 26 of the possible 30 first-place votes. The last time the Redbirds were chosen preseason favorites was in 1997-98. Illinois State went on to win the conference. In 1996-97, the Redbirds were also favored to win and won the league.  

Ticket information 

Tickets for Illinois State home games can be purchased from the ticket office at Redbird Arena, (309) 438-8000.  

Redbird Radio Network

 Mark Johnson, play-by-play; Mike Matthews, color; Bruce Evans, sideline (home only); R.C. McBride, studio host.  Affiliates: WJBC (AM 1230/Bloomington), flagship; WINU (AM 880/Highland); WZOE (AM 1490/Princeton); WFMB (AM 1450/Springfield).  All Illinois State broadcasts can be heard on the Internet at either sports.yahoo.com or wjbc.com. The latter also carries Tom Richardson¹s weekly call-in show, which alternates depending on the schedule, but generally airs each Thursday from 6:07-7 pm.  

Web Birds

The Illinois State athletics web page, at www.redbirds.org, includes a direct links to yahoo.broadcast.com and www.wjbc.com to access the WJBC/Redbird Radio Network broadcasts. In addition, for home games, live stats are available.  

[Todd Kober]

[NOV. 21, 2001]   

Girls

Olympia Tournament at Stanford

IVC           7 11 23 31

Olympia     8 19 32 43

Olympia stats: Short 0-1-1, Gaither 9-4-23, Canopy 2-0-4, Boegel 3-3-9, Floyd 3-0-6.

Boys

Athens Tournament at Athens

Hartsburg-Emden    6 19 30 42

Athens                    8 22 32 46

Ke. Leesman 2-0-4, Fletcher 2-0-5, Wrage 3-2-8, Anderson 2-3-7, Gleason 2-1-7, Ko. Leesman 1-2-4, Jones 2-1-5, Sherwood 1-0-2 

[NOV. 21, 2001]   

Men

Lincoln College handed Black Hawk a 91-80 setback in men’s basketball at Lincoln Tuesday night.

Coach B.J. McCullum’s squad featured a balanced attack, led by James Roberson with 19 points. Derik Hollyfield and Sam Jackson both contributed 18 points while Steve Turner scored 14 to round out the double-figure scoring.

The Lynx led 42-36 at halftime and outscored the visitors 49-44 in the second half.  Lincoln finished the game shooting 46 percent from the floor and put the game away by making 20-of-26 free throws.  Black Hawk out-rebounded the Lynx 46-40. Amir Major led the Lynx on the boards with eight rebounds, one more than Hollyfield. Roberson and Turner both handed out seven assists for the Lynx.

Lincoln College will host the Eureka junior varsity on Nov. 26 (Monday) in their next home game.

Lincoln College (91) — Paris Williams 1-1-0-0-2; James Roberson 7-10-2-2-19; Josh Clark 0-1-0-0-0; Gene Reed 0-0-0-0-0; Mike Fowler 0-3-1-2-1; Steve Turner 5-13-4-4-14; Andrew Kehr 1-1-0-0-3; Mike Sams 3-6-1-2-7; Amir Major 4-11-0-0-9; Derik Hollyfield 6-14-4-6-18; Sam Jackson 5-10-8-10-18.  Totals 32-70-20-26-91. Three-point goals: Roberson 3, Kehr, Major, Hollyfield 2.

Black Hawk (80) — Jesse Collum 2-11-4-5-9; Brandon Hoffman 1-2-0-0-2; Devarra Purefoy 1-3-0-0-2; Chris Hickey 5-13-0-0-13; Maurice Williams 9-21-2-4-22; Matt Calef 5-10-2-2-14; Joe Spruille 6-15-6-8-18. Totals 29-75-14-19-80. Three-point goals: Collum, Hickey 3, Williams 2, Calef 2.

[to top of second column in this article]

Women

Angie Bossingham tossed in 24 points to lead Lincoln College to a 74-55 victory over Black Hawk in women’s basketball at Lincoln Tuesday night. Bossingham was joined in double figures by Zabrina Harper, who contributed 12 points.

Lincoln College held a 10-point lead at halftime, 46-36, and coasted to victory the second half as both teams struggled to score, Black Hawk netting just 19 points in the final 20 minutes.

Lincoln College will be in action against Kankakee at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 27 (Tuesday).

Lincoln College (74) — Ariel Lamb 0-0-0-0; Tammy Bausley 0-0-0-0; Jenny Story 2-0-0-4; Victoria Scott 3-0-0-6; Sarah McLaughlin 0-2-4-2; Audrey Hinrichsen 1-0-0-2; Angie Bossingham 8-5-5-24; Ronni Beebe 0-7-10-7; Heather Dobey 0-1-2-1; Kim Calhoun 2-1-4-5; Kim Massenburg 1-0-0-2; Jessie Dullard 3-2-6-8; Sereida Melker 0-1-2-1; Zabrina Harper 5-1-2-12.  Totals 25-20-35-74. Three-point goals: Bossingham 3, Harper.

Black Hawk (55) — Ponce 2-0-0-4; Jones 2-0-0-4; Hughs 1-2-4-4; Johnson 1-3-7-5; Belite 2-0-0-5; Bea 3-4-4-10; Haynes 3-6-7-12; Brownwell 1-0-1-2; Thorpe 1-1-2-3; Barton 3-0-0-6.  Totals 19-16-25-55.  Three-point goals: Belite.

[Bill Martinie,
Lincoln College sports information director]

[NOV. 20, 2001]  The Lincoln Railers defeated Danville 55-47 in their game Monday evening.

Score by quarters

Lincoln 15 26 37 55

Danville 6 22 36 47

Individual stats

Farmer 4-2-11

Romnick 1-0-2

Schonauer 4-0-9

Schrader 4-2-12

Welch 2-0-4

Werner 3-0-7

Young 5-0-10

Limestone vs. Morton
at Lincoln tournament 

Limestone  16 32 51 65 74

Morton      21 41 47 65 71

[NOV. 20, 2001]   

Mount Pulaski vs. Fisher

Mount Pulaski    24 37 54 77

Fisher                7 20 32 37

Individual stats

Wilson 1-0-2

Coers 2-0-4

N. Tierney 2-4-8

Claments 1-0-2

Schilling 2-0-4

Olson 2-0-4

Blaum 6-1-13

Anderson 9-1-22

Waymire 1-1-3

J. Tierney 2-0-4

Smith 4-0-8

Erlenbush 1-0-3

Olympia girls vs. Streator

Olympia    13 31 43 49

Streator     10 22 31 38

Olympia JV vs. Tremont

Olympia JV    12 25 41 51

Tremont         10 14 21 27

[NOV. 20, 2001]   

Score by halves

MacMurray         44 49 - 93

Lincoln Christian  47 45 - 92

Individual stats

Clark 8-8-27

Holderby 4-09

Below 3-3-9

Turney 0-4-4

Okusami 6-5-17

Grooms 3-2-8

Searby 7-3-17

[NOV. 20, 2001]  You knew it was just a matter of time. He was like a time bomb in one of those "Mission Impossible" shows. I mean, how excited did you expect him to get in a couple of exhibition laughers? But then, he didn’t come out all that strong last Friday versus Gonzaga. However, Monday night Frank Williams began to prove once again why Dickie V put him on the latest cover of the ESPN magazine. Williams exploded for 16 second-half points by making 7-of-9 free throws and going a sizzling 5-for-8 from the field as he finished the night with 20 points. His performance somewhat overshadowed the real debut of Luther Head, who dunked his way into the hearts of Illini fans everywhere with a 14-point performance.

More kudos must go to the bench than that. Nick Smith continued his improvement by giving Illinois nine points and three blocked shots. Damir Krupalija bounced back from a lackluster showing against the Bulldogs by hounding the EIU Panthers for 12 points as he didn’t miss a shot in four tries.

Once again defense and rebounding were the points of emphasis. Cory Bradford totally bottled up the nation’s leading scorer from a year ago, Henry Domercant. Bradford harassed him into a woeful 3-of-14 shooting night that really pointed to the Panthers’ downfall. Illinois’ presence in the passing lanes, denying almost any penetrating pass of any kind, meant that all Eastern could get were jumpers with Illini hands in their faces. Illinois improved a little on the boards from their last outing by seizing a commanding 45-31 edge in the rebounding battle. These factors contributed to Illini not going down to an upset-minded team like so many of their ranked brethren.

[Jeff Mayfield]

By Jeff Mayfield

[NOV. 15, 2001]  This week, I don’t even know where to start... so, I’ll just start at the beginning. As I’ve said before, this is one of my favorite times of the year. Why? Because there are more sports offerings than you can shake a stick at. And that’s a pretty big stick. Baseball, golf and volleyball have just wrapped up, and now we have football, basketball, wrestling, hockey and a host of other sports.

Railer hoops

For you local hoops fans, it’s time to see this season’s editions of both the Lady Railers and the Railer basketball squads. I know that the boys will host their annual Green and White scrimmage tonight at 6:30. You get to see everyone in the program, and I think the only admission price is a can of pop.

Many wonder about the significance of holding an intra-squad game for the public. There are so many benefits that it would be hard to list them all. Of course you don’t want any injuries, but it is just good to get everyone some time and let them get used to the environment. Because the next time they take the floor, it counts!

I ALWAYS looked forward to that annual scrimmage. It was done in my hometown very similar to the way it’s done here. Sometimes the stands are packed-out here and sometimes they’re not. I STILL have not learned the secret. I do know how much it meant to me when my neighbors, area business people, folks from my congregation and assorted others would show up to support me and my teammates. I knew some of them were clueless about the game, but they came anyway.

I even know that there are several folks who ignore sports or who despise them. That is OK with me. They are certainly entitled to that opinion. However, in my limited experience in life, I personally have found very few things that can mobilize a community, help give it an identity, foster a sense of unity and pride than a group of people rallying around one of its local sports teams.

As I travel the state of Illinois and proudly tell people that I am from Lincoln, there is almost always an immediate reaction; and it has something to do with our basketball program. Whether they know basketball or not, they know that we have some of the hardest-working kids in the sport. They also know that successful, winning basketball is synonymous with Lincoln.

I always tell them the same thing. Not only are they hardworking, but they are just great kids! When I notice that that puts a smile on the face of these people from all over the state, it makes me even prouder that I’m from Lincoln. Some say we put too much emphasis on the sport, and they are probably right. But there are a lot of worse things that we could be known for!

Here’s looking to see you and 3,000-plus other fans at good ol’ Roy S. to support our Railer teams again this year. I do think our crowds have gotten a little soft the last two seasons. When our teams are performing at their highest levels, they need YOU to give them energy and to really provide a home-court advantage. I’m not too sure that that has happened of late. Let’s make this year the year that our sportsmanship, support and class has no rival in the state of Illinois! GO, RAILERS!

(Side note: Congratulations to Railer coach Darrin Worth and his wife, Tiffany, on the birth of their daughter.)

[to top of second column in this section]

Da Bears

"...those aren’t pillows! How ’bout those Bears?!"

Hey, how ’bout those Bears? Yah, cheeseheads, I know you came away with the victory Sunday, but I have to tell you, it was not all that impressive. The Pack is indeed good, but area growlers will tell you Chicago is gaining on you.

I don’t know much about this Norris division that you all follow, but I do know that the Bears are vastly improved. The addition of Anthony Thomas at running back has made a big difference to this ballclub. Settling the Cade McNown situation was also huge, although I’m still not convinced he was as much of the problem as we’ve been led to believe. The receivers, while not speedy, have run precise routes and have, for the most part, displayed good hands. And special teams, for once, have been pretty special, as the recovery of the onsides kick against Cleveland should point out.

I’m especially happy for head coach Dick Jauron. He has been lampooned and lambasted and just held up as a sacrificial lamb for this organization the last two years. I listened to his call-in show two of the last three weeks, and I am amazed how rude the fans are to him. He’s winning games, and they STILL have ideas on how his coaching could be better.

The LDN would like to give those fans just a little advice this week: GET OVER IT!!! Dick has simply done a fabulous job turning this team around this season. Especially if you’ve taken the time to carefully examine the roster that he has been dealt. He has maximized it! Skeptics will tell you that the Bears have played one of the softest schedules in the league. While there may be a smattering of truth to that, the LDN would tell them you can play only the people that the league office puts on your schedule. So, GET OVER IT!

I didn’t even think the Bears looked all that bad on opening day versus the Ravens. They still had a chance to win in the fourth quarter. And I know that Packer fans don’t want to hear this, but if the Bears would’ve maybe played just a little smarter just before halftime, they probably would’ve been in a position to win on Sunday.

I’m not the biggest Bears fan on the planet. I follow them because many of you, my local friends, do. I wish them great success because they have to be one of the NFL’s biggest underdogs!!!

[Jeff Mayfield]

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