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[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]

[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! 

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 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. 23, 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.

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

[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

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

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

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.

Mike Hood, 6-4, 190, Jr., Beaverton, Ore.

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 season’s 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.

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.

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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 p.m.  

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, ISU]

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.)

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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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