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High
school
basketball |
Area
game results
[JAN.
9, 2002]
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BOYS
At
Mount Pulaski
Heyworth
9 20 34 42
Mount Pulaski
13 27 42 57
Blaum 6-2-14; Delbert 1-0-2; B. Erienbush 1-0-2;
Schilling 1-0-2; Anderson 8-5-25; Coers 2-1-5; Olson 1-0-2; N. Tierney
1-0-2; Clements 2-0-4
Totals
23-8-57
Three-point
field goals: Mount Pulaski (3) —
Anderson 3
At
Olympia
IVC
4 11 20 30
Olympia
8 16 24 34
Dillenburg 5-6-16; Sherman 0-2-2; Olson 1-0-2;
Wise 2-2-6; Schultz 2-2-6; Kieser 1-0-2
Totals
11-12-34
At
Hartsburg-Emden
Warrensburg
21 41 56 73
Hartsburg-Emden
4 12 29 42
Warrensburg
—
Calmes 2-0-4; Aughenbaugh 1-1-3; Shirley 2-1-6;
Traughber 2-2-8; Z. Binkley 5-2-13; Santos 2-0-4; Doyle 5-0-10; P.
Long 1-0-2; K. Long 10-3-23
Totals
30-9-73
Hartsburg-Emden
—
Ke. Leesman 3-0-6; Anderson 1-3-5; Gleason
5-4-14; Jones 2-0-4; Wrange 4-0-8; Ko. Leesman 2-0-4; Sherwood 0-1-1
Totals
17-8-42
Three-point
field goals: Warrensburg-
Latham
(4) —
Traughber 2, Shirley, Z. Binkley
GIRLS
At
Normal Community
Olympia
9 17 33 53
Normal Community 12
20 29 48
Gaither 3-8-16; Litwiller1-0-2; Floyd 6-5-17;
Prager 2-0-4; Canopy2-0-4; Goebel 4-0-8; Brand 1-0-2
Totals
19-15-53
Three-point
field goals: Olympia (2) —
Gaither 2
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College
basketball |
Illini
vs. Purdue men's basketball pre-game notes
[JAN.
9, 2002]
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
Illinois
State vs. Drake
men's basketball pre-game notes
Notes
from Drake:
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
Notes from Illinois State:
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
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High
school
basketball |
Area
game results
[JAN.
8, 2002] High
school girls basketball results
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At
Lincoln
Lanphier
10 18 28 32
Lincoln
17 33 43 58
Dawson 2-0-4;
Robbins 2-2-7; Ingram
9-0-19;
Froschauer 4-0-8; Moore
1-1-3; Carey 4-2-13; Verderber
2-0-4
Totals
24-5-58
Three-point
field goals: Lincoln (5) -- Carrie 3, Ingram, Robbins
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At
Virden
Mount Pulaski
11 22 33 45
Virden
9 19 35 50
Maske 1-0-3; Sanders 10-0-20; Faith 3-2-10; Rucks
2-4-8; Howe 2-0-4
Totals
18-6-45
Three-point
field goals: Mount Pulaski (3) -- Faith 2, Maske
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College
basketball |
LCC
men's and women's basketball results
[JAN.
8, 2002]
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Men's
@ Greenville
Lincoln
Christian
30 44 12—86
Greenville
39 35 7—81
Turney
1-1-4, Grooms 5-0-10, Searby 7-1-16, Clark 9-18-38, Below 6-2-15,
Raymer 1-1-3
Totals
29-23-86
Three-point
field goals: Lincoln (5) —
Clark 2,Turney, Searby, Below
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Women's
@ Lincoln
Greenville
42 45 —
87
Lincoln Christian
41 27 —
68
Robbins 4-4-12, Urton 3-1-9, Szostek 1-0-2,
Wright 8-4-21, Wertin 0-2-2, O’Malley 3-5-11, Jewell 3-0-6, Davis
2-0-5
Totals
24-16-68
Three-point
field goals: Lincoln (4) —
Urton 2, Wright, Davis
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Illinois
State finds defense, defeats Wichita State, 81-71
Shawn
Jeppson and Randy Rice set career highs in win
[JAN.
8, 2002] Seniors
Shawn Jeppson and Randy Rice each set new career highs as Illinois
State defeated Wichita State 81-71 at Redbird Arena. The victory
snapped a five-game losing skid for the 'Birds.
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Jeppson
made five three-point baskets in the game to break his previous
career mark of four and led the 'Birds in scoring with 27 points to
pass his old career high of 22 points at Wichita State on Jan. 29,
2001. Rice scored 16 points in the contest; his previous high was
ten points at Evansville on Feb. 12, 2001. He also set career highs
in steals with six (previous high was five in two separate games)
and blocked shots with three (his previous high was one in four
contests).
Baboucarr
Bojang and Gregg Alexander also had strong performances for Illinois
State. Bojang scored 15 points and led the team on the boards with
seven. Alexander chipped in 13 points, including 3-for-6 shooting
from behind the arc.
The
Shockers, 7-7 (1-2 MVC) were led by senior Terrell Benton with 16
points. Wichita State had three other players in double figures.
Senior Troy Mack led the Shockers in rebounding with nine and also
put in 11 points.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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In
the first half, Wichita State jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, but
the Redbirds answered with an 18-3 run led by seven points from
Randy Rice to take the lead 18-10 with just over nine minutes
remaining. However, the 'Birds went 0-11 from the field over the
next seven minutes, 47 seconds and allowed the Shockers to take the
lead 21-19 at the 2:56 mark. Gregg Alexander hit a big three-point
shot with five seconds left to give Illinois State its first
halftime lead, 29-26, in five games.
The
second half saw the Redbirds pull away, outscoring the Shockers
30-15 through the first 11 minutes behind three three-pointers from
Jeppson. The 'Birds took their largest lead of the game at 59-41
with 8:49 remaining in the game.
The
Redbirds, 5-9 (1-2 MVC) head to Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday to play
Drake at 7:05 p.m. in Missouri Valley Conference action.
[Erica
Fricke, ISU asst. director of media relations, athletic media
relations]
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College
basketball |
Illini
stumble in Badgerland
[JAN.
7, 2002]
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The
Fighting Illini capped off a disturbing week of losses by bowing to
the Wisconsin Badgers, 72-66. Charlie Wills was made to look like an
All-American by scoring 19 points and helping to thrash the Illini
in front of a packed house of delirious patrons. The Illini
continued to see their big men spending far too much time on the
pines. Robert Archibald led the Illini with 17 points followed by
Cory Bradford with 13 and Frank Williams with 12. Lincoln's Brian
Cook finished with 8 points as he spent half the game mired in foul
trouble, albeit with some of the most interesting calls made in
quite a while. It doesn't get any easier for Illinois as Wednesday
night they will head into very hostile Mackey Arena to take on the
Purdue Boilermakers.
[Jeff
Mayfield]
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Southern
Illinois crushes Illinois State, 79-58
[JAN.
7, 2002] CARBONDALE
—
Illinois State committed 24 turnovers and continued to have problems
generating points throughout the game as the Southern Illinois
Salukis cruised to a 79-58 conference victory over the Redbirds in
Carbondale. The Salukis had four players reach double figures in
scoring during the game.
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Southern
Illinois, 12-2 (2-0 MVC), started to pull away midway through the
first half with an 11-2 run. With the score 43-31 at the half, the
Salukis added some more cushion to their lead with a 13-3 run to
open the second half. SIU took their largest lead of the game,
72-40, with a little over eight minutes remaining in the game.
Shedrick
Ford led Illinois State, 4-9 (0-2 MVC), with 16 points shooting 7
for 14 from the field. Baboucarr Bojang was the only other Redbird
to reach double figures with 13 points. Bojang also led the 'Birds
on the boards with nine rebounds.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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Southern
Illinois was led in scoring by junior Jermaine Dearman with 16
points, while freshman guard Stetson Hairston put together the best
performance of his young collegiate career with 15 points and 11
rebounds. The Salukis tallied 20 offensive boards in the game, which
helped create plenty of opportunities for SIU to score.
The
Redbirds return home for a Missouri Valley Conference match-up
against the Wichita State Shockers on Monday, Jan. 7, at 7:05 p.m.
[ISU
news release]
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Illinois
State vs. Wichita State men's basketball pre-game notes
[JAN.
7, 2002]
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
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High
school |
Area
game results
[JAN.
7, 2002]
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BOYS
BASKETBALL
At
Lincoln
Taylorville
9 27 39 51
Lincoln
10 16 32 57
Farmer 3-3-11;
Komnick 0-2-2;
Gallagher 1-0-2;
Schonauer 3-0-8; Welch
2-0-4; Young 9-6-24;
Schrader 2-1-6
Totals
20-12-57
Three points field goals, Farmer 2, Schonauer 2,
Schrader.
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WRESTLING
At
Lincoln
Lincoln 42-Normal West 37
103-Valdes(L) won by forfeit; 112-Rogers(L) won by
forfeit; 119-Fannin(NW)won by forfeit; 125- M.Zemmel(NW) pinned
Allen(L),4:00; 130- Martin(L) pinned Reeves(NW),5:07; 135- Jackson(NW)
dec. Sullivan(L), 15-9; 140 Sparks(L) pinned Moore(NW), 1:11; 145-
Purcell(L) pinned Homer(NW), 1:27; 152- A. Zemmel pinned Frost(L),
5:25; 160- Sanders(NW) maj. dec. Barringer(L), 17-4; Leisinger(L) won
by forfeit; 189- Henderson(NW) inj.dec. Babbs(L), 2:15; 215-
Reinhart(L) pinned Fogle(NW), 2:50; Hwt.- Iden(NW) pinned Copper(L),
3:14.
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College
basketball |
Northern
Iowa downs ISU in women’s basketball
[JAN.
5, 2002] Abbi
Schutte scored 11 of her game-high 15 points to lead Northern Iowa
past Illinois State 53-44 Friday in a Missouri Valley Conference
game, which featured low shooting percentages and just 24 total
turnovers.
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Taren
O'Brien led the Redbirds with 13 points and Katie Donovan added 10.
Sharon Blade and Kristi Larson had nine rebounds each and Larson had
three blocked shots. ISU had just 15 turnovers, but the Panthers had
only nine for the game, a season-low against the 'Birds.
The
Redbird defense limited UNI to just 28 percent field goal shooting
in the first 20 minutes. The Panthers raised that to 32
percent by game's end. Illinois State shot 33 percent. UNI
made 11 of 15 free throws, but ISU made just four of nine for the
game.
Redbird
coach Jenny Yopp appreciated her team's defensive effort, but was
disappointed the 'Birds couldn't score more.
"The
bottom line for us is we didn't put the ball in the hoop
enough," said Yopp. "Neither team shot particularly well.
We held them 10 points under their average and our defense played
well. We also got the shots we wanted, but we couldn't get enough of
them to fall."
ISU
has held its last four opponents under 60 points after allowing 70
points per game to opponents the first seven games. Yopp thought her
team missed Stacey White, who was limited to 19 minutes because of
foul trouble.
"We
didn't have Stacey White when it was critical," said Yopp.
"She's a player who really makes a difference for us at both
ends of the court. We missed that for much of the game
tonight."
[to top of second column in this
article]
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The
'Birds, 2-9 overall, 0-2 in the Valley, took a 15-9 lead at the
11-minute mark on a 6-0 started by Katie Donovan's 360-degree
spinning layup with 13:15 left. Seven different Redbirds scored in
their first 17 points. UNI came back to take an 18-17 lead on Nadine
Brandt's three-pointer with 5:41 left. Kristi Larson tied it at
18-18 with a free throw 90 seconds later. UNI scored the final
four points of the half to take a 22-18 advantage.
After
a 7-15 shooting start, the 'Birds missed their last nine attempts in
the first half and didn't have a field goal in the final 8:57 before
halftime. UNI hit its first two shots of the second half to go
ahead 27-20. Donovan's back-to-back baskets cut the lead to 27-24,
but UNI muscled up on the 'Birds inside for a 9-0 run to lead 36-24
with 15:18 left.
UNI
maintained double-digit leads until O'Brien's three-pointer with
2:52 left cut the lead to 47-39. Her third three-pointer of the game
sliced the lead to 49-42 with 1:03 left, but the Panthers made their
last seven free throws to ice the decision.
The
Panthers played their home opener this season after traveling more
than 9,000 miles to play 13 games in 10 cities this season.
Ironically, their last home game was an 80-76 win over Illinois
State March 3, 2001.
UNI,
7-7 overall, 2-1 in the Valley beat the 'Birds for just the 10th
time in 39 meetings.
The
Redbirds play at 2 p.m. Sunday at Bradley in Robertson Field House.
[ISU
news release]
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LCC
vs. Ozark Christian College
[JAN.
5,
2002]
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Cookson
Hills Classic
At
Kansas, Okla.
Lincoln
Christian
40 43—83
Ozark
Christian College
32 43—75
Meyer
1-2-29; Champ 11-2-29; Burgus 4-0-11; Chase 4-3-11; Hodges 2-0-5;
Hedger 5-0-12; Anderson 2-1-5
Totals
29-6-75
Three-point
field goals: Lincoln Christian (11) – Champ
5, Burgus 3, Hedger 2, Hodges.
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High
school
basketball |
Area
game results
[JAN.
5, 2002] Boys
basketball results
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At
Pontiac
Olympia
8 19 30 49
Pontiac 10
25 37 58
Cheek
3-0-8; Sherman 2-0-4; Dillenburg 3-2-9; Elliott 0-2-2; Olson 3-1-7;
Schultz 1-0-2; Wise 4-1-9; Kieser 2-0-4; Thornton 2-0-4
Totals
20-6-49
Three-point
field goals: Olympia (3) — Cheek 2, Dillenburg.
Junior
Varsity — Olympia 61, Pontiac 53
At
Lincoln
Lanphier
24 32 56 72
Lincoln
4 20 29 50
Farmer
7-0-15; Komnick 1-0-3; Gallagher 3-0-8; Schonauer 1-2-5; Young 7-1-15;
Heibreder 1-2-4
Totals
20-5-50
Three-point
field goals: Lincoln (5) — Gallagher 2, Farmer, Komnick, Schonauer.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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At
Mount Pulaski
Hartsburg-Emden
5 10 22 33
Mount Pulaski
20 35 45 65
Hartsburg-Emden
-- Ke. Leesman5-5-15; Anderson 1-5-7; Gleason 2-1-6; Ko. Leesman
1-0-2; Jones 1-1-3
Totals
10-12-33
Mount
Pulaski -- Blaum 1-0-2; Deibert 1-2-4; Erlenbush 1-2-5; Schilling
2-0-5; Wilson 0-2-2; Anderson 10-1-28; Milner 1-0-2; Coors 2-1-6; N.
Tierney 1-1-3; Olson 3-0-6; J. Tierney 1-0-2
Totals
23-9-65
Three-point
field goals: Hartsburg-Emden (1) — Gleason; Mount Pulaski (10) —
Anderson 7, Erlenbush, Schilling, Coors.
At
Williamsville
Illini
Central
7 24 34 51
Williamsville
10 24 40 49
Miller
9-0-18; Scott 3-1-7; Williams 1-0-2; Grimsley 2-3-7; Clark 4-1-9;
Giesler 3-1-8
Totals
22-6-51
Three-point
field goals: Illini Central (1) — Giesler.
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Grade
school basketball |
Carroll
Catholic vs. Mount Pulaski
[JAN.
4,
2002] The
Carroll Catholic Crusaders eighth-grade team suffered its first
loss of the season last night, to the hands of Mount Pulaski,
48-31.
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"Maybe
the two-week layoff had something to do with it," coach Todd
Lowman said. "As all coaches say, ‘you play as you practice,’
and we have had terrible practices during the Christmas break. This
team has had a lot of character in the past, so let’s hope they take
this loss in stride and get prepared for the ‘grade school
postseason.’"
[LDN]
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High
school
basketball |
Area
game results
[JAN.
4,
2002]
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Lincoln
vs. Taylorville
Taylorville
13 23 37 59
Lincoln
13 24 45 56
Dawson
3-0-6, Ingram 5-0-10, Moore 3-3-9, Carey 10-0-24, Hoffert 1-0-2,
Robbins 1-1-3, Schonauer 1-0-2
Mount
Pulaski vs. Porta
Mount
Pulaski 9 25 42 56
Porta
18 25 31 54
Maske
2-0-4, Sanders 12-0-24, Faith 5-0-12, Rucks 2-0-4, Howe 4-2-11
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Olympia vs. Pontiac
Pontiac
9 17 28 37
Olympia
18 31 40 51
Gaither
3-4-10, Brand 1-0-2, Goebel 4-4-12, Floyd 8-2-20, Prager 2-0-5, Hieser
0-2-2
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College
basketball |
Illini
vs. Wisconsin men's basketball pre-game notes
[JAN.
4, 2002]
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
Illinois
State Redbirds at Southern Illinois
men's basketball pre-game notes
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
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Williams
named to watch list for Wooden honors
[JAN.
4,
2002] PARK
RIDGE — The Big Ten Conference saw four men’s basketball
student-athletes named among the top 30 midseason candidates for
the 2001-02 Wooden Award Player of the Year and All-American Team.
Iowa led the way with two selections in seniors Reggie Evans and
Luke Recker, and the Hawkeye duo was joined by Illinois’ Frank
Williams and Indiana’s Jared Jeffries.
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Iowa
was one of only five schools to earn two or more spots on the 30-man
list. Duke led the way with three picks, and Florida, Kansas and
Maryland matched the Hawkeyes’ two selections.
The
Big Ten saw two players named to the Wooden All-American Team last
season: departed-senior Charlie Bell of the Spartans and Illinois’
Williams. In fact, the Illini point guard is one of only four members
of the 2000-01 Wooden squad to be named to the 2001-02 midseason list,
joining Duke’s Jason Williams, Kentucky’s Tayshaun Prince and
Stanford’s Casey Jacobsen.
The
10-player Wooden Award All-American Team will be named on Tuesday,
March 26. One member of that team will be selected on Sunday, April 7,
as the recipient of the Wooden Award Trophy as the nation’s top
collegiate men’s basketball player.
[Provided
by Kent Brown, assistant athletics director and sports information
director at the U of I,
from news release by Scott Chipman, associate director of
communications for the Big Ten]
[Click
here for the Frank Williams bio on the John R. Wooden Award website.]
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College
basketball |
LCC
vs. Nebraska Christian
[JAN.
3,
2002]
|
Cookson
Hills Classic
At
Kansas, Okla.
Lincoln
Christian
54 35—89
Nebraska
Christian
31 28—59
Clark 3-4-11; Raymer 1-0-3; Johnson 3-0-6; Below
10-2-22; Brodfuehrer 2-0-4; Turney 4-2-12; Grooms 8-0-16; Searby
4-1-11; Lirot 2-0-4
Totals
37-9-89
Three-point
field goals: Lincoln Christian (6) – Turney 2, Searby 2, Clark, Raymer.
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Redbirds
fall short to Creighton
[JAN.
3, 2002] After
battling a hot-shooting Creighton team for 28 minutes, Illinois
State went cold and fell victim to a couple of late spurts and Kyle
Korver’s 24 points, as the Jays won for just the second time in 18
tries in Normal, 76-62.
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Korver
led the Jays, 7-4 overall, 2-0 in the Missouri Valley, by hitting
his first seven field goals, three from 3-point range, and a pair of
free throws. He finished 8-of-9 overall and had support from Terrell
Taylor’s 15 points and 14 by Brody Daren, who made 6-of-7 field
goals. Joe Dabbert had 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds as
Creighton shot 63 percent from the field, including 4-of-8 from
3-point range, to overcome 20 turnovers.
The
Redbirds, 4-8, 0-1 in the Valley, had four players in double
figures, led by Baboucarr Bojang with 13. Shedrick Ford had 12,
Shawn Jeppson 11 and Gregg Alexander of Lincoln had 10. The lead
changed 14 times, and the game was tied nine times through the first
28 minutes. ISU shot 41 percent — just 9-of-25 in the second half
and just one field goal in 11 tries during the final 12 minutes of
the game. The Redbirds led 48-44 at that point, but Creighton
out-pointed ISU 32-14 the rest of the way for its first road win of
the season.
Redbird
coach Tom Richardson thought his team let things get away in the
second half.
"We
were up 48-44 and had the crowd into it, and then we hit a drought,
couldn’t stop them. Confidence goes quickly and that was the
story," said Richardson. "We had opportunities to control
the game, but every time we had a chance to take control, either we
didn’t do something or they did something. I don’t think they
wore us down. We just couldn’t sustain consistent play and lost
confidence."
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
Ford
agreed.
"We
just didn’t execute and play to our potential," said Ford.
"As a senior, I take responsibility for that."
Jeppson
converted back-to-back Redbird steals into a jump shot and a
3-pointer to erase a 15-10 Jays lead in the first half. Another CU
turnover — the Jays had 12 at halftime — led to a Ford short
jumper to put ISU ahead 17-15. The game stayed tight until Dirk
Williams drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put ISU up
31-30 with 49 seconds left, but Joe Dabbert’s tip-in 15 seconds
later put the Jays up 32-31 at intermission.
Creighton
led by as many as three early in the second half and led 42-40 with
15:20 left, when Williams hit a short jumper and a free throw to put
ISU ahead. Randy Rice added a layup after forcing a CU turnover and,
after Mike Grimes scored for the Jays, Jeppson’s long 3-pointer
gave ISU its biggest lead at 48-44. Korver, who had arthroscopic
knee surgery two weeks ago, answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to
put Creighton back in front 50-48.
ISU
reclaimed the lead 52-50 on a 3-point play by Shedrick Ford with
12:28 left. Creighton scored 10 unanswered points and shut the
Redbirds out for 5:20 before a Jeppson free throw broke the drought
at 7:08 left. The Redbirds went without a field goal until Alexander
hit a 3-pointer with 4:02 left to cut Creighton’s lead to 68-58.
[Erica
Fricke, ISU assistant director
of media relations for athletics]
|
|
College
football |
Sugar
Bowl turns sour for the Illini
Disastrous first
half sends Illini nation packing
By Jeff Mayfield
[JAN.
3, 2002] Happy
New Year, everybody! I hate to admit it, but I did not help to bring in the new
year. I was actually back in my room on New Year’s Eve by 9:30. The reason? I
knew that it would be a long drive back to Illinois, win or lose.
|
The
cool thing about New Year’s Day is that we had nowhere to go and no place to
be for most of the day. We did have to take the SS Minnow out of the dry dock
(check that — it rained all day and was brutally cold) and make a run to the
airport. There we picked up Taylorville residents John and Craig Coady and
longtime Lincoln resident Lynn Laughlin. The first order of business was to give
those boys some New Orleans flavor since this was their maiden voyage to the Big
Easy. Of course, it was off to the Café
Du Monde for some coffee au lait and some tasty beignets.
Then
they dropped us off at the dome so we could begin preparations four hours before
kickoff to bring you, the knowledgeable LDN readers, as much color as we can
possibly deliver. The hosts have been quite hospitable and it has been a pretty
good experience thus far. Our Orange and Blue fans have been everywhere and as
classy as they always are.
As
far as the game preparations go, it all started somewhat innocently. Both teams
came in and immediately went to their locker rooms. LSU did it by walking right
across the field. When the special teams and the different units came out of the
tunnel one by one, one side of the stands would be booing, the other side
cheering wildly. Taking a page out of my preacher’s counting ability, I would
guesstimate that Illinois brought about 20,000 fans and that LSU scooped up the
other 50,000-plus that were available. Early on, our fans were trying to do
everything that they could think of to help negate LSU’s home field advantage.
The game itself
After
four sluggish possessions, two by each team, Illinois began to lose the field
position game. Two poor punts allowed the LSU Tigers to take over possession of
the ball at Illinois’ 44-yard line. Six plays later Davis barreled into the
end zone, and LSU was on the board 7-0 at the 7:22 mark of the first period.
After another anemic Illini possession, the good guys were forced to punt out of
their own end zone. Fitts hit a beauty beyond the 50, but Illinois was hit with
a 15-yard personal foul penalty that once again had the Tigers knockin’ at our
door. And score they did on yet another run by Davis. This time it was a 25-yard
scamper on first down around an exposed left end. Terrel Washington did block
the extra point, which was his fourth blocked kick of the year. That made it LSU
13 and Illinois 0.
[Photos by Tom Seggelke.]
After
still another pathetic possession by the Illini, LSU got the ball back after
being penalized on its punt return. But it didn’t matter. After a long pass
completion, Davis exploded for his third TD run of the game, this time from
yards out, and the rout was on — 20-0 with a little more than 10 minutes still
to play in the first half.
Then
Illinois fumbled the football on their next possession… Can you believe that?
LSU ran it back to the Illinois 5-yard line. From there the Tigers threw a
third-down TD pass to All-World receiver Josh Reed, and the train wreck was
getting worse at 27-0! What was worse than the score was the way that Illinois
looked so flat. They not only looked like they didn’t bring their A game, they
looked like they were asleep — a step slow on almost every play.
But
then Illinois made a couple of plays. First Rocky Harvey pulled in a long pass
from Kurt Kittner. Then Walter Young hauled in another at the LSU 2-yard line.
Kittner then hit Brian Hodges, and the Illini were finally on the board, 27-7.
But
LSU came right back and marched right down the field and shoved it right down
Illinois’ throat. The Tigers scored when Rohan Davey hit Robert Royal on a
7-yard TD pass to make 34-7 at the half. Illinois had absolutely NO way to come
back from such a devastating hole! Never in your wildest expectations could you
have imagined a more disastrous half.
But
in the Louisiana Superdome there is nowhere to go to hide. We were getting
exposed to a national TV audience, which if they were smart had already turned
to another exciting episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond."
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
But
the second half did have to be played. Sometimes you wonder if the boxing rule
should be employed in some football and basketball games. You know — when you’re
completely out of it, just throw in the towel. Because it’s just too painful
to watch! Or maybe you could have the chess concession rule. When you’re tired
of playing, I think you can just retire or concede the match. That sounds much
more humanitarian than watching this SEC team beat the thunder out of us.
After
a nothing possession we punted back to LSU. Amazingly they went three and out
and punted it right back. This time we meant business. After a 61-yard strike
from Kittner to Young, Kittner went back to the air and hooked up with Brandon
Lloyd for a 17-yard TD to cut the deficit to 34-14 — not nearly enough!
Why
do I say that? Because Illinois is now within three TDs, and we can’t stop a
youth league team from scoring tonight! LSU marched right down the field and
Reed caught another pass, this time for 32 yards. That made it 41-14, and it was
just getting uglier by the minute.
This
is exactly why I wanted to go to some bowl game in the sun. That way if the game
turned sour like this one did early, I could be on the beach at halftime. Not
only is that not possible here, as they’re having a winter storm warning
outside, we still have to drive home.
The
Big Ten basketball season starts tomorrow night as the Illini host the Minnesota
Golden Gophers. Boy, am I thankful for basketball right about now! Maybe a sweet
basketball run by Cook and the boys will remove this sour Sugar Bowl debacle
from our mouths.
Oh
yah, the game. Illinois did march down and score on another Kittner-to-Lloyd
10-yard connection to make it 41-21, but I don’t think a single Tiger fan was
worried one single bit. And that’s how the third quarter ended.
Now
we have to take this abuse for only 15 more minutes. I may never go to an
important game in any sport ever again. It’s too depressing!
Although
Illinois tried to show some heart as Walter Young made a great 17-yard touchdown
grab that cut LSU’s lead to 13 points, it’s still a long way away from the
miracle on Canal Street.
It
all came down to a third-down play from the LSU 38-yard line. Davey hit Reed
with a 41-yard pass that gave the Tigers a huge first down and ensured their
victory. From there Davis took it the house on a 4-yard power run, and you could
hear the bus starting to warm up down below. That TD made the count 47-28, and
the only thing left in doubt was, would that be the final score?
At
this point, I don’t care! I hate football — bring on basketball!
We
did use an inconsequential gadget play, although it was an exciting one. Lloyd
took off on a reverse and was looking for Kittner. Instead he fired a 40-yard
touchdown to Illinois’ player of the game, Walter Young, and after a missed
two-point try that made the final score 47-34.
There
is really nothing else to say about this game. We had a great year and now it is
over. Maybe a strong basketball campaign will soothe some of the final sting!
(Ed. note: The Illini did win their home opener last night over Minnesota, but
after being gone the last couple of days, I thought it best to stay home with
the family last night.)
As
far as the trip home, it was long and almost uneventful. We did hit a couple of
slick spots on the road and a couple of slippery bridges, mostly in Mississippi
of all places, but the Bacon-Laughlin driving team performed well enough to get
us home unscathed. In fact I got home in plenty of time to let my family take me
out for an early-bird birthday dinner. I have to admit it — that was the best
thing I did all week!
Thanks for the
memories, Illini, and again, Happy New Year to all you loyal LDN readers!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
[Click
here to see additional pictures from the Sugar Bowl.] [Click
here for Jeff's pre-game articles.]
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College
basketball |
Illinois
State vs. Creighton
men's basketball pre-game notes
[JAN.
2, 2002]
Notes
from Creighton:
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
Notes from Illinois State:
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
Illinois
State vs. Northern Iowa
women's basketball pre-game notes
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
Illini
vs. Minnesota men's basketball pre-game notes
[Click
here to view background information (in Adobe Acrobat)]
[Click
here to download Adobe Acrobat reader]
|
|
|
|
Alexander,
Redbirds shock the Shockers
[JAN.
8, 2002] Somebody
needs to tell Gregg Alexander that he’s only a freshman. The true
freshman from Lincoln continues to play like he’s always been a
college player as he and the Redbirds stymied the Wichita State
Shockers last night 81-71 in Normal before a small but boisterous
crowd of 4,776 paying customers (I want to talk more about that in
an upcoming story).
|
Alexander
was not the only one who came to play on Monday night. The maligned
Shawn Jeppson had a career high 27 points including five 3-point
rainbows, but perhaps more important was the leadership he
demonstrated on the court. He could have forced up some other shots
but wisely dished to Alexander and to Randy Rice, who also had a
career high night. Rice threw in 16 points, but also had three
assists and six steals.
However, he did two other things that were more impressive to this
would-be reporter.
First
he was attacking the basket all night. In my mind, the more you
attack the basket the more good things that happen to you;
especially when you consider that ISU was firing at an 80% clip from
the charity stripe.
Second,
he too was exuding some much-needed leadership to this Redbird ball
club. At times this team has been a little lethargic. Their passion
has been questioned. It has to be frustrating for the coaching staff
since they can’t check themselves into a game to get the guys
fired up.
If
the Birds would only play like they did last night against WSU and
like they did against the Illini, I think that they will be alright.
When you bring the fight to the contest and you’re clawing to
compete on every possession, you become a very dangerous opponent.
So, if I could give ISU any new year’s resolutions it would be
that they would show the intensity and the focus that they showed
last night in every game the rest of the way.
You
have to give the Shockers credit. They did what you’re supposed to
do when you go on the road. They competed hard in the first half,
displaying a deft inside-outside game. They kept the score close and
tried to keep the crowd out of it. Troy Mack was a ton in the paint
and he finished the night with 11 points, nine rebounds and two
blocks. Terrell Benton torched the nets for 16 and Bob Kampman, who
was on fire in the first 20 minutes, cooled off to finish with 12
markers.
But
credit the defensive job that Rice put on WSU’s scoring leader,
Randy Burns as another key to the Redbird’s victory. Rice and some
good old-fashioned team defense kept the hot-shooting guard to five
points and limited him to 1-of-6 shooting from the field. In fact,
they had him so frustrated that it took him out of other facets of
the game. You could say
that the whole second half was a study in frustration for the Kansas
quintet. Foul trouble and the stifling Redbird D’ made it rough
going for the Shockers on nearly every trip down the court.
Besides
Alexander, Rice and Jeppson give some accolades to Boo Baboucarr. He
continues to be a very pleasant surprise for ISU. He hit for 15
points, led the team with seven rebounds and was a perfect 7-for-7
from the line.
[to top of second column in this
article]
|
ISU
played some stellar defense on the night forcing the Shockers into
22 turnovers while only committing ten themselves. When you throw in
the 12 steals that ISU recovered that combines for a nice recipe for
success.
Good
shooting doesn’t hurt either. The Redbirds hit for 55% in the
second half and 47% for the game in route to a blistering 52-point
second session explosion. Also encouraging to see, were some new
offensive sets that gave ISU better spacing and more penetration
opportunities.
Next
up: A road tilt at Drake. Hopefully they now have the confidence
booster they need to go on the road and be successful.
Post-game
quotes
Gregg
Alexander on tying the game and then knocking down a three to give
ISU the first half lead:
“Even
though “Jepp” [Shawn Jeppson] and Randy [Rice] were hot when
they threw me the ball, I was wide open. I thought we were more
aggressive offensively tonight. We set good, hard screens and we
moved the ball on the perimeter well.”
Jeppson
on Alexander and the younger players:
“We
have a semi-young team out there. It is our duty to show them the
ropes. Gregg Alexander showed that he can be a great player.”
ISU
coach Tom Richardson on the game:
“This
game came down to leadership by our two seniors and a much-needed
win. It’s been a month since our last one. I felt we played with
confidence. I still say that we’re a good shooting team and
tonight we were cutting with a lot of energy. We had good spacing
and a good inside-outside presence. We tinkered with the offense a
little bit with the high ball screen and sticking our shooters in
the corner. However, the real key was getting the ball inside and
having Randy Rice aggressively penetrating like he was. Jeppson has
played well for the last 40 minutes. Alexander improved his
footwork. His feet were set from the corner and he’s very capable
of hitting those shots that will come off of kick-outs. Those open
threes that he hit are a big part of the game. We are now playing
with the kind of confidence that we need.”
Former
Clinton Maroon shooting guard, Josh Rich who was at the game on
leave from his station aboard the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier
in the Pacific fleet:
“That
Alexander is quite a player. Last time I saw him, he lit up Pontiac
for 41 points. What really gets overlooked about him is his
tenacious defense. I’m glad I got to see him play again and ISU
win before I head back to the ship.”
[Jeff
Mayfield]
|
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Mayfield’s
Mutterings…
|
Local team
of the week, professional team of the week, this, that and the
other
[JAN.
7, 2002]
|
Team
of the week
Our
LDN team of the week is the Carroll Catholic eighth grade boys
basketball team. Despite losing their first game of the year to the
always-tough Mout Pulaski quintet, they still
have had a monster year. They are in hopes that this one slip will
demonstrate to their players that they need to remain focused in
practice and in the upcoming games as they ready themselves for
post-season play. Regardless of what happens, we here are excited
for them and they were easily our team of the week. Good luck guys
the rest of the way!
Professional
team of the week
This
one is so easy. On the count of three, let’s all say it in
unison…1-2-3: the
Chicago Bears, who else? Many NFL insiders didn’t even predict a
.500 season for the Bears. No one realistically figured the Bears
for a play-off spot. Many are saying the only reason Chicago made to the post-season was because they got to
play one of the easiest schedules. I’ve got one word for all of
those experts…Bologna!!! And you can call me here at the LDN at
(217) 732-7443 and I’m asking our editors to forward your
calls…I’ll say bologna to your face! I’m not the biggest Bears
fan in the world, but I’m happy for all of you fans who have stuck
with them through the years. Other than the Bulls, you Chi-town fans
haven’t had much to root about lately. If you’re a faithful
follower of our sports news here, you know that we’ve been pluggin’
the Bears all year. We’re not like many sunshine lovers who’ve
jumped on the bandwagon the last month or so. We wish you fans a
long play-off run and who knows, maybe a trip to the Super Bowl!
[to top of second column in this
article]
|
Railers
Improving
Despite
getting beat by the #1 team in the state, the Lanphier Lions, the
Lincoln Railers continue to improve. The win against Taylorville
Saturday night takes Lincoln to 10-4 and 3-2 in the league, not bad
for a team that was supposed to be in a rebuilding mode. The Railers
displayed outstanding ball movement, good penetrating passes and a
nice inside-outside combination this past weekend. Once the defense
gets tweaked a little more and the rebounding continues to improve,
it appears that the Railers will be a team that no one will want to
play during March Madness! Playing with passion and a deep sense of
urgency can make you very dangerous during play-off time.
Random
thoughts
Does
anybody run the screen pass play better than the Green Bay Packers?
Has
there been a tougher week being an Illini fan than this past one?
Look
out for Lincoln College’s and Lincoln Christian College’s
basketball teams; both men AND women! All of them seem to be on a
roll.
Speaking
of LCC, wait ‘til you see their new athletic complex…it is
really nice! We’ll bring you more info on that in the next few
weeks.
Is
it just me, or have the Bulls played a little bit better under Bill
Cartwright?
ISU
girls and guys could use your support and we have dozens of alums
right here in Logan County. Our own Steph Reichle and Gregg
Alexander are contributing all they can; maybe YOUR energy could
help get their respective teams over the hump. The girls play this Thursday,
Jan. 10 against Drake at 7:05 p.m.
The guys host Wichita State Monday night at 7:00 p.m.
Illinois State athletics department is sponsoring Lincoln Day at
Redbird Arena on Jan. 12 and 26 in honor of these two extraordinary
young athletes. [Click
here for more information.]
Have
a great week and keep displaying that good sportsmanship!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
|
|
Reflections
on the 2001
Illinois football season
By Greg Taylor
[JAN.
3, 2002] The
Sugar Bowl experience was great! Everything went perfect, except for the first
half of the game. But the bottom line is this: If I would have stated in August
that Illinois would go 10-2 and play in a BCS bowl, most of you would have
thought I was crazy. And while I am crazy, I have really enjoyed the ride
(thanks, Coady, your van is great) the Illini have taken us on this year. Listed
below are several reflections on the state of Illinois football:
|
Top 10 positives of
2001
1.
Illinois wins their first outright conference title in 18 years.
2.
Illinois ties school record for wins in a season with 10.
3.
Quarterback Kurt Kittner breaks single-season record for touchdown passes with
27, including four in the Sugar Bowl.
4.
Kittner sets the career mark for touchdown passes at Illinois as well.
5.
Coach Ron Turner beat four conference foes for the first time (Minnesota,
Purdue, Wisconsin and Penn State.)
6.
Illinois became the highest-scoring team in school history, breaking the record
set by the 1999 team.
7.
Illinois had two home sellouts in a season for the first time in several years.
8.
Brandon Lloyd and Walter Young became the wide receiving duo in Illini history
and both return for the 2002 season.
9.
Illinois loses just four starters on offense (QB-Kittner; TE-Hodges; C-Butkus;
G-Kulaga)
10.
The Illini lose just four starters on defense for next season (DE-Washington;
DT-Moore; S-B. Jackson; S-Abdullah).
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
Five questions to be
answered for 2002
1.
Who will be Illinois’ next quarterback? If it is Dustin Ward, I’m worried! I
vote for the best juco available (Drew Brees-type player).
2.
Will Ron Turner say no to Stanford and the pros? If not, who is our coach?
Turner says he will stay, but Palo Alto is just miles from where he grew up, and
while Champaign-Urbana is nice, it does not compare to the Bay area.
3.
Will Illinois be able to parlay the success of 2001 into repeated success next
season? Illinois will play 12 games next year, including home games with both
Michigan and Ohio State.
4.
Will Illinois be able to take the next step on the defensive side of the ball?
Great improvement this season, but, as seen in the Sugar Bowl, Illinois needs
equal improvement for next year.
5.
Who will replace Steve Fitts? The four-year punter also handled kickoffs and was
a great weapon when pinning foes inside the 20.
No.
1 key for 2002 is this: Lock up Ron Turner in Champaign and throw away the key!
He is the most valuable coach in the Big Ten for the 2001 season and should have
been national coach of the year. Illinois went from 0-11 to 10-2 in just five
seasons! I really think Turner will look long and hard at the Stanford job, as
well as possible pro openings. Most observers believe his brother Norv will be
the next head coach of San Diego, and openings are likely in San Francisco and
Oakland in the next year or two.
And finally,
Illinois football 2002 starts in just 240 days, when Illinois will absolutely
spank Missouri in the football border war at the TWA dome. Get ready — I'd
love to see the game tomorrow!
[Click
here to see additional pictures from the Sugar Bowl.]
[Greg
Taylor]
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Announcements
|
Redbird
athletics announce "Take a child to the game" day
promotion
[JAN.
8, 2002] NORMAL
—
The Illinois State men's and women's basketball teams are inviting
youth, ages 18 and under, to Redbird Arena Jan.12 and Feb.15 for
"Take a Kid to the Game" day where a child accompanied by
an adult can attend a game free of charge.
|
The
special promotion begins this Saturday when the men match up against
the Sycamores of Indiana State at 4:05 p.m. Any adult who buys a
regular price game ticket will receive a free youth ticket for a
child 18 years and under.
|
The
same special will take place for the women's basketball game on Feb.
15 when Illinois State faces Evansville at 7:05 p.m.
Anyone
with questions can call the Illinois State Athletic Marketing Office
at (309) 438-7429.
[ISU
athletic media relations release]
|
|
Lincoln
Day scheduled at Redbird Arena, twice
[JAN.
7, 2002] NORMAL
—
Residents of Lincoln will
have the opportunity to support a native son, Gregg Alexander, and
daughter, Steph Reichle, as the Illinois State Athletics Department
will sponsor Lincoln Day at Redbird Arena on Jan. 12 and 26.
|
On
Jan. 12, the Redbird men’s basketball team will host defending
league champion Indiana State in Missouri Valley Conference action.
Tip-off is slated for 4:05 p.m. The women’s team faces conference
champion and NCAA Final Four participant Southwest Missouri State on
Jan. 26 at 2:05 p.m.
|
Tickets
are $6 for the men’s game, $3 for the women’s and are available
in Lincoln at these local businesses: CEFCU, Kroger, Woods and
Bates, Jim Xamis Ford, Woody Jones Insurance and Coy’s Car Corner.
They can also be purchased by calling the Redbird Arena ticket
office at (309) 438-8000.
[Todd
Kober, ISU director of media relations]
|
|
Quincy United Soccer
Club announces
indoor soccer tournaments
[DEC.
29, 2001] The
Quincy United Soccer Club will be hosting a girls indoor soccer
tournament on Jan. 19 and 20. On Feb. 2 and 3 they will host a
boys tournament.
|
Games
will be played 6 vs. 6 (including keeper) on the field. Games
will run 44 minutes long. Participants in the tournaments will play
a total of four games, with two games on Saturday and two
games on Sunday. Two fields are designated for use during the
tournament.
Age
brackets run from U-10, U-11, U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15 up to high
school and college.
There
will be no parking or admission fee to the tournament.
A
full concession stand will be provided.
|
Deadline
for entry is Jan. 8. The cost for entry is $150.
Hotel
cost at Holiday Inn and Hampton will run $55 to $60. Hotels are
located across the street from the facility.
For
more information on the tournament contact Matt Longo at soccer@rnet.com or
Terry Bower at trbower@dstream.net.
Inquiries may also be made by telephone: Matt Longo (217)
224-8253, Terry Bower at (217) 224-8405.
[LDN]
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