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| SportsThursday, December 22, 2005 12:42 PM CST |
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Illini women upset No. 15 Oklahoma
CHAMPAIGN -- Danyel Crutcher didn't stand out in Oklahoma's scouting report on Illinois, averaging only three points as a reserve. But the sophomore forward scored a career-high 24 points and had 11 rebounds to spark the Illini to an 86-75 upset over the No. 15 Sooners on Sunday. Janelle Hughes scored 11 straight points during a 16-4 run in the second half as Illinois (6-3) snapped a seven-game losing streak against teams ranked in the AP Top 25. "I just feel real happy all of a sudden," Crutcher said. "I really enjoy practice and working hard." Crutcher started 24 games as a freshman last season, but had been relegated to a bench role and averaged only 9 minutes of action until Sunday. After Audrey Tabon picked up a couple of quick fouls trying to guard Oklahoma's Courtney Paris, Illini coach Theresa Grentz turned to Crutcher. She responded with a basket and a steal. "I don't know what box they've been hiding her in, but they let her out today and she went crazy," said Sooners coach Sherri Coale. "Everybody played their role and did their job and we were miserable." Paris scored 27 points and had 19 rebounds for Oklahoma (9-2), but she didn't get a lot of help. When her fourth foul forced her to the bench with 12:36 left, Illinois was poised to strike. Maggie Acuna's jumper with 9:06 left cut the Illini deficit to 62-59 and Hughes went to work. She hit two jumpers and her 3-pointer with 7:31 left gave Illinois a 66-64 lead, its first since the opening minute. Hughes, who finished with 17 points, hit two more jumpers and Illinois led 70-64 with 6:08 remaining. She said her scoring spree came after a "little pep talk" on the bench. "Coach was trying to get me focused and to be more assertive out there, taking good shots and not rushed shots," she said. "The second half, I was just able to let it come to me more." While the Illini were rallying, the Sooners looked lost. They finished with 20 turnovers and sent Illinois to the free throw line 34 times. The Illini converted 26. "We didn't have any poise and we didn't have any rhythm offensively all day long," Coale said. "Even in the first half, when we were scoring pretty well, we didn't have any flow." Erin Wigley also scored 17 points for Illinois, which played its second home game this season. Lori Bjork added 12. Erin Higgins was 3-of-4 from 3-point range and had 11 points for Oklahoma. Laura Andrews added 10. Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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