FINAL: Illinois 61, Purdue 57

Illinois finally exorcised a few demons against a longstanding nemesis.

Karisma Penn's layup with 20 seconds left gave the Illini a 59-56 cushion, and Jenna Smith's free throws with 9.7 left sealed an emotional victory for Illinois on Senior Day at the Assembly Hall.

It was Illinois' fifth victory against the Boilermakers in 44 tries dating to 1987.

Smith led the way as usual, collecting 21 points and 15 rebounds, both game-highs. Penn had 14 points and Kersten Magrum added 11. Lacey Simpson finished with six rebounds and six assists before fouling out.

HALFTIME: Illinois 29, Purdue 28

Jenna Smith's 15 points and seven rebounds have helped the Illini take a slim halftime lead on Senior Day at the Assembly Hall.

Smith and Kersten Magrum (seven points) have kept the Illini afloat in a game that is much more aesthetically pleasing than the first time these teams met in early February. The Illini are shooting 45.5 percent and have survived 12 turnovers. 

Purdue has had a simple game plan on offense: Going right at Smith. Purdue's unheralded post players have been effective; Chelsea Jones has six points, Samantha Woods five and Alex Guyton four.

Another senior, Lacey Simpson was scoreless in the first half but has five rebounds and five assists.

Will Minnesota winning at Indiana today, the Illini need a win to stay within striking distance of 10th place. As it stands, the 5-11 Illini trail Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan, all of whom are 6-10. The Illini, who are idle Thursday, lose the tiebreakers against Indiana and Michigan because of head-to-head results. Illinois owns the tiebreaker against Minnesota after sweeping the Gophers.

PREGAME:

Greetings from the Assembly Hall for the final time this season -- barring an unexpected turnaround on the part of the Illini women.

First and foremost, it is Senior Day for three Illini: Whitney Toone, Lacey Simpson and Jenna Smith. Plus, it's "Pack the Hall" day, featuring free admission, parking and giveaways. Last year's "Pack the Hall" -- against Minnesota in early January -- had an announced crowd of 7,052, but I'd be stunned if we came close to that figure today. Here's hoping a bunch of folks turn out to honor Simpson and Smith for all they've achieved individually, but 7,000 is probably too much to expect. 

It's a pretty strange scenario, all things considered. Smith and Simpson are two of the most prolific players the program has ever produced, yet the program has had little success during their tenure. The highlights: a fourth-place finish in 2006-07 and a memorable run to the Big Ten tournament championship game in 2008. But despite the program's mediocrity during the tenure, the pair remain very popular with fans and UI supporters -- as well they should. I've been lucky to cover some fantastic young women during my 12 years on the beat, and Smith and Simpson are among the most engaging I've known. They've always been cooperative with the media, and they're easy to like.

Other notes:

--A Section is really filling up. All seats today are general admission, so you have to get here early to get the prime stuff. Season ticket holders were let in 30 minutes before the general public to get their seats.

--When these teams played in early February, it was one of the ugliest games of the season. Given the teams' respective styles of play, I think we could see another repeat. Neither team is very good offensively. Purdue has struggled badly on the road, and you already know how bad Illinois has been since early January. If either team hits 60 today, I'll eat tomorrow's edition of The News-Gazette.

--One interesting sidelight about today's game: the battle between Simpson and FahKara Malone to see which will finish higher on the Big Ten's career steals list. Both are seniors. As it stands, Simpson is fifth, holding a five-steal lead on Malone. Unfortunately for Simpson, Malone has a game in hand (the Illini have their bye on Thursday), plus the Boilermakers are much more likely to be playing in the postseason.