CHAMPAIGN — Amber Moore is not a woman of many words. After dropping a career-high 31 points in Illinois' 69-57 win against Northwestern on Monday at the Assembly Hall, Moore answered a question about whether she played with a different level of confidence with a simple answer.

"Yes," she said.

Funny, because her quiet, unselfish nature has drawn the ire of coach Jolette Law in practice recently. Law has been asking Moore to demand the ball, and to do so loudly.

"Tonight, she was calling for the ball, she was in a groove. I think she learned from practice," Law said. "I told her 'I'm going to have you sitting down if you're not shooting the ball.' "

"It shocked me because she was yelling extremely loud in practice. I guess it helped. It clicked," Moore said.

Moore, a third-year sophomore, came off the bench for the first time this season because Law elected to start her four seniors on Senior Night. But the 5-foot-11 guard didn't waste any time pleasing her coach once she got on the floor.

Moore made her first four shots, including three three-pointers, and finished the first half with 17 points.

"She's been coming in the gym, working on her shot and I just told her right now to do what you do best. I don't know if there's anybody in the country who shoots the ball the way she can shoot it," Law said. "I think sometimes she gets too unselfish and tries to get everyone else in the flow of the game."

She made difficult shots, like a crossover stepback mid-range jump shot that drew plenty of oohs and aahs from the 1,656 in attendance, and she made fadeaway three-pointers from well beyond the arc with defenders in her face.

"I'm really not sure why," Moore said when asked why she was able to make the more difficult shots Monday.

Moore's breakout performance against Northwestern (14-13, 4-10 Big Ten) came exactly one year after teammate Karisma Penn, the last Illini to score at least 30, had 33 points in a loss to Michigan State. It came at the right time for Moore, who has struggled in recent weeks.

In the previous six games, Moore was shooting 20 percent from the floor (13 for 65) and was averaging 5.6 points per game. That stretch started with an 0-for-9 scoreless performance against Nebraska on Jan. 29.

"The bottom line, it's all about Amber just coming in and playing. She's such a team player," Law said. "We told her right now we need her to be offensive minded, people are starting to play a zone and you've got to make them come out of the zone and they'll start playing us man and they did."

Moore's efforts helped the Illini (11-7, 5-10), winners in three of the last four games, build momentum heading into Sunday's season finale at Wisconsin and the upcoming Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis, where Illinois has played well in recent years.

"Typically, something goes off late and we go to the tournament and we just become this dynamic team," Law said. "The last four games, I think my kids understand the little things and we're starting to focus on it and I hear it in the huddles. We're peaking at the right time and hopefully we can go to Wisconsin, get a win and it's anybody's ballgame. It's March Madness and right now we're playing well and we have depth and we have different people who have been stepping up and playing well for us. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

Adrienne GodBold scored 13 points for the Illini and Lydia McCully added six points, eight rebounds and four assists.