On Sunday afternoon, the Illini women’s basketball team made history in its 114-74 win against BK Poprad of Slovakia. By scoring 114 points, the Illini broke their record for most points scored in a single game.

They started out slowly with BK Poprad jumping out to a 7-2 lead, two minutes into the first half.

The Illini did not panic and gained the lead for good when an Angelina Williams lay-up made it 10-9.

The Illini went into halftime ahead 52-39 with Williams and Tiffanie Guthrie leading the way with 11 points apiece. Brittany Daugherty provided the inside post presence, contributing 10 points and six rebounds in 11 minutes of play in the first half.

In the first half, the Illini outplayed the Slovakians, shooting 58.6 percent from the field and going 14-of-15 from the free-throw line.

Guard Lenka Belusova and center Silvia Kloudova lead BK Poprad in scoring with eight points apiece. The Slovakians went 6-for-10 from three-point range, which was one thing that kept the game somewhat within their reach.

At every opportunity, the Illini pushed the ball up the court, trying to beat their opponents down the floor. If BK Poprad got back in time, the Illini executed their offense and took good shots.

“I’m seeing signs of good shot selection and knowing what’s a good shot,” said Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz.

Leading 52-39 after halftime, the Illini slowly expanded their lead to 28 points midway through the second half. They were still pushing the ball up the court at every opportunity – something they were not able to do in the Orange and Blue Scrimmage.

In that game, the Illini’s conditioning did not allow them to play at such a fast pace in the second half. But Grentz said the team’s conditioning has improved.

“No matter how hard you work, that first time out is always difficult,” Grentz said about the Illini’s conditioning.

During a one-minute, 55-second stretch at the beginning of the second half, Angelina Williams scored nine straight points. She ended the game with 30 points, shooting 12-of-16 from the field, including 5-of-6 from three-point range.

The Illini outscored the Slovakian team 62-35 in the second half. They went 22-of-34 from the field in the second half and shot 61.9 percent for the game while holding the Slovakian team to 40.3 percent shooting.

“Our emphasis going into game was defense, and let the offense be instinctive and take care of what needs to be done,” Grentz said.