After Tuesday’s loss to Bradley, head coach Theresa Grentz was not happy with the women’s basketball team’s attitude.

On Wednesday, the Illini had a meeting behind closed doors to talk about the team’s direction.

“Tuesday night was obviously disappointing,” Grentz said. “We disappointed ourselves and anybody interested in this team. We met and feel we rectified the situation.”

On Wednesday, Grentz said the team practiced with a lot of intensity.

“The women have given their word,” Grentz said. “The effort and attitude is always going to be there for every game the rest of the season.”

The Illini will get a chance to prove their word on Saturday against Pacific at the United Center in Chicago. The women’s team will play at 10:30 a.m., right before the men’s basketball game. Saturday’s game marks the first meeting between the two programs.

Senior forward Tiffanie Guthrie said the Illini are going to bring a lot of intensity to Saturday’s game.

“We’re going to come out and play as hard as we can,” Guthrie said. “We want to dominate from the start.”

The loss to Bradley could be the early season wake-up call the Illini needed. Grentz said the team did not stay humble after defeating Louisiana Tech last Saturday.

“Any time you have a season, the team is constantly learning,” Grentz said. “We have four more months during the year. It’s never going to stay the same – things are always getting better or worse.”

In Tuesday’s loss, the Illini shot 39.7 percent from the field, including 0-9 from beyond the arc. At times in the game, Illini players were passing up open shots. Grentz said she is not worried about their confidence becoming a problem.

“You’re always going to have that,” Grentz said. “Shooting is contagious. When you’re hitting your shots, you are going to shoot. When you miss, you are going to feel pressure and pass them up. That is a natural human instinct.”

Bradley played man-to-man defense against the Illini, but most teams this season have played zone. Grentz said Pacific will likely play zone.

“We’re going to try to find the holes in the zone,” Grentz said. “To do so, we need to know when to pass and when to shoot.”

On the other side of the ball, the Illini allowed Bradley to shoot 50 percent from the field, including 44.4 percent from the three-point line.

“Defensively, we must get after (Pacific),” Grentz said.

Pacific comes into Saturday’s game 2-2 on the season, coming off an 86-30 loss to No. 9 Duke last weekend. The Tigers have the 16th-toughest schedule in the nation, according to RPI ratings.

The Tigers are led by Jessica Brantley, who averages 7.8 points per game and Carolina Ruiz, who averages seven points and 5.3 rebounds.