Women’s basketball coach Theresa Grentz told forward Danyel Crutcher before the game to accomplish a certain feat by the time the game ended.

“Just before (Crutcher) started the game I said today, ‘We need a double-double from you,’ and she responded,” Grentz said.

And 6-foot-3 freshman Jenna Smith responded with a double-double as well in Illinois’ 77-49 win over the Northwestern Wildcats Sunday. Smith netted 17 points and tallied 11 rebounds, while Crutcher scored 10 points and added 12 rebounds.

Northwestern’s (6-16, 0-9) biggest contributor was bench player A.J. Glasauer, who scored 15 points and stole the ball three times.

Grentz was impressed with her team’s play at home from start to finish.

“We got off to the right start,” she said. “We did what we needed to do, went into the locker room with a good lead.”

With 0.9 seconds left on the clock in the first half, from under Illinois’ own basket, freshman Danielle Gratton inbounded the ball to Smith, who immediately shot the ball from just beyond the arc. The shot went in and stretched the Illini’s (15-5, 5-3) lead to 20.

“That sent us in with the momentum,” Grentz said.

Crutcher feels that a strong part of Smith’s repertoire is her physical play.

“In the preseason when we were playing pickup, she starts backing you down. You’re like, ‘Wait a minute, she’s been lifting for years,’ but she claims she doesn’t lift at all . but she’s very solid. I don’t know what (Smith’s) mother was feeding her in Minnesota, but it did her quite well.”

Smith contributed to the team’s 18 offensive rebounds with seven. She credits her teammates’ assists as the reason she led all players in scoring.

“I love the way our guards were throwing it into the post . It was just clicking today,” Smith said.

Also for the game, sophomore guard Lori Bjork hit 3 of 6 three-pointers and totaled 16 points.

“Lori works hard at everything she does,” Grentz said. “She wants the win as much as the next person.”

Starting forward Lacey Simpson scored 12 points and grabbed two steals, one of which came when she made a full dive on the floor with 15:04 left in the first half. Grentz discussed her other steal, when Simpson took it right out of a Wildcat’s hands and flipped it to Bjork on a break.

“That’s Lacey’s game,” Grentz said. “That’s what she does best.”

In the end it was Smith’s consistent, physical play throughout the game that posed one of the biggest problems for Northwestern.

“Rebounding is hard,” Grentz said. “You have to have the heart and the initiative and the willpower to go after it and get after it.”