The first time Karisma Penn and Adrienne GodBold took the court at Assembly Hall, they led the Illinois women’s basketball team to an 85-53 victory over Sienna on Nov. 15, 2009. Penn and GodBold were the team’s highest scorers with 18 and 14 points, respectively.

But if you ask Penn about her first game at Assembly Hall, she isn’t able to recall any details. Neither her high-scoring affair, nor the opponent.

She’s grown accustomed to leading Illinois alongside GodBold over the last four years.

The senior duo will lead the Illini onto the court at Assembly Hall for the final time Thursday night against Ohio State.

The two have gone through a lot together. They came in with high hopes, as a part of former head coach Jolette Law’s No. 3 recruiting class in the nation. The hopes have yet to be realized. They were joined in the class by current redshirt juniors Amber Moore and Kersten Magrum, Baylor’s Destiny Williams and Toledo’s Brianna Jones.

The recruiting class fell from six to four after Illinois’ first game that season. Moore tore her ACL against Temple and medically redshirted the year. A scuffle after the game influenced Williams, the top recruit in the class, to transfer to Baylor. She went on to start for the Bears, helping them to their national championship last season and No. 1 ranking so far this season.

Illinois went 19-15 during the class’ freshman season, advancing to the quarterfinals of the WNIT. GodBold said she was disappointed by the season, but it was the best one before this year. Jones was dismissed from the team after a year for violating team rules. The class was down to three.

“It was a challenge because the class that was so highly praised was halfway gone,” GodBold said in January. “We had to step up with what was left.”

The two stepped up, but it wasn’t enough. Illinois went 9-23 despite Penn averaging 17.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. GodBold bumped up her average from 5.6 points per game to 9.2, and she added defensive intensity with her quickness. Magrum also broke her foot during the year and was forced to medically redshirt. The class dwindled to two.

Jolette Law was fired after going 11-19 during the duo’s junior season. Penn saw her statistics drop across the board, while GodBold struggled to find a consistent spot in the team’s rotation.

“Last year was tough. It was really tough,” GodBold said.

Illinois hired Green Bay’s Matt Bollant to replace Law. The seniors immediately noticed a difference.

“This year is like night and day from the last three years, to be honest,” GodBold said.

Bollant has coached Illinois to a 16-10 record this season, and his team is currently tied for third in the Big Ten, in large part because of the seniors.

“Our first three years, we really struggled a lot,” Penn said. “We just went into this year, finally finding success and learning how to balance all that.”

Penn leads the Illini with 19.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. She dominates the defensive end with 2.9 steals and 2.2 blocks per game.

After being academically ineligible for the fall semester, GodBold has helped the Illini to the tune of 17.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game in 15 games played. Illinois was 6-5 during her suspension but has gone 10-5 since her return. The Illini beat then-No. 6 Georgia in her first game back, which GodBold called one of the highlights of her career.

“This season has made me feel a lot better about my college career,” GodBold said. “I have been through a lot. We’ve been through a lot of coaches when I’ve been here, and it hasn’t been the best college career ever, but this season has made up for a lot.”

Bollant knows that his seniors have been crucial to his first-year success.

“They’ve been huge this year,” Bollant said. “Your seniors have to lead and have to make plays, and those guys have done a great job.”

GodBold and Penn will be honored after the game against Ohio State. They will be joined by Magrum, who was medically disqualified earlier this season after suffering her fourth concussion. She will graduate in May alongside Penn and GodBold. Magrum played her last game in their first meeting at Ohio State, a 79-73 win on Jan. 6.

“It means a lot just because the fans have been so great, and I’ve been here for four years,” Magrum said. “It’s been a rough experience, but it’s been so rewarding. It’s just nice to have that time to be with my family and the people who supported me.”

Illinois’ game against Ohio State will give the team an opportunity to pick up its 10th Big Ten win, a benchmark that Bollant has previously said would get Illinois into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003. Penn and GodBold set this goal as freshmen.

“It’s something that I always dreamed about,” GodBold said. “It would just bring everything together. It’s my senior year I want to go out with a bang and make as many statements as I possibly can.”

She can make the next statement against Ohio State on Thursday.

Johnathan can be reached at [email protected] and @jhett93.