Freshmen step up to lead Illini

Pressure eases on Illinois' lady cager Berggren

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Last year, Illinois guard Ashley Berggren was the talk of the Big Ten.

She led the conference in scoring at 24.6 points per game. She was named first- team All-Big Ten and received honorable mention All-American honors. Several coaches around the conference said she, not Ohio State's Katie Smith, should have been the Big Ten Player of the Year.

While the slashing guard still dazzles crowds and frustrates opponents with her prolific scoring and powerful inside game, she is no longer the only show in town for the Fighting Illini (17-4, 9-2 Big Ten). This season, there is a whole team joining Berggren and coach Theresa Grentz in their effort to restore Illinois to the top of the Big Ten.

This new depth was key to the Illini's 94-79 win over Penn State (11-9, 4-6 Big Ten) yesterday. Berggren surprised no one, as she sparked Illinois from her new point guard position, finishing with 19 points and seven rebounds.

But stepping up to lead Illinois were two freshmen, forward Tauja Catchings and guard Katie Coleman, who each finished with 21 points. Catchings also pulled down 13 boards, 10 in the first half.

"I just wanted to help win," Catchings said. "It was just a physical and aggressive game. I'm feeling more confident than I was in the beginning of the season."

With players such as Catchings and Coleman taking pressure off Berggren, Illinois has easily surpassed last year's record of 13-15, 6-10 Big Ten. The combination of Catchings on the boards with Berggren and Coleman outside is, as Penn State learned, a potent one.

"Catchings did a super job. She gets my vote for player of the game," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "Their guards had all but 10 points of theirs in the first half. It was a game between the guards, and they obviously won."

The play of Catchings and Coleman was even more important to the Illini, with ankle injuries recently hitting point guards Krista Reinking and Melissa Parker. Reinking was able to play 12 minutes off the bench against Penn State but control of the point has fallen to Berggren for the first time in her college career. With so much riding on Berggren's shoulders, Catchings and Coleman chose a good time to increase their offensive output.

"Going into these two games," Coleman said. "I knew I had to step up."

Both Catchings and Coleman more than doubled their season averages against the Lady Lions. Catchings had been averaging 8.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while Coleman had been putting up 6.9 points.

"I thought Tauja was outstanding. She was there," Grentz said. "I'm just very pleased with them. They just accept the challenges."