Rachel Skoza doesn't just score; she plays tough defense, too, as DeLand-Weldon found out Friday night. Gargoyle photo by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

URBANA/DONOVAN — Senior Rachel Skoza became the fifth Uni female to join the 1,000-point club, reaching the milestone in a 61-28 conference home win Friday night over DeLand-Weldon.

Skoza came into the game needing 11 points to surpass the mark. With a left-handed layup about a minute into the second half, the 6-foot-1 post player scored her 1,000th and 1,001st points.

"I didn't realize it was over 1,000 until I heard people screaming," she said. "It was just like a flush of relief through my body. It felt great."

The game stopped briefly, and Skoza received flowers and a game ball. Afterward, head coach Rebecca Murphy recalled seeing the potential for a 1,000-point scorer when Skoza was just beginning her varsity career.

"I sat down with her before her freshman year and told her that I thought an appropriate goal would be 1,000 points," Murphy said. "It would take work, but I had no doubt she could do it."

An enthusiastic Spirit Week crowd of Uni fans was on hand to cheer for Skoza and her teammates. A long banner in Skoza's honor was unfurled from the balcony, and students kept a countdown as the senior approached her milestone. Did the extra attention bother her?

"I didn't feel pressure," she said, "but I was nervous because I wasn't feeling well before the game and I had a kind of slow first half. But once I got that left-handed layup and got to a thousand, I just didn't feel sick anymore and I felt really good."

She joins four other female Illineks in the elite club:

• Sophia Neely (1982-86): 1,967 (24.5 points per game)
• Amanda Smeltzer (1993-97): 1,272 (15.0 ppg)
• Lis Pollock (1995-99): 1,152 (14.0 ppg)
• Molly Smith (2001-05): 1,028 (11.4 ppg)

Skoza finished the DeLand-Weldon game with 14 points, which temporarily raised her total to 1,003 for her career — "temporarily" because she didn't have much time to enjoy her accomplishment. She and her teammates were back in action less than 24 hours later as they made the 160-mile round trip to Donovan for a nonconference matchup.

Two years ago, when Skoza was a sophomore, Donovan beat Uni in an 84-41 rout. Skoza missed that game because she had a broken metacarpal in her shooting hand. How times change. On Saturday, behind Skoza's 24 points and 19 rebounds, the Illineks triumphed 60-52. The Uni JV also won, beating the host Wildcats 43-39.

Skoza now has 1,027 career points, leaving her just one behind Smith on the Uni female all-time scoring list. She has a career average of 12.1 points per game.

For the season, Skoza has 271 points for a 15.9-ppg average.

Uni's two victories raised the team's record to 12-6 overall and 5-1 in the East Central Illinois Conference.

In both wins, freshman Jamie Blue came up huge. She had 18 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and seven steals against DeLand-Weldon (her third triple-double of the year). The 5-9 phenom followed that with 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and four steals against Donovan.

The Illineks stayed in control throughout Friday's game, without ever being in danger of losing. Although Uni had only a three-point lead after the first quarter, the girls found a lot of breathing room in the second quarter, taking a 26-12 lead into halftime.

Their defense continued to dominate in the second half, as DeLand-Weldon managed only six points in the third quarter and 10 in the fourth.

Senior Joy Shapley and junior Rachel Harmon each had eight points. Senior Lizzy Warner and junior Michelle Wong combined for 11 steals. Skoza had 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double on her big night.

Against Donovan, the Illineks found themselves in a tighter game. Both teams came out strong offensively, playing to a 16-16 deadlock in the first quarter. The Wildcats went into halftime with a 26-24 lead.

The turning point came in the third quarter as Uni scored 20 points to pull ahead 44-37. A 16-15 performance in the final quarter put the game away for the visitors.

Wong joined Skoza and Blue in double figures with 12 points. The 5-3 guard also five steals and five assists.

With six regular-season varsity games left, the Illineks have a great chance of giving Murphy her best record as Uni coach, surpassing her previous best of 14-9.

The varsity will be off until Friday, when Uni faces ECIC powerhouse Decatur Lutheran in a road game. The down time will give Skoza a chance to let her career accomplishments sink in.

"Our point guards have been really good about getting the ball down low," she said, reflecting on the last four seasons. "I didn't think I was going to get this my freshman year, but I just kept getting stronger and stronger each year and scoring more. I believe in myself more … and I know my teammates have my back."

Skoza rises above DeLand-Weldon defenders as she takes aim early in Uni's 33-point win Friday night. The senior scored 14 against the Eagles and 24 against Donovan a day later. Gargoyle photo by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

At a glance: Uni vs. DeLand-Weldon

Game Summary
Uni defeated DeLand-Weldon 61-28 in a conference game

• DW: 08 04 06 10 — 28
• Uni: 11 15 17 18 — 61

Uni Highlights

• Senior Rachel Skoza scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double
• Skoza became the fifth Uni female player to score 1,000 career points, reaching the milestone on a left-handed layup early in the second half; she finished the game with 1,003 career points
• Freshman Jamie Blue had 18 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and seven steals for her third triple-double of the season
• Senior Lizzy Warner had six steals
• Junior Michelle Wong had five steals and four assists
• No JV game
• Varsity record: 11-6 overall, 5-1 East Central Illinois Conference

Uni Individual Statistics
Player: Total Points (2-pointers made - 3-pointers made - free throws made)

• Jamie Blue: 18 pts (8-0-2)
• Rachel Skoza: 14 pts (7-0-0)
• Joy Shapley: 8 pts (4-0-0)
• Rachel Harmon: 8 pts ( 2-0-4)
• Sheri Grill: 5 pts (2-0-1)
• Michelle Wong: 3 pts (1-0-1)
• Heather Lin: 2 pts (1-0-0)
• Maritza Mestre: 2 pts (1-0-0)
• Lizzy Warner: 1 pt (0-0-1)
• Erika Belmont: 0 pts (0-0-0)

Only two players scored for DeLand-Weldon: Jones 16 (5-0-6) and Neumann 12 (3-2-0)

Uni Team Statistics (opponent totals in parentheses)

• Total Points: (61) (28)
• 2-pointers made: 26 (8)
• 3-pointers made: 0 (2)
• Free throws made: 9 (6)

At a glance: Uni at Donovan

Game Summary
Uni defeated Donovan 60-52 in a nonconference game

• Uni: 16 08 20 16 — 60
• Don: 16 10 11 15 — 52

Uni Highlights

• Senior Rachel Skoza had 24 points, 19 rebounds, and six blocks; she now has 1,027 career points, just one behind Molly Smith ('05) on the all-time Uni girls scoring list
• Freshman Jamie Blue had 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and four steals
• Junior Michelle Wong had 12 points, five steals, and five assists
• JV: Uni defeated Donovan 43-39
• Varsity record: 12-6 overall, 5-1 East Central Illinois Conference

Uni Individual Statistics
Player: Total Points (2-pointers made - 3-pointers made - free throws made)

• Rachel Skoza: 24 pts (12-0-0)
• Jamie Blue: 16 pts (8-0-0)
• Michelle Wong: 12 pts (6-0-0)
• Joy Shapley: 6 pts (3-0-0)
• Lizzy Warner: 2 pts (1-0-0)
• Maritza Mestre: 0 pts (0-0-0)

Leading scorer for Donovan: Hicks 19 (9-0-1)

Uni Team Statistics (opponent totals in parentheses)

• Total Points: 60 (52)
• 2-pointers made: 30 (23)
• 3-pointers made: 0 (1)
• Free throws made: 0 (3)