ST. LOUIS – A six-win improvement from the 2014-15 season has resulted in Illinois State earning the No. 7 seed in the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Championship, held at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois.
The No. 7 seed Redbirds begin tournament action Thursday, when they compete in the first round of the 2016 MVC Championship against No. 10 seed Evansville at 7 p.m., with the game broadcast live on WJBC AM 1230 and streamed live on ESPN3 as part of The Valley on ESPN3 package.
Illinois State (8-21, 6-12 MVC) was picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll, but has defied the odds and won two of its last three contests overall to finish in the seventh spot in the league standings. The Redbirds are led by senior Octavia Crump and 2016 MVC All-Freshman Team selection Shakeela Fowler. Crump averages 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and much of her success is due to Fowler, who averages 11.2 points per game and has dished out a team-best 73 assists on the season.
Evansville (2-27, 1-17 MVC) is led by junior guard Sara Dickey, who averages 16.0 points per game and is the Purple Aces' only player averaging in double figures. Dickey also leads the team with 71 made 3-pointers and 41 steals, and ranks second on the squad with 53 assists.
Illinois State is 29-17 all-time against Evansville, but the Purple Aces hold a 2-0 advantage over the Redbirds in games played in the MVC Tournament. The Redbirds swept the regular-season series against the Purple Aces for the first time since the 2012 season, winning both contests by an average of 6.5 points.
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