On the heels of a 55-52 win over Northern Illinois, Illinois State hopes to continue its womens basketball success with a victory over Western Illinois. The 2:05 p.m. start at Redbird Arena will challenge the Redbirds---WIU has won three in a row in impressive fashion.
The Westerwinds have out-scored their last three opponents by an average of 36 points per game. WIU is 6-4, with two of those losses at the hands of Missouri Valley Conference members Bradley (79-77 in the season opener) and Creighton (70-60, the loss before the current win streak began).
Becky Tyos 13.4 points per game leads a balanced attack which features four players averaging in double figures scoring. Tiffany Cornelius averages nearly eight rebounds per game. The win streak includes a 73-54 win over Youngstown State, an 83-25 win over Monmouth (Ill.) and a 75-45 win at Butler. The Westerwind defense has limited opponents to just 33 percent field goal shooting and has forced 76 turnovers in the three games.
All of that has Redbird coach Jenny Yopp concerned.
Western plays a tough, hard-nosed, physical style of basketball with strong depth and scoring balance, said Yopp. All five positions on the court are scoring threats. But Tyo and Cornelius are the X factors; we have to contain them on the boards.
A year ago, the Westerwinds beat the Redbirds for only the second time in 40 games in the series, 74-64 at Western Hall.
WIUs only loss in 17 games in Normal came Jan. 31, 1979, a 73-71 Westerwind victory at Horton Field House. ISU has beaten the Westerwinds 12 times in a row at home since then.
But that history wont matter on Saturday.
Western has a lot of momentum and confidence coming in here, said Yopp. We got a big win for our program (Thursday), and its tough with a young team preparing with just one day between games, but we will have to be prepared for an all-out performance. Were certainly excited about beating Northern Illinois, but we will have to focus quickly on Western Illinois.
Lone senior Kristi Larsons 16 points led the Birds against NIU. The 6-foot-4 senior, who has battled injuries most of her career, has impressed Yopp with her intelligence and experience on the court.
The big thing with Kristi has been her execution, said Yopp. She is so smart and understands the game so much better than she ever has. Her experience benefits our team.
WIU is the Redbirds last non-conference game of the season. League play for Illinois State begins Dec. 29 at Indiana State.
