Ten days ago, Evansville was undefeated at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference and Illinois State was winless at the bottom. Now, a Redbird win in Saturday's 2 p.m. matchup with the Aces would make them tied inn the standings and further define the unpredictability of the Valley this season.
The Redbirds, 4-11 overall, 2-4 in the Valley, are trying for their second straight victory and third win in four games while the Aces, 9-6, 3-3, are trying to dodge a fourth straight loss. The current Valley leader is Indiana State, which beat UE 87-70 Wednesday night. But, for the Sycamores to climb back into the lead, they needed and received help from Bradley, a 59-53 winner Thursday at Wichita State ... the same night a Southwest Missouri State team which lost at ISU last week beat Northern Iowa by 39 ... the same UNI team which blew out Bradley as recently as Sunday.
The vicious circle of 'who-beat-whom' in the Valley could cause severe dizziness among most fans, but the cold hard fact of the matter is that momentum and standings location mean little to an individual game. To Redbird coach Jenny Yopp, it's a matter of focusing on what your team can do. And Yopp is enthused by her team's execution in recent games.
"Where our program is now, it's about belief," said Yopp. "Our defense has been spectacular at times, particularly late in close games. Our offensive execution continues to improve. We're getting great looks at the basket--we just have to start converting those early in games."
Early. There's the rub for Illinois State, which has trailed at halftime of all six of its Valley games by at least eight points. In both league wins--the 58-54 decision over SMS and a 65-56 win Thursday at Southern Illinois--the Redbirds have had to overcome double-digit deficits in the second half.
"This team has to find a way to get off early," said Yopp, whose team battled back from a 15-1 deficit in the first six minutes to win at SIU. "If we can get some shots to fall early in the game--and we're getting great shots in our offense and transition--it could make a huge difference."
At SIU, Yopp inserted freshman Sara Stevenson into a starting perimeter spot with junior Taren O'Brien and sophomore Katie Donovan. Stevenson doesn't score much, but her rebounding, ballhandling and defense have been a big help to the Birds lately.
"We were looking for someone to fill that spot as a pacesetter and Sara fits well," said Yopp. "It also strengthens our bench becuase we can bring in Stacey White's experience. It worked at Southern Illinois--Stacey played her best all-around game of the season."
The Redbird depth, especially in the frontcourt, will be tested by Evansville's post players, Jamie Gray and Jenna Hayes. They combine for 30.3 points and 16.2 rebounds per game, with Gray posting 17.5 points and 11.4 rebounds by herself.
"Evanssville's posts are experienced and talented," said Yopp. "And the young perimeter players around them have come along quickly."
UE's problem of late has beend defense. In the last Aces win, they gave up 48 second-half points to Southern Illinois in the start of a four-game stretch in which UE opponents are averaging 84 points per game.
After the UE game, Illinois State has four in a row at home in Redbird Arena starting with preseason league favorite Creighton at 7:05 p.m. Thursday in Redbird Arena.
