Sometimes, the day after a game can be as important as the game itself. At least, that was the experience for Illinois State head coach Robin Pingeton and her team after a 73-60 exhibition win over Truman State on Sunday.
The Redbirds built a 49-24 halftime lead that eventually was sliced to single digits before junior Katie Donovan, who scored 29 points for the game, and senior Taren OBrien scored late points to end the drama.
Pingeton viewed the game with mixed emotionshappiness with the first half, disdain for the second. She came away with an idea of what her team needed to do to improve. But she was most impressed with her teams reaction.
They were happy with the winyou have to be happy when you win, said Pingeton, but they werent satisfied with the way we played. And they brought that with them to practice on Monday.
The first-half shooting, free throw shooting and ball movement all were positives from the Truman State game. Illinois State shot 49 percent in the first half, made 20 of 22 free throws (including the last 19 in a row) and had assists on 19 of 22 field goals in the game
Pingeton thought the free throw accuracy was indicative of how much extra time most of her players are spending shooting on their own.
Its a credit to the players, said Pingeton. We havent spent a lot of time (in practice) on free throws, but 85 percent of them aer in the gym every day taking extra shooting on their own.
Pingeton appreciated that her players came to practice Monday dedicated to doing the things they needed to do to get better, and eager to tackle the task of improving.
We need to have a warrior-like mentality, said Pingeton. We need to practice more competitively every day, keep paying attention to detail and get more done every day.
The Birds play their second exhibition at 1:05 p.m. Sunday against Odyssey, a group of former college stars from the Chicago area which includes Mary Jane Johnson, a Redbird guard from the mid-1990s.
Pingeton is looking for a stronger 40-minute performance.
We need to get stronger with conditioning, said Pingeton. We had some mental letdowns in the second half (against Truman) because we got tired.
Pingeton isnt settled on a lineup or a rotation, but, even after the Odyssey game, the Birds have 10 days before the season opener Nov. 26 against Air Force at Redbird Arena.
