After compiling the best non-conference record in school history, the Illinois State University womens basketball team is starting over. Illinois State is 6-3matching Indiana State for the second-best non-conference record in the Missouri Valleybut the Birds, like all nine other Valley teams, start this weekend 0-0.
Although new to the Valley, first-year Redbird coach Robin Pingeton recognizes the strength of a conference which has been among the strongest in the nation in recent years. Five Valley teams have at least 80 wins in the past five years. Seven teams have been to national post-season tournaments since 1999, including 4-5 Northern Iowa, the Redbirds 7:05 p.m. Friday foe at Redbird Arena.
We know this league is tough, said Pingeton, whose Redbirds are riding a five-game winning streak. We know that Northern Iowa is a very good team, a much better team than its record shows.
The dean of Valley coaches, UNIs Tony DiCecco has a pair of first-team all-conference players in Amy Swisher, 17.3 points per game, and Alex Cook, 14.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Point guard Emily Berry is a three-year starter who scores 11.9 points per game.
The Panthers, picked fourth in the preseason poll, started the season 0-4, but went on a four-game win streak which ended with a tournament championship in Hawaii at the Stan Sheriff Classic, named for a former UNI football coach and athletics director. Swisher, with 52 points in two games, was the tournament MVP.
They have three playersSwisher, Cook and Berry--who score 70 percent of their points, but their season scoring average is deceiving because they averaged around 78 points per game during their winning streak, said Pingeton. They play aggressive man-to-man defense, so it will be important that we maintain our composure.
Redbird fans are familiar with Swisher, who rung-up 34 points against the Redbirds in UNIs 71-59 win in its last appearance in Redbird Arena. The Panthers have beaten ISU eight times in a row. The last Redbird win in the series was Feb. 28, 1999Jill Hutchisons final game in her 28-year career as ISU head coach.
The five-game Redbird winning streak has produced impressive statistics. Led by Katie Donovans 21.2 points per game, the Birds are averaging 74.8 as a team to their opponents 55.0. The Redbirds have forced just seven more turnovers than they have committed over those seven games, but have a 117-68 edge in points off turnovers and a 58-33 steals edge.
The front line of pressure in the Redbird defense has been starting guards Taren OBrien and Jaci McCormack, who have as many steals as turnovers during the streak. OBrien leads the Valley in assists with 4.7 per game.
Our goal of our defense is to wear teams down, said Pingeton. We arent the kind of team that will get a lot of steals, but we do try to push the ball and score in transition. Our team has been able to feed off that.
The UNI game is the middle of three straight home games for Illinois State, which has a 2:05 p.m. contest with Bradley on Sunday.
