Zora Skrabalova scored 13 points and Taren O?Brien had 10, but it wasn?t enough as the cold-shooting Illinois State Redbirds dropped a 70-63 decision to Evansville Thursday at Redbird Arena.
The Redbirds, 7-16 overall, 5-9 in the Missouri Valley, shot 37% from the field in the loss, compared to the Purple Ace?s 51%. The Aces, 11-11 overall, 5-8 in the Missouri Valley got 17 points from Cammie Campbell, including five first-half three-point field goals.
Redbird coach Jenny Yopp was optimistic about her team?s attitude, in spite of tonight?s loss.
?I know I?m coaching a team who cares and wants to reach our team goal,? said Yopp. ?But we just played a little tight tonight. We played stressed, especially in the first half, and we need to find a way out of that rut.?
Aces coach Tricia Cullop, on crutches because of a broken bone in her left leg, was glad her teamcame away with a win.
?It feels good to be on a winning streak,? said Cullop whose team has won two straight after dropping eight in a row. ?It was a real long haul there for a while. Both teams really got after it and after a hard fought game we managed to come away with the win.?
The Redbirds missed their first six shots from the field as UE went ahead 7-2. But Skrabalova scored three baskets in four minutes and the Birds took an 8-7 lead with 15:07 left in the half. With Desiree Gutierrez coming off the bench to score four points in a row, the Redbirds took a 17-12 lead with 8:06 left in the midst of holding the Aces without a point for nearly six minutes.
But Campbell hit four three-pointers in succession and Evansville reclaimed the lead 26-21 with 3:35 left in the half. Baskets by Michelle Harakas and O?Brien trimmed the lead to 28-27, but Campbell?s last three-pointer of the half gave the Aces a 31-27 advantage at intermission. ISU shot just 30 percent from the field while UE made 6-12 three-pointers.
The Aces led by nine five minutes into the second half, 47-38, but Skrabalova again led the charge back with a pair of baskets during an 8-2 run. Stacey White?s spinning baseline shot sliced the lead to 49-46 with 8:09 left. After Jennifer Carpenter hit a free throw, the teams traded baskets until Wick and Olivia Grant hit back-to-back scores to put the Aces ahead 58-52 with 4:57 left in the game.
O?Brien hit a three from on top of the key to cut the lead in half, but Hayes came back with a pair of free throws and UE led 60-55 with 3:46 left. Gray followed two more buckets inside and a free throw, putting the Aces up 65-57 with just 100 seconds left. Jaci McCormack?s two threes got the Birds as close as 66-63, but UE finished the game with free throws.
Redbird scoring leader Zora Skrabalova credits the Redbird guards for her performance in the paint tonight.
?It was definitely good that the guards payed attention to me,? said Skrabalova. ?They were looking for me in the paint, which was key because it gave me so many options.?
The Redbirds return to the floor when they play host to Southern Illinois at 2:05 p.m. Saturday in Redbird Arena, the final home game of the season for Illinois State.
