Its not hard to see that new head coach Robin Pingetons red-hot offense has made Illinois State one of the most improved teams in Division I womens basketball. And a closer look shows that the three-point shot is the fueling the blaze. The Redbirds already have equaled the Illinois State single-season record for three-point field goals with 113 entering Sundays 4:05 p.m. match-up with Southern Illinois.
One of the nations Top 10 three-point shooting teams, the Birds have burned their first five Missouri Valley Conference foes for 46-100 from beyond the arc. By total, Jaci McCormack leads with 14-for-31, followed by Katie Donovans 12-for-28. For efficiency, Erin Keeney is 10-for-18, Taren OBrien 6-for-10. Off the bench, its Beth Huston 2-for-5 and Stacey White 2-for-7. With a .355 shooting percentage, ISU is averaging 8.1 three-pointers per game.
Maybe the most amazing thing is that the same players who shot .299 from the arc and made less than half as many per game. ISU has set and tied the single-game record for three-pointers made with 13 against Air Force in the season opener and Evansville in Fridays 91-64 blowout at Redbird Arena.
OBrien, who lit-up Evansville for 15 points (six on three-pointers) and a career-high 9 assists in a 91-64 blowout Friday night, says the Redbirds three-point improvement is no accident.
People dont realize that we (ISU players) in the gym all the time, said OBrien, who is shooting 42 percent from three-point range this year compared to 29 percent a year ago. We continue to work on shooting, turnovers, whatever we need to improve.
The Redbird efficiency from three-point range isnt a case of ISU beating up on teams unable to stop three-point shooters. The 13-for-27 (.481) vs. UE came against a team which has held its other 12 opponents to just 30.2 percent and 4.9 per game. ISUs 9-for-16 at Creighton was nearly .300 better than the .266 CUs other opponents have shot on treys this season. Bluejay foes have made only 3.2 per game.
And if opponents havent had enough trouble flagging down ISU three-point shooters, theres 6-foot-5 Zora Skrabalova lurking inside. Skrabalova is shooting 69 percent from the field while scoring 12.6 points per game in league play, and takes a string of 13 straight field goals made entering the SIU game.
Redbird coach Robin Pingeton, whose team has two more wins than last years 7-21 outfit, appreciates the effort and the results.
The credit goes to these players, said Pingeton, whose Redbirds are 9-5 overall, 3-2 in the Valley. They have bought into what we have asked them to do and have been willing to work hard to produce better results. I am thrilled for them.
Southern Illinois, 2-11 overall, 1-3 in the Valley, has allowed opponents to shoot 37 percent from three-point range and is giving up 6.2 treys per game. Historically, the Salukis have been tough on Illinois State in Normal. SIU is 9-3 against the Birds in Redbird Arena, including a 74-69 decision last year, which was SIUs most-recent road win.
