It took an extra five minutes, but behind 20-point performances from Katie Donovan and Jaci McCormack, Illinois State held on for a 81-76 overtime win over the Wichita State shockers Thursday night at the Charles Koch Arena .
Donovan led Illinois State with 26, while McCormack added 21. Zora Skrabalova chipped in 12 and Taren OBrien had 11.
With the 26-point performance, Donovan becomes the seventh player in Illinois State history to have at least 10 or more games of 20-plus points in a season, and the first since Caryn Brune did it during the 92-93 season. Donovan was also a perfect 10-10 from the line.
With the win, Illinois State moves to 11-6 on the year and 5-3 in league play. Wichita drops to 5-12 overall and 2-6 in the league.
Despite the Shockers record, Illinois State head coach Robin Pingeton was impressed with both teams play.
Nothing was easy in this game, because both teams played hard and all the players played their hearts out, said Pingeton. That Wichita team is much better than their record indicates. Those girls play hard.
In the first half, Wichita State used an 8-0 run early in the game to give themselves a five-point cushion. Illinois State bounced back and eventually led by as many as eight with 4:45 to go. However, a 14-2 Shocker run to close out the half sent Illinois State to the locker room trailing 37-33. Donovan got five of Illinois States first seven points and finished the half with nine on 3-4 shooting from the field and 2-2 from the stripe. Skrabalova also chipped in eight points in the first half. Wichita States April Banks led all scorers with 13 first half points.
A closely contested second-half saw the two teams trade leads, as each team could only manage a four-point advantage in the second half. Illinois State had the ball and the length of the floor to go with three seconds on the clock and the score tied at 68. OBrien caught the ball at half court and made her way into the lane, knocking in a layup, however it was just after the buzzer and the two teams went to overtime tied at 68.
Our team made much better decisions in the second half, said Pingeton. Taren stepped up and was a real leader, and the way Jaci and Katie played in the second half was amazing.
In overtime, Wichita State would take an early lead, however it would be short, as Illinois State answered back, and would take the lead for good on Taren OBriens bucket with 2:13 to go. OBrien had six of her points in the extra frame.
At times this year we havent always been mentally tough, added Pingeton. But know weve learned how to win games like this and we know what it takes. Im so proud of my girls for pulling this one off.
Illinois State will next play Saturday night, when they travel to Springfield, Mo., to take on the league-leading SMS Lady Bears. Tip-time is set for 7:00 p.m at the Hammons Center.
