It might be a New Year, but an old rivalry starts the Missouri Valley Conference season as Illinois State and Indiana State meet at 3:05 p.m. Saturday in Redbird Arena. Its the seventh time in 22 conference seasons the two ISUs have met at the beginning of league play.
Both teams have reasons to put their best on the floor that go beyond an FSN television audience as the tipoff of the Valleys network basketball coverage.
Illinois State, 3-6, has dropped three straight home games even though the Birds have won their last two on the road. Indiana State, 7-2, has one of the Valleys best non-conference records this season, but Redbird coach Robin Pingeton is certain that the Sycamores will start the Valley season remembering how their 2003-04 season endedunder a barrage of Redbird three-pointers in a 77-63 loss in the opening round of the 2004 State Farm-Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Im pretty sure theyve had the game marked since last March. They will come out with a chip on their shoulder, said Pingeton, whose Redbirds broke a Valley Tourney record with 13 three-pointers against Indiana State in the first-round league tourney win. But we will, too. For us, its a chance for a fresh start in the conference season.
Indiana State is tied with Bradley and Evansville for the top league non-conference records (all 7-2). The Sycamores feature a balanced offense led by post player Ashley Clark, a transfer from Kent State who is No. 9 in both scoring and rebounding. Point guard Melanie Boeglin is the NCAA leader in steals with 5.00 per game and is No. 2 in the conference in assists with 5.78 per game.
They have a great team with a roster full of talent, said Pingeton, whose Redbirds are No. 10 nationally in three-point field goals per game and No. 19 in team assists per game. They graduated a great player in Erin Rhodes, but Clark is very tough. They play like we like to play. They come out and get after it. It should be an exciting game to watch.
In last years regular season, the visiting team won each game. Rhodes had 20 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Sycamores to an 83-73 decision in Normal, while Jaci McCormacks career-high 27 points vaulted Illinois State to a come-from-behind, 80-76 overtime win in Terre Haute.
But both teams remember the March 11 engagement. Illinois State stretched a 15-point halftime lead to 26 with four three-pointers during a 20-9 sprint in the first eight minutes of the second half. All five Redbird starters scored in double figures paced by Katie Donovans 22.
This year, the Redbirds are getting double-figure scoring from Donovan (16.1),
Megan McCracken (14.3) and McCormack (11.3). McCormack is second in the league in three-pointers with 26 in nine games. The Birds are coming off a Missouri Valley Conference single-game record 16 three-pointers against Illinois. That followed 12 threes against Texas-El Paso.
The teams have split their six previous league-opening games, with Illinois State winning in 1986, 1991 and 1997. Indiana State won conference openers against the Redbirds in 1998, 2002 and 2003.
