Senior guard Jaci McCormacks turnaround jump shot with 0.8 seconds left broke a 70-70 tie and not only gave Illinois State a 72-70 win in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship Game Saturday at Redbird Arena, but put the 13-17, No. 8 seed Redbirds in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1989.
McCormack, the tournaments Most Outstanding Player, finished with 22 points, eight assists and three steals as the Redbirds held off the No. 2 seed Sycamores, 22-8. Indiana State junior guard Melanie Boeglin scored 17 of her game-high 30 points in the final eight minutes as Indiana State erased a 13-point Redbird lead. Boeglins three after her sixth steal of the game came with 22 seconds left to bring the Sycamores even.
Illinois State will learn the identity of its NCAA Tournament opponent and the location of its first-round game when the pairings are announced at 4 p.m. central time Sunday on ESPN. The Redbirds are hosting a pairings party starting at 3:45 p.m. in The Redbird Club Room in Redbird Arena.
For the second time in the last month, McCormack waited for the game clock to spin down, pushed her defender down the lane and finished a 360-degree spin move for a game-winner. Although the horn sounded after her shot and a celebration ensued, 0.8 seconds were restored and players returned to the court. But Indiana State didnt get a shot attempt and Illinois State finished a weekend which began with the Birds becoming the lowest seed in conference history to win a tournament game (a 61-57 win over No. 1 seed SMS in the first round), then surprised No. 4 seed Northern Iowa 58-48 to get into the finale. All three of the Redbirds Valley Tourney victims won 20 games this season.
McCormack worked hard to get her third game-winning shot in her four-year Illinois State career.
It was the longest seven seconds of my life, said McCormack, who had family members drive 1200 miles from her home in Lapwai, Idaho on the Nez Perce Reservation. I just tried to get a good look and I did. After it went down, I just screamed and couldnt think. When I realized what happened (with the clock adding .8 seconds), I had to wipe the tears out of my eyes and come back out and play. Luckily, they couldnt get a shot off and we got to celebrate twice.
McCormack had help from sophomore guard
Megan McCracken, who had 10 points and earned a place on the All-Tournament Team with McCormack, Boeglin, Northern Iowa center Cassie Hagar and Drake forward Jill Martin. Katie Donovan added 11 points and five assists for Illinois State, which shot 55 percent in the second half and made seven of 11 three-point shots including 3-for-3 by McCormack.
Illinois State hit four of its first six shots, including three by Holly Hallstrom, and took a 10-7 lead in the first five minutes. But Nikki Hall bounced off the Indiana State bench and hit the first three of four straight Sycamore hoops and the 8-0 run put her team ahead 15-10 at the 13:47 mark of the first half.
The Birds fired back with a 9-3 run including a Katie Donovan jumper and two free throws, a Tiffany Hudson three and an Amber Shelton baseline shot to put the Birds back in front 19-18. An Ashley Clark free throw started the next Sycamore run, another 8-0 spurt punctuated by Anne Thatchers three-pointer.
With Indiana State up 28-21, Michelle Harakas hit a bank shot to start a 12-1 run which McCormack capped with a three-pointer to put ISU ahead 33-29 with 1:39 left. Kristen Weddles three and Rachel Maenpaas driving shot at the buzzer gave the Sycamores a 34-33 halftime edge.
Donovan and McCracken hit quick threes and Donovan hit two breakaway layups and Illinois State scored the first 10 points of the second half to take a 43-34 lead. The Birds led 52-48 when freshman center LaShawn Johnson powered in for a bucket-and-one at the 11:20 mark, then scored again inside at 10:20 and Illinois States lead was nine. Fellow freshmen Shelton and Ashley Sandstead added driving buckets to make the run 9-0 and the lead 61-48, Illinois State.
Johnson had not played in the tournament before Saturday, but finished with seven points and six rebounds in 12 minutes.
Coach always tells us to be ready to play at any time, said Johnson. I wanted to play and I got my shot. Our fans have supported us through thick and thin. Winning for them was great. They deserve it.
Pingeton saluted her teams survival skills during a tough regular-season, and the play of her four freshmen off the bench, including Amber Shelton, who had eight points and a career-high 10 rebounds to lead the Birds. The Redbird frosh had all 20 of ISUs bench points and all 17 of its bench rebounds.
Our staff and our players have been through a lot this year, said Pingeton, whose team lost to Indiana State by 20 a week earlier in the regular-season finale to fall to 10-17. This was the hardest year of coaching for me so far, but this win made it all worthwhile. Our freshmen were big for us today. Tiffany Hudsons three was huge and Lashawn played some big minutes Amber (Shelton) and Ashley (Sandstead) also played big for us today.
Illinois States defense limited Indiana State to 34.9 percent from the field, overcoming a 22-17 turnover deficit and a 39-37 rebounding edge for the Sycamores.
