Illinois State-Creighton Game Notes in PDF Format
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Dec. 28, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. - After a week-long Christmas break, the Illinois State women's basketball team will officially open Missouri Valley Conference play Friday against Creighton. Tip-off from Redbird Arena is set for 8:35 p.m. The game is being played as part of a doubleheader with the Redbird men's basketball team.
Friday's contest also marks Robin Pingeton's 100th game as the head coach at Illinois State. Pingeton has compiled a 2-1 record in Valley openers in her three years at ISU.
The Redbirds (7-4) are coming off back-to-back road losses after stringing together its first five-game winning streak in more than two years. ISU dropped decisions at Iowa State (Dec. 20) and Wisconsin-Green Bay (Dec. 22) before heading home for the Christmas holiday. The Cyclones and Phoenix are the respective 33rd and 21st ranked teams in the updated Jeff Sagarin/CBN Women's Basketball Ratings.
Creighton (3-8) has won three of its last four contests, including a 72-64 decision over Oral Roberts on Dec. 21. Ally Thrall (12.5 ppg) leads a group of four Bulldogs averaging at least nine points per-game, and Kristina Voss has been the rebounding catalyst, tearing down 5.1 boards-per-game.
Creighton leads the all-time series against Illinois State, 21-10, and has claimed eight of the last ten meetings. But the Redbirds swept Creighton last season for the first time in program history. Illinois State defeated the Bluejays at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, 71-68 (Jan. 16, 2006), and ousted them at Redbird Arena (75-61) on Feb. 26. The Bulldogs were picked ninth in the MVC preseason poll.
ISU will return to Redbird Arena Sunday (Dec. 31) when they host Valley preseason favorite Drake at 2:05 p.m.
