Illinois State-Missouri State Game Notes in PDF Format
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Jan. 12, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State women's basketball team will look to maintain its unblemished Missouri Valley Conference record when they host upstart Missouri State Saturday afternoon. Tip-off from Redbird Arena is set for 4:05 p.m.
The Redbirds (12-4, 5-0 MVC) are coming off Thursday's dominating 87-73 win over Wichita State, where they led by 40 points (65-25) early in the second half. Nicolle Lewis and Megan McCracken paced the Redbird offensive attack with 16 points a piece.
The win also clinched ISU's first 5-0 start to the league slate since 1991-92, when they started out the Gateway Conference slate with the same record. It marks the Redbirds' best start to the league season since the Gateway was tabbed the MVC in the 1992-93 campaign.
Missouri State (5-8, 1-3 MVC) defeated host Indiana State, 83-76, Thursday for their first Valley win. MVC leading scorer Tahnee Balerio (20 points) led a group of four Bears in double figures, and MSU shot a season-best 51 percent from the floor.
ISU junior center Lashawn Johnson will miss the game after being ejected from Thursday's contest for an altercation with Wichita State's Antionette Wells.
Illinois State trails the all-time series against Missouri State, 20-30. The Redbirds have dropped six of the last eight match-ups with the Bears, but recorded a nine-point (64-55) win at Redbird Arena last season.
