Jan. 25, 2007
Box Score
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Illinois State's frontcourt duo of Nicolle Lewis and Lashawn Johnson combined for 35 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Redbirds to a hard-fought, 60-58 win over host Northern Iowa at the McCleod Center Thursday night. The win was the 250th career triumph for head coach Robin Pingeton, and clinched ISU's first win at UNI since the 1997 season, a span of 11 contests.
Lewis scored a game-high 19 points and Johnson scored 16 points and collected a career-high 14 rebounds. The Panthers put four players in double figures, led by Jessie Biggs' 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
The Redbirds built a six-point lead in the first half, and extended the advantage to 10 (32-22) with 18:39 left in the second half. But UNI tied the game twice in the final three minutes, and ISU needed to hold off a late Panther surge to seal the two-point win.
Pingeton was impressed with her team's ability to grind out another tough road win, their second in six days.
"I don't care if we won this game by two points or 50 points, this was a great win for our team against a very talented UNI team tonight," said Pingeton. "They are going to win a lot of games in the second half of conference play. But I am extremely proud of our kids for how they stayed the course in the second half."
There were a combined 11 ties and lead changes in the first eight minutes of the first half, as Illinois State took a 13-11 lead at the second media timeout (11:55). Lewis had two field goals in the stretch to pace the Redbird attack, while Jessie Biggs scored nine of UNI's first 11 points. The Redbirds built as large as a four-point lead in the ensuing five minutes, but the Panthers remained within one possession, 19-16, with 7:10 left despite hitting just seven of their first 24 shots.
The Redbirds took their largest lead of the half (26-20) with 1:50 left on a transition lay-up by Johnson that broke nearly a four-minute field goal draught. But two free throws by the Panthers' Megan Keefe with 47 seconds remaining in the period provided the frame's final scoring, and ISU took a 26-22 lead into the locker room at halftime. Lewis led the Redbird offensive output with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, while Kristi Cirone chipped in seven points. UNI was led by Biggs' 11 points on a 5-of-7 effort from the field. Both teams collected 21 rebounds in stanza, while the Redbirds held the Panthers to just a 27 percent shooting mark. UNI's Tara King, the Valley's leading scorer, was held to just two points on 1-for-7 shooting.
Illinois State opened up the second half on a 6-0 surge to take a commanding 32-22 lead with 18:40 remaining. Lewis and Johnson combined for three post-up field goals in the stretch. But UNI answered with an ensuing 9-0 run to pull within one, 32-31, at the half's first media timeout (15:47). Megan Keefe had four points in the spurt, and King hit her first three-pointer of the game. The Redbirds charged back with a 9-5 run over the next 4:40, and claimed a 41-36 advantage. The run was capped off by Lewis' seventh field goal.
ISU's lead was trimmed to two points (47-45) with 6:20 remaining after the Panthers completed an 11-4 run. Sarah Larsen had five points in the surge. Keefe tied the game at 51-51 with 2:40 left on an eight-foot turnaround jumper, the first tie since an 11-11 deadlock with more than 12 minutes remaining in the first half. But the Redbirds quickly remained the lead one possession later after Johnson converted a lay-up on a UNI turnover in their zone. Lewis gave the `Birds a five-point cushion (58-53) with 59 seconds left after Lewis converted a lay-up, drew a Panther foul, and hit the ensuing free throw. Visibly hurting, Pingeton pulled Lewis from the Redbird lineup.
Cirone hit one of two free throws with 37 seconds left to give Illinois State a 59-55 lead, before King answered with a three-point play on the other end to pull UNI within one, 59-58. McCracken answered with another free throw split with 14 seconds remaining to push the advantage back to two, 60-58. UNI, in position to tie or win the game on the final possession, called timeout with just seven seconds remaining. King missed a driving shot, but Nicole Clausen corralled the offensive rebound and took a three-pointer from the top of the key with three seconds left that bounced off the front iron, sealing ISU's 60-58 win.
The Redbirds out-rebounded the Panthers 40-39, improving to 15-0 this season when they outrebound the opposition. ISU shot 47 percent for the game, and held the Panthers to a 33 percent clip for the game.
The Redbirds will return home to face rival Bradley at 2:05 p.m. Sunday at Redbird Arena.
