Nov. 17, 2007
Box Score |
Quotes
TAMPA, Fla. -
Senior guard Tiffany Hudson and sophomore center Nicolle Lewis scored 29 points in the second half as the Illinois State Redbirds (3-0) erased a 14-point deficit to defeat the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks (2-1), 70-60, in the opening game of the Best Western Roundball Classic on Saturday, Nov. 17. Lewis and Hudson scored 15 points during a 19-2 ISU run that turned the game around early in the second half.
Hudson led the Redbirds with 18 points, to tie her career-high for the secon time this season and put her in double-figures for the third-consecutive game. The last time she had double-digit points in three-straight games was in January, 2006. Lewis scored a season-high 14 points, all in the second half, and also led the `Birds with six rebounds and one block. Freshman guard Shala Jackson added 15 points, on 6-for-10 shooting, five rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Kristi Cirone had 11 points and a game-high seven assists.
The Redbirds missed their first seven shots from the floor and that enabled Tennessee-Martin to build a 9-0 lead four minutes into the game. Cirone hit a long-range jumper at the 15:20 mark that broke the ISU scoreless streak. Down by 10 at the 14 minute mark, ISU went on an 11-4 run over the next 3:30 to pull within three, 18-15.
Foul trouble also plagued the Redbirds who committed five fouls before the Skyhawks had their first. Tennessee-Martin capitalized by shooting 7-for-10 from the charity stripe in the first half. The Redbirds shot just 10-for-29 (.345) in the first half, including 2-for-12 from three-point range. Tennessee-Martin was 12-of-19 (.632) from the field and forward Crystal Fuller had 16 points for the Skyhawks.
Tennessee-Martin started out the second half with five quick points to take its biggest lead of the game, 38-24. ISU answered with 10-unanswered points to start the game-changing 19-2 run to take its first lead, 43-40. Hudson made a pair of three-pointers and Lewis contributed nine points during that stretch, including seven-straight at one point.
After a three-pointer by Jackson and a fastbreak layup by Cirone, the Redbird lead reached double-digits for the first time, 62-51, with 4:24 left in the game. The Skyhawks tried to come back with a 9-3 spurt over the next three minutes to cut the deficit down to 65-60. It was Lewis and Hudson again who came up big for the Redbirds, hitting a layup and a three-pointer, respectively, to create the final margin of 10 points.
The Redbirds' shooting was markedly better in the second half as they went 17-for-28 (.607) from the field and 6-of-10 (.600) from beyond the arc. Their defense help spur the turnaround as they turned 13 Skyhawk turnovers in the second half into 19 points. They also limited Fuller to just four points on 2-of-5 shooting.
Illinois State takes on the host team South Florida in the championship game of the tournament on Sunday at 1 p.m. CST.
