Illinois State-Evansville Game Notes in PDF Format
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Feb. 1, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State's women's basketball team will look to kick off the second half of the Missouri Valley Conference season with their tenth consecutive league victory when they host Valley foe Evansville Friday night beginning at 7:05 p.m. at Redbird Arena.
The Redbirds (16-4, 9-0 MVC) are coming off Sunday's 55-47 home win over rival Bradley. ISU shot a season-low 36 percent from the field, but used a stellar defensive effort to pull away in the final two minutes of the second half. The Redbirds held Bradley to a 29 percent shooting effort, and scored 21 points off the Braves' turnovers. Kristi Cirone led the Redbird offensive attack with a game-high 24 points, her fifth 20-plus scoring output in league play.
ISU head coach Robin Pingeton attributed her team's mental toughness and team chemistry to their unblemished record in conference play at the season's half-way point.
"The target is on our backs now, but that is where we wanted it to be at the half-way point," said Pingeton. "But, we are also very aware of how strong our league is. We expect to get everyone's best effort down the stretch of the season, and it starts this weekend."
A win over Evansville Friday would clinch Illinois State's first 10-win Valley season since the 1996-97 campaign, a span of 10 seasons. ISU has tallied nine-win MVC campaigns twice (1997-98 and 2003-04) during the stretch. The Redbirds have collected 11 double-digit win seasons in their history in both the Gateway and Missouri Valley Conferences.
Evansville (12-8, 5-4 MVC) has lost two consecutive home Missouri Valley Conference contests, including a 14-point setback against Southern Illinois on Saturday. The Purple Aces lead the Valley in both free throw percentage (.789) and steals per game (11.7). Junior Rebekah Parker is the Valley's fifth-ranked scorer, averaging 15.9 points per game. She also averages 3.5 assists per game (tied for fifth in the MVC), and leads the league in steals (2.30 spg).
"Evansville is a very talented ball club," Pingeton said. "They've got some kids that can really put some points on the board in a hurry, and can run their offense inside-out. They are just a tremendously balanced team. Both teams have improved from a defensive standpoint since we played last, so I think that will be a big key to the game."
In the last meeting between the `Birds and Purple Aces (Jan. 6, 2007), Cirone scored a game-high 27 points for the second consecutive game to lead a foursome of Redbirds in double figures as Illinois State claimed sole possession of first place in the Valley with an 89-81 win in a battle of previously unbeaten teams at Roberts Stadium.
Cirone, a co-captain, expressed her excitement about the Redbirds' success through nine conference games.
"It's been exciting so far," said Cirone. "We enjoy being the top team, but we also recognize that teams are going to be gunning for us now. We have to stay the course and continue to improve."
Illinois State leads the all-time series against Evansville, 15-10. Pingeton is 4-3 versus Evansville in her three-plus years at the helm of the Redbirds.
