Feb. 24, 2007
Illinois State-Northern Iowa Game Notes in PDF Format
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NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State women's basketball team will wrap up its 2006-07 regular season home slate when the Redbirds host Northern Iowa in a Sunday matinee at 2:05 p.m. from Redbird Arena. The game will be televised live in selected markets as part of the Missouri Valley Conference's Wildcard Weekend, and will also mark the last home game for ISU seniors Cat Graham, Megan McCracken, Sara Stevenson and Lori Trumblee. All four will be honored in a post-game ceremony.
The Redbirds (18-8, 11-4 MVC) are coming off Friday's 75-66 win at Bradley. Sophomore center Nicolle Lewis led a group of five Redbirds in double figures with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, as the Redbirds shot nearly 50 percent (49.2) from the field. The win marked Illinois State's first sweep over the Braves since the 1998-99 campaign, and also represented the Redbirds' first win at Robertson Memorial Field House since the 1999-2000 season.
After a 3-5 start to the Valley slate, Northern Iowa (15-12, 9-7 MVC) has gone 5-2 since, and has won two of its last three league contests. But the Panthers dropped a 78-54 decision at Indiana State Friday night, shooting just 27 percent from the field. UNI was led by its freshmen, who combined for 30 of the Panthers' 54 points. Kristin Iehl paced the Panthers with 12 points, and Jessie Biggs and Traci Ollendieck each finished with 10.
In the last meeting between Redbirds and Northern Iowa (Jan. 25), 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. 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, including a potential game-winning three-pointer by Nicole Clausen at the buzzer, to seal the two-point win.
Dating back to the 1976-77 season, Illinois State holds a decisive 31-19 all-time series lead over Northern Iowa. However, the Panthers have claimed eight of the last 11 meetings in the annual two-game, home and away, conference series. UNI defeated the Redbirds three times last season, including a 70-62 win that eliminated Illinois State from the 2006 State Farm MVC Tournament at Springfield, Mo.
