March 17, 2007
Final Stats
BROOKINGS, S.D. - Senior guard Megan McCracken had a team-high 15 points on four three-pointers, but Illinois State's postseason journey ended with a 61-48 setback to host South Dakota State in the second round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in front of a school-record 5,719 fans at Frost Arena Saturday night. The Redbirds' season ends with a 22-11 overall record, while the Jackrabbits advance to the WNIT round of 16, where they will host the winner of Monday's second-round Indiana-Iona game.
Kristi Cirone joined McCracken in double figures with 11 points, while Kenyatta Shelton narrowly missed her second consecutive double-double with nine points to go along with eight rebounds. South Dakota State was led by senior Megan Vogel's 23 points, five rebounds and four assists. Andrea Verdegan also chipped in 10 points for the Jackrabbits.
South Dakota State built as large as a nine-point lead in the first half before seeing the Redbirds finish the stanza on a 22-16 run over the final 12 minutes of the stanza to pull within 33-30 at halftime. The Jackrabbits started the second half on a 9-2 run, and after building a double-digit lead, never allowed the Redbirds to get any closer than six points for the remainder of the game.
"You never like to end your season with a loss, but I'm extremely proud of our kids," said ISU head coach Robin Pingeton. "We didn't lose because of a lack of effort at all; we played hard, but just had some breakdowns on both the offensive and defensive ends.
"It's tough to win ball games when you get out-rebounded and go 5-for-15 from the free throw line, but that credit goes to South Dakota State. They are an extremely talented team, and there is no doubt in my mind that they could compete at a very high level in even the NCAA Tournament."
Both teams traded baskets in the early stages of the first half, and Illinois State owned a 6-3 lead at the 18 minute mark after a transition six-footer by Maggie Krick. But the Jackrabbits went on an ensuing 6-0 run to claim a 9-6 advantage at the first media timeout. South Dakota's lead grew to nine, 18-7, three minutes later after an 8-2 spurt. Vogel's transition three-pointer capped off the spree.
Following the second media timeout of the half (11:54), ISU strung together a 7-0 run to pull within two, 17-15. McCracken had four quick points in the spurt, including her first three-point field goal. The Redbirds remained within two possessions for the next nine minutes before a fast-break lay-up by Vogel gave the Jackrabbits a 31-24 advantage with 1:40 left in the opening stanza. But ISU went on a 6-2 spurt to end the frame, including McCracken's three-pointer from the corner as time expired, pulling the `Birds within three, 33-30, heading into the locker room at halftime.
Nicolle Lewis' post field goal with 19:09 remaining in the second half pulled ISU within 33-32, but SDSU answered with a 9-0 spree to take a 10-point lead (42-32) with just under 17 minutes remaining. Both teams traded baskets over the ensuing 11 minutes before ISU strung together a 7-2 run to pull within five, 53-48, with 5:20 remaining. Sara Stevenson tallied a driving lay-up, and McCracken hit her fifth trey of the game to cap off the spurt. But the Redbirds scored just three points for the remainder of the game, as SDSU put the finishing touches on the 13-point win.
Illinois State was edged on the boards, 42-40, and was forced into 14 turnovers. The Jackrabbits collected 11 steals.
"We did feel like we had a size advantage inside," Pingeton said. "But we didn't detect their post strength on tape heading into this game. They are a very strong and fundamentally sound team. They are very aggressive on the boards, and played some of the best defense we have seen all year."
The Redbirds' 22 wins are the most since the 1988-89 campaign. ISU is scheduled to return 11 of its 15 players next season, and welcomes four freshman as part of the 2007 recruiting class.
