Jan. 19, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
For the 10th-straight game, junior Kristi Cirone has scored in double-figures, but the Redbirds trail the Indiana State Sycamores, 38-32, after the first half of play in a Missouri Valley Conference tilt Saturday afternoon on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. Cirone ended the half with 12 points of 3-for-6 shooting, including a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe.
Illinois State came out shooting out of the gate, and Cirone was the catalyst to the Redbirds' early 11-8 lead. Cirone scored 7-of-11 points to give ISU the advantage before the first media timeout. After a three-pointer from Shala Jackson gave ISU a 21-18 lead with 11: 10 left in the half, the Sycamores went a 16-3 scoring run, including five points by Kelsey Luna, to take a 34-24 lead with 3:31 remaining in the half. Illinois State's 10-point deficit was the largest since trailing by 10 points at DePaul Nov. 25.
However, the Redbirds went on an 8-2 spurt, thanks to five free throws from Cirone, to close the gap to 36-32 with 1:05 left in the first. Indiana State's Kara Schilli added two free throws for the 38-32 halftime margin.
