Jan. 10, 2009
Box Score
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -
Two runs in the second half and clutch free throw shooting down the stretch led Indiana State (7-7, 3-0 MVC) to a 72-65 win over Illinois State (11-4, 2-1 MVC) Saturday at the Hulman Center. The loss snapped ISU's nine-game winning streak, which was tied for the fifth-longest in school history.
Kristi Cirone led the Redbirds with 16 points, snapping her string of consecutive 20-point games at six, which is tied for the longest in program history. She also tied her career-high with nine assists and had three steals. Nicolle Lewis continued her stellar play at the Hulman Center with 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Ashleen Bracey added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Maggie Krick missed the first game of her career with a broken hand, snapping her string of 80-consecutive games played and 55-straight starts. Krick suffered a fracture to the fourth metacarpal in her right hand against Creighton Jan. 1. Ashley Sandstead took her place in the starting lineup, making her 15th-career start and her first since Feb. 12, 2007 at Wichita State. Sandstead had six points on a pair of three-pointers in the first half and three rebounds.
The loss was Illinois State's first in Valley play this season, while Indiana State improved to 3-0 in the conference, leaving the Sycamores and Bradley as the final two undefeated teams in Valley play.
"We have said all year that we want our signatures to be defense and rebounding, and we were not assignment correct tonight in either facet of the game," said head coach Robin Pingeton. "We had nine more rebounds than Indiana State in the first half and gave up way too many rebounds in the second half. I give a lot of credit to Indiana State, they came out like a different team in the second half and played very hard. I have a lot of respect for (Indiana State head coach) Jim Wiedie, his staff and the players they have brought in. This is always a very tough place to play and it is even more difficult to win on the road in environments like this if you don't stay committed to defense and rebounding."
Illinois State held a 25-16 advantage in rebounds after the first half, but Indiana State outrebounded the Redbirds 26-18 in the second half. Kelsey Luna led all scorers with 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting, including a 5-for-10 performance from three-point range.
Both teams came out red hot to start the game and Indiana State grabbed a 21-18 lead with less than 12 minutes remaining. Illinois State broke out with an 11-2 run, holding the Sycamores without a basket for more than five minutes, to pull ahead by six, 29-23.
It was the Redbirds who had a bit of a cold spell after that, making just one field goal the next six minutes, which allowed the Sycamores to pull within two points. Lewis connected on a jumper and Bracey made a layup with two seconds left to keep the Redbird lead at six going into halftime, 35-29.
The Sycamores opened the second half with a 14-2 run, scoring on six of their first eight possessions, to retake the lead, 43-37. An intentional foul on Sandstead provided a five-point swing for the Sycamores, as Brittany Schoen made both free throws and Bianca Jarrett nailed a three-pointer on the ensuing possession. Illinois State missed its first six shots of the half and turned the ball over twice.
The Redbirds battled back, led by seven points by Cirone, and took the lead back, 51-48, with just under 10 minutes left in regulation. The Sycamores answered quickly with a 12-2 run to take their biggest lead of the half, 60-53.
Illinois State started to foul Indiana State with 1:31 left in the game and the Sycamores made them pay for that strategy, with their final 12 points coming from the free throw line. With less than a minute left, Lewis tipped in a missed layup to pull the Redbirds within four, 67-63, but that is as close as the Redbirds would come.
Illinois State visits Wichita State Saturday, Jan. 17, at 7:35 p.m.
