Jan. 3, 2009
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
| Gameday Blog
NORMAL, Ill. - Ashleen Bracey recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds and helped Illinois State head coach Robin Pingeton win her 100th-career game as the Redbirds' leader, 61-51, over the Drake Bulldogs on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena Saturday afternoon. The game marked the ninth-consecutive win for the Redbirds, the fifth-longest winning streak in school history.
Bracey reached double-figures in scoring for the fourth-consecutive game and was Illinois State's main scoring option while fending off a Bulldog charge in the second half. Kristi Cirone passed Bracey in the final minutes as the game's scoring leader with 21 points, her sixth-consecutive game with more than 20 points.
The Redbirds led by as many as 13 in the first period and held a 30-19 advantage at halftime, but the Bulldogs didn't give in. Drake opened the second half with a 16-5 run that tied the game at 35 with 12:23 remaining. Drake earned its first lead of the contest after Brittnye McSparron converted on a three-point play to make it 38-37.
Bracey put the `Birds back on top with a put-back on the next possession and scored six points over the next six minutes, 15 seconds while helping Illinois State build leads of six and seven points.
Illinois State held an 18-10 advantage in points in the paint during the first half, thanks in large part to Bracey and lay-ups by Cirone, but the Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to 32-30 by the end of the game. Drake shot 48.1 percent in the second half and finished 21-of-52 from the field (40.4 percent) for the game. The Redbirds shot 39.7 percent from the field in the game.
Monique Jones led Drake with 12 points and was the only Bulldog to score in double-figures.
Illinois State opens a three-game road swing Saturday when the Redbirds travel to Terre Haute, Ind., for a 1 p.m. matchup against Indiana State.
