March 28, 2009
| 2009 POSTSEASON WNIT QUARTERFINALS |
| INDIANA (21-10) at ILLINOIS STATE (26-7) |
| Date |
Sunday, March 29 |
| Game Time |
2:05 p.m. |
| Location |
Normal, Ill. (Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena)
|
| Radio |
WJBC
(R.C. McBride - Play-by-Play | Jill Hutchison - color commentary) |
Live Video |
Redbird All Access (FREE) |
| Live Stats |
GoRedbirds.com |
| Live Blog |
Redbird Women's Basketball Gameday Blog |
| Game Notes |
Illinois State l Indiana |
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kristi Cirone - G
Cirone is refusing to let her senior season end. She is averaging 22.5 ppg in the WNIT, eclipsing the 20-point mark in both games. She was a career-best 13-for-13 from the free throw line against Marquette. She scored ISU’s last six points from the charity stripe, including the game-winner with nine seconds left. Cirone is within striking distance of setting the ISU single-season scoring and assists records.
JAMIE BRAUN - G
Jamie Braun is Indiana’s second-leading scorer (12.7 ppg) and leads the team in assists (111) and three-point shooting (.385). Braun earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in the coaches voting after averaging 13.9 ppg in conference play, the fifth-best total in the league. She had 16 points, four assists and four steals against Bowling Green in the WNIT third round.
FASTBREAK POINTS
ISU’s 26 wins this year are tied for the second-most in program history (2007-08) … The Redbirds have posted 25 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history … Illinois State is making its first appearance in the quarterfinals of the Postseason WNIT … The WNIT quarterfinals is the farthest the Redbirds have advanced in a national postseason tournament … ISU is the fifth MVC team to reach the WNIT Quarterfinals, the first since Missouri State in 2005 … Illinois State and Indiana both participated in the Preseason WNIT this year.
WNIT NOTABLES
Illinois State has won two postseason games for the first time since 1980 … ISU beat La Tech for the first time ever (1-5) … Marquette was the defending WNIT champion … The ISU-Marquette game had 15 ties and 21 lead changes … Kristi Cirone was 13-for-13 from the free throw line against Marquette, a career-high mark and the second-most free throws made by a Redbird in a WNIT game … Kenyatta Shelton (12) and Nicolle Lewis (11) have both pulled down double-digit rebounds in the WNIT, both top-six marks in ISU WNIT history.
REDBIRDS-HOOSIERS SERIES
Indiana leads the all-time series with Illinois State, 11-9. The first meeting came in 1972 and the two teams played annually until 1982, splitting 14 games. The series picked back up again from 1987-90, with each team winning twice. The last two meetings came in a home-and-home series from 2001-02, both wins for the Hoosiers. No team has won more than three-consecutive games in the series. The Redbirds and Hoosiers have met in a postseason tournament before, with ISU coming away with a 51-50 victory in the 1974 AIAW Regional Tournament. ISU is 6-5 against Indiana at home, 1-1 in Redbird Arena.
REDBIRDS VS. THE BIG TEN
Illinois State has faced all 11 teams in the Big Ten and is 71-73 all-time against the conference. The Redbirds have winning records against Ohio State (9-6), Purdue (5-3) and Wisconsin (9-5). ISU has not played a Big Ten team since 2006 and has not played a Big Ten team aside from Illinois since 2002, the last time it faced Indiana. The Redbirds’ last win against a Big Ten team came versus Michigan State, 65-60, Dec. 5, 1998.
CIRONE EYES SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS
Not that she needed more accolades to add to her lengthy resume, but senior Kristi Cirone is in line to set two ISU single-season records. Cirone is currently third in single-season scoring (623), behind Char Govan (630, 1989-90) and Cathy Boswell (649, 1980-81). She is averaging 21 points over the last seven games. Cirone is also third in single-season assists (196), just four behind Denise Norton’s record 200 assists from 1980-81.
