ISU Closes Out Regular Season With MVC Title Hopes

March 4, 2009

 

 

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ashleen Bracey – F – ILLINOIS STATE
Bracey has recorded two double-doubles in the last five games and has at least eight rebounds in four games during that span. Bracey seems to have her best games against Drake. In four games the last two seasons against the Bulldogs, Bracey is averaging 17.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game and shooting 57 percent from the field. Her two highest-scoring games have come against Drake and she has recorded double-doubles in the last two meetings. Earlier this season, she led the Redbirds to a win with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

JORDANN PLUMMER – G - DRAKE
Plummer leads the Bulldogs in scoring (12.9 ppg), assists (66) and steals (38). The junior has started all 27 games for Drake and is shooting 42 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free throw line. The Redbirds held Plummer to just five points, one assist and one steal earlier this year.

MEGAN NEUVIRTH – F - CREIGHTON
Possibly Kristi Cirone’s biggest competition for MVC Player of the Year, Neuvirth is Creighton’s second leading scorer (13.3 ppg) and leading rebounder (9.8 rpg). She leads the conference in rebounding and has already set the school single-season record with 264 boards. Neuvirth also leads the conference in steals (65). She has nine double-doubles on the season, including one in the last three games, and logged a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the game against ISU Jan. 1.

REDBIRDS-BULLDOGS SERIES
Drake leads the all-time series with Illinois State, 31-26. Drake posted 21 wins in 26 games from 1992-2004, including 14-straight victories. Since then, ISU has won eight of the last 11 meetings. Last season, each team won at home and the Redbirds claimed a victory in the State Farm MVC Tournament championship game.

LAST TIME OUT VS. DRAKE
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 Drake Jan. 3. Kristi Cirone led all scorers with 21 points, her record sixth-straight 20-point effort. ISU led by as many as 13 points in the first half and held a 30-19 halftime edge. Drake opened the second half with a 19-7 run to take its first lead, 38-37. Bracey put the Redbirds back on top with a basket on the next possession and they held on the rest of the way. Monique Jones was the only Bulldog to score in double-figures with 12 points and Drake committed 21 turnovers.

REDBIRDS-BLUEJAYS SERIES
Creighton leads the all-time series with Illinois State, 24-14. The Bluejays have dominated the series recently, winning 14 or the last 21 meetings, including eight-straight at one point. The only time ISU has swept the season series was in 2006, which included a victory in the State Farm MVC Tournament. Creighton has eliminated the Redbirds from the MVC Tournament three times, most recently in 2003. After losing both regular season games to Creighton last season, ISU exacted its revenge with a win in the MVC Tournament semifinals.

LAST TIME OUT VS. CREIGHTON
Illinois State used a strong second half to top Creighton, 63-43, for its fourth-biggest victory in a conference opener. Kristi Cirone led all scorers with 22 points and Ashleen Bracey added 11. ISU trailed most of the first half, but a five-point swing in the final 15 seconds had the Redbirds down just one point at half, 30-29. A 33-9 run in the second half opened up a 20-point lead for the Redbirds, who held the Bluejays to just 13 points and 13 percent shooting in the second half.

REDBIRDS LOOK TO WRAP UP VALLEY TITLE
ISU has clinched at least a share of the MVC title and the tournament’s No. 1 seed, but the Redbirds are still in search of their first outright MVC title in 20 years. A Redbird win or a Bluejay loss in either team’s final two games will clinch the MVC regular season title for ISU outright. The Redbirds have won the Valley regular season title three times (1984-95, 1988-89, 2007-08). A title this season would be the first outright championship since 88-89 and the first-ever back-to-back titles in school history.

A WIN TODAY MEANS...
Aside from being a possible Valley clincher, the game with Drake has several other historic implications. With a win, the Redbirds would set a school record with their 24th regular season victory.. Head coach Robin Pingeton would tie Melinda Fischer for second place on the ISU all-time wins list with her 133th-career victory.

Kristi Cirone: ILLINOIS STATE SCORING QUEEN
An 18-foot jumper by senior Kristi Cirone gave ISU an eight-point lead over Northern Iowa March 1, but the minute-long standing ovation the 3,121 fans in Redbird Arena gave her afterwards signified it meant even more. That jumper moved made Cirone Illinois State’s all-time leading scorer, moving her past Cathy Boswell, who held the record for nearly 26 seasons. She tied the record with 13 points in the first half, setting up the record-breaking jumper early in the second half. Cirone moved into second place with 23 points against Eastern Illinois Dec. 29, 303 points behind Boswell. She averaged 19.9 points over the next 16 games to claim the title.

Nicolle Lewis: QUEEN OF THE BLOCK
Redshirt junior Nicolle Lewis blocked four shots against Northern Iowa March 1 to move past Leslie Ferrell (177) for ISU all-time record with 178 career rejections. After blocking 11 shots in eight games before a knee injury cut short her freshman season, Lewis has recorded at least 40 blocks the last three seasons, including a career-best 67 this year; the second-most in ISU single-season history. Lewis’ 2.4 blocks per game are an ISU single-season record and rank 25th in the nation. Lewis has recorded multiple blocks in 19 games, including a season-high six against Indiana State Feb. 7 and five blocks three times.

LEWIS KEEPS GOING AND GOING AND GOING...
Redshirt junior Nicolle Lewis has made 31-consecutive free throws dating back to Jan. 22, a school record and the fifth-longest streak in MVC history. Northern Iowa’s Katie Miller holds the Valley record with 53-straight free throws and three players have made 33-consecutive: Kourtney Mennen, Indiana State (2000, 2003), Genny Mueller, Bradley (2003). During the 11-game stretch, Lewis had only one game where she didn’t go to the free throw line.