Redbirds Close Out First Half of Valley Season at UNI, Bradley

Jan. 27, 2010

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ashleen Bracey - F
Bracey has turned it on in Valley play, averaging 13.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. She has four double-doubles in the seven Valley games, with her best coming last week against Missouri State. She had career-highs of 26 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Redbirds past the Lady Bears. She wasted no time getting her 15th-career double-double, racking up 11 points and 11 rebounds in the first half. She was named MVC Player of the Week after averaging 18.3 points and 12.3 rebounds over three games.

JACQUI KALIN - G
Kalin has returned from an ankle injury that kept her out of most of last season to once again lead UNI in scoring (14.0 ppg) and assists (49). She scored a combined 31 points in road games against Drake and Creighton last weekend. The 2008 MVC Freshman of the Year, Kalin scored 18 points in her first meeting with the Redbirds and had six assists in UNI's win at the McLeod Center.

SONYA HARRIS - F
Harris leads Bradley in rebounding (9.0 rpg) and blocks (33), ranking in the top-two in the Valley in both categories. She is also third on the team in scoring (7.7 ppg). Harris numbers are down slightly in Valley play to just 6.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg, but she made a 30-foot jumper to beat Drake Sunday. An All-Valley and All-Defensive Team selection last season, Harris averaged 9.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game against the Redbirds last season.

FASTBREAK POINTS
Illinois State is on a six-game winning streak, its longest of the season ... ISU is 10-1 when scoring at least 70 points ... ISU is 2-10 in its last 12 games at Northern Iowa ... Illinois State is shooting 47.8 percent as a team in its last six games ... a Redbird has recorded a double-double in five of seven Valley games.

REDBIRDS-PANTHERS SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Northern Iowa, 34-22. After UNI won the first meeting in 1976, Illinois State won 28 of the next 30 games, including 22-straight. Northern Iowa has a 19-6 edge since then and has won 10 of the last 12 games in Cedar Falls.

REDBIRDS-BRAVES SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Bradley, 37-17. ISU has had five winning streaks of at least four games in the series, including a current eight-game winning streak. Bradley has won consecutive games five times, but never more than two-straight games. During the Redbirds' current eight-game winning streak, the have an average margin of victory of 18.8 points and won both games in 2008 by 33 points.

LAST TIME OUT
The third-largest crowd in ISU women's basketball history (4,162) watched the Redbirds beat Evansville, 75-46, Saturday. Four Redbirds scored in double-figures, led by Maggie Krick's 18, to give ISU it's biggest margin of victory of the season. The Redbirds never trailed in the game, held its largest lead at 33 points and held the Purple Aces to 23.4 percent shooting as a team.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING!
Since losing to Creighton by 25 points in the second MVC game of the season, Illinois State has won six-straight, including five Valley games. Winning streaks are nothing new for the Redbirds, who have had a streak of at least five wins in conference play in each of the last four seasons. ISU is averaging 76.3 points per game and shooting 47.8 percent from the field during the winning streak. The Redbirds have scored more than 70 points five times in the last six games, after scoring 70 in six of their first 12 games of the year. ISU's top-six scorers over the last six games are all shooting above 48 percent. Redbird opponents are averaging just 62.5 points per game and four ISU wins have come by double-figures.

DIGGIN' THE VALLEY
Senior Ashleen Bracey is loving Missouri Valley Conference play, leading the Redbirds in scoring (14.0 ppg) and rebounding (10.0 rpg). She is shooting 46.8 percent (37-79) from the field and 86.4 percent (19-22) at the free throw line. After not recording a double-double in non-conference play, Bracey has four in the seven Valley games thus far. She was named the MVC Player of the Week Monday after averaging a double-double with 18.3 points and 12.3 rebounds over three Redbird wins.

ON POINT
Junior Amanda Clifton had the daunting task of replacing All-American point guard Kristi Cirone this season. After struggling through the beginning of the season, Clifton has excelled with a 3.7 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last 11 games. Clifton has 48 assists and 13 turnovers during that span, recording at least four assists and no turnovers in four games. She leads the Valley in assist-to-turnover ratio both overall (2.2) and in conference play (3.6), ranking 20th in the nation overall.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
Seniors Ashleen Bracey and Nicolle Lewis have made double-doubles a standard throughout their careers, both entering the season with at least 10. Illinois State is 9-0 when Lewis (5) or Bracey (4) has a double-double this season. All four of Bracey's double-doubles have come in Valley play and she has 16 in her career, the fifth-most in ISU history. Lewis' five double-doubles give her 15 in her career, the eighth-most in school history.

BRIGHT LIGHTS OF BROADWAY
Illinois State sophomore Katie Broadway has been putting on a show over the last six games, averaging 10.8 points per game and shooting 56.7 percent (17-30) from three-point range. She shot 14-for-55 from three-point range her entire freshman season. Broadway scored a career-high 20 points at Indiana State, making six three-pointers.

THREE, OH, IT'S A MAGIC NUMBER
Three is the magic number when predicting Redbird success this season. ISU is shooting 35.8 percent (67-187) from three-point range in its 13 wins, as opposed to 27.7 percent (23-83) in its five losses. Perhaps more notably, Redbird opponents are averaging nearly three more made three-pointers in wins (7.6) than in losses (4.8). ISU's loss to Ball State was the only one when the Redbirds made more three-pointers than their opponent. ISU is allowing opponents to make 5.6 threes per game and shoot 35.0 percent from long range overall, which ranks 307th in the nation.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Coming into the season, Illinois State knew it would need to rely on the senior trio of Ashleen Bracey, Maggie Krick and Nicolle Lewis for success. The trio has stepped up big so far, making up the top-three Redbird scorers and rebounders; combining for 58.5 percent of the ISU scoring production and 48.9 percent of its rebounding. All three players rank in the top-25 in the Valley in scoring and rebounding.

KRICK GETS KRACKING
Every season throughout her career, Illinois State senior Maggie Krick has increased her production on the court. As a captain and Preseason All-Valley selection for the second-straight year, big things were expected of Krick in her final season and she has come through to exceed expectations. Krick is second in the Valley in scoring (16.7 ppg) and has scored in double-figures in 15 of the 18 games this year. A proficient three-point shooter, Krick has been taking the ball to the basket more this season, with 77.7 percent of her points coming from inside the three-point arc or the free throw line. She has also increased her rebounding to 5.4 per game. Krick is coming off a season-high 26 points at Indiana State.

Nicolle Lewis: QUEEN OF THE BLOCK
Redshirt senior Nicolle Lewis has accumulated some impressive defensive accolades in her career. She became Illinois State's career leader in blocks in just three years and is only the fifth player in Valley history to amass 200 blocks. Lewis leads the Redbirds with 31 blocks, ranking third in the Valley, and has had multiple blocks in 10 games, including a season-high four against Drake. She currently ranks third on the Valley career-blocks list with 220, one shy of second place.

TRANSFER FUNDS
Juniors Emily Hanley and Hannah Spanich have each spent a season on the sideline, watching the Redbirds' success after transferring from other schools. Hanley is also third in field goal percentage (.475) and fourth in scoring (6.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.2 rpg). She scored a career-high 14 points against Southern Illinois and had a career-best 10 rebounds at Illinois-Chicago. Spanich is fifth on the team in scoring (6.7 ppg) and second in blocks (15) and steals (17). Spanich averaged 8.5 ppg in her first six games as a Redbird, which earned her a spot in the starting lineup. She has scored in double-figures six times and has multiple blocks and steals in three games.

FREEBIES, BUT GOODIES
ISU is cashing in its free throws early on in the season. The Redbirds lead the Valley and are tied for second in the nation in free throw percentage (.800) and have four players ranked in the top-10 in the conference. The Redbirds have shot lower than 70 percent from the line just once this season and are averaging 16.0 makes per contest.

GETTING OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT
Illinois State started out 2010 in a bad way with a 25-point loss to Creighton Jan. 2. ISU suffered its worst in Valley play since a 71-36 defeat at Bradley Jan. 6, 2002, and its worst home Valley loss since falling to Missouri State, 80-46, Jan. 20, 2000. The Redbirds suffered their worst loss since falling to Green Bay, 92-64, Dec. 22, 2006. ISU played 101 games between the 25-point losses, winning 14 games by 20 points during that stretch. In the 201 games that Robin Pingeton has coached Illinois State, the loss to Creighton was by the sixth-largest margin. ISU hadn't lost a home game by 25 points since falling to Illinois, 71-46, Dec. 1, 2002.

REDBIRDS WIN THE BATTLE OF THE MID-MAJORS
Illinois State and South Dakota State are two of the best programs in women's college basketball that many people don't know much about. Both teams have won 20 games in each of the last three seasons, posting a combined record of 155-42. In the second all-time meeting between the two schools Nov. 19, Illinois State came out on top, 79-67. ISU made 28 free throws and forced 25 turnovers to overcome a stellar shooting performance by the Jackrabbits (51.2% from the field, 47.8 % from three-point range). Before falling to the Redbirds, the Jackrabbits had only lost four games in the past two seasons, three of which were to top-10 teams Arizona State, Baylor and Maryland, and were receiving votes in both national polls.

REDBIRDS PICKED SECOND IN MVC PRESEASON POLL
Illinois State was projected to finish in second place in the annual Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, conducted by the leagues coaches, sports information directors and media. Illinois State received 340 votes, falling just behind Creighton (393). The Bluejays (34) and Redbirds (6) were the only teams to receive first-place votes. ISU has been picked in the top-three in the preseason poll in each of the last three seasons. In three of the four previous years the Redbirds were picked second in the preseason poll, they wound up winning the MVC regular-season title.

THREE-PEAT
Illinois State completed a rare three-peat last season. The Redbirds won 20 games for the third-straight season for the third time in program history. The Redbirds won 20 games from 1982-85 and 1987-90. ISU has also completed back-to-back 25-win seasons for the first time in program history.