Dec. 30, 2010
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NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State women's basketball team continued its dominance over in-state rival Bradley, winning its 11th-straight game over the Braves, with an 83-69 victory Thursday evening at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
In a game that featured eight ties and 21 lead changes, the Redbirds took over a tightly-contested game midway through the second half, using a balanced scoring attack to earn their fourth-straight win in a Missouri Valley Conference opener. Four ISU players finished in double figures, with Katie Broadway and Emily Hanley leading the way with 15 points each. Hannah Spanich added 12 points of her own and Amanda Clifton finished with 11. Hanley also led Illinois State with eight rebounds.
Bradley's Raisa Taylor led all scorers with 20 points and grabbed five boards, while teammate Latasha Hollingshed finished the night with 12 points and brought down eight rebounds.
The Braves and Redbirds put on a shooting exhibition to open the contest, as the two squads combined for 48 points in the opening nine minutes. Bradley took a 26-22 lead into the second media timeout with 11:06 remaining in the opening stanza. BU converted 11 of its first 17 shots, while ISU knocked down seven of its first 11 attempts.
Illinois State used a 7-2 run, capped by a 12-foot jumper from Kenyatta Shelton, to take a 29-28 lead with 8:22 to play in the first half. Both teams continued to trade baskets throughout the rest of the first half, as ISU took a 43-40 lead into the locker room after Clifton poked the ball away from a Bradley player and went the length of the floor for a layup in the waning seconds of the half.
Both squads shot better than 50 percent from the field and 15 different players scored in the first 20 minutes. The Redbirds nailed 17-of-31 first half field goal attempts, while the Braves connected on 17-of-30.
Bradley opened the second half with a 10-4 run, regaining the lead at 50-47 on a breakaway layup from Katie Yohn at the 15:42 mark. The BU lead would be short lived, as a deep three-pointer from Broadway put the Redbirds back on top, 55-53, with 12:04 on the clock.
The Redbirds carried the momentum from the Broadway triple and went on a 14-5 run, opening up a 69-58 lead with just over six minutes remaining. Bradley would trim the lead to single-digits on a pair of occasions, but would get no closer than eight as Illinois State secured the victory over its in-state rival.
ISU used excellent free throw shooting to seal the win, converting on 25-of-29 attempts from the charity stripe, including a 20-for-23 effort in the second half. The Redbirds also won the turnover battle, forcing 22 Bradley miscues which resulted in 20 points.
The ISU women will return to the hardwood Saturday, January 1, when they host Northern Iowa for a 2:05 p.m. matchup.
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