March 12, 2010
Box Score
ST. CHARLES, Mo. -
Illinois State (24-6) used a big run midway through the game to rout Indiana State, 76-39, in the quarterfinals of the 2010 State Farm MVC Tournament. The Redbirds' 37-point victory was the biggest in the history of the Valley Tournament.
The Redbirds went on a 29-6 run in a span of 12 minutes that covered the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half to take a 30-point lead. ISU's 37-point win surpassed the previous MVC Tournament record of 32 points, set by Missouri State in an 86-54 win over Northern Iowa in 2001.
Ashleen Bracey and Katie Broadway led all scorers with 15 points each and combined for six of ISU's nine three-pointers. Bracey also had a team-high seven rebounds. Nicolle Lewis contributed 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Illinois State shot 48.3 percent (29-60) in the game and held Indiana State to just 27.1 percent (16-59). The Redbirds also dominated the glass, outrebounding Indiana State 45-28, and turned 18 Sycamore turnovers into 22 points.
The Redbirds will face the winner of the No. 4 Bradley-No. 5 Northern Iowa game in the semifinals Saturday at 5:05 p.m. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Midwest. Comcast subscribers in the Bloomington-Normal viewing area can see the game live on Comcast Spotlight (Channel 74).
With a two-point lead in the opening minutes, ISU took control with an 11-0 run. Emily Hanley and Shala Jackson each scored four points and Broadway nailed a three-pointer to put ISU ahead, 17-4, with 12:31 remaining in the half. Indiana State went more than five minutes with a field goal, attempting just five shots.
The Redbirds hit a bit of a dry spell of their own after that run, making just one field goal - a three-pointer by Bracey - in the next eight minutes. Indiana State scored just eight points in that span, six from Kelsie Cooley, but a Maggie Krick jumper kept the Redbirds ahead by 10 points, 22-12, at the final media timeout.
A 10-2 run to close the half gave Illinois State a 30-14 halftime lead. Indiana State shot just 25 percent (7-28) from the field and missed all eight of its three-point shots.
A Lewis layup, a Broadway three-pointer and a Krick jumper stretched the ISU lead to 37-14 just a minute into the second half. Indiana State's shooting woes continued with five-straight misses to start the half. Another Lewis layup and a Bracey jumper put ISU ahead, 41-14, with 17:46 remaining.
The lead eclipsed 30 points on a layup by Alexis Jenkins just over two minutes later. In the following 11 minutes, Indiana State cut the deficit under 30 just three times. A layup by Hanley put ISU ahead by 40, 76-46, at the 1:11 mark.
