ISU Looks For First Valley Road Win This Weekend

Jan. 25, 2011

Back on the winning track, Illinois State hits the road in search of its first Valley road win of the season. The Redbirds visit Southern Illinois Thursday for a noon tip-off on Youth Day at SIU Arena. The Redbirds then visit Evansville Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Southern Illinois-Evansville road swing is coming at the perfect time, as the Redbirds look for their first Valley road win. ISU hasn’t lost at SIU Arena since 2006 and hasn’t lost at Roberts Stadium since 2005. The Redbirds have lost both legs of the road swing only twice (1999, 2000).

REDBIRDS-SALUKIS SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Southern Illinois, 46-38. In the longest running series in the school’s history, Illinois State has played Southern Illinois annually since 1972. The Redbirds went 22-5 against the Salukis through 1985. After that, SIU posted a 29-13 record in the series, including a string of 12-straight wins. The Redbirds have won five-straight over the Salukis and haven’t lost at SIU Arena since 2006.

REDBIRDS-PURPLE ACES SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Evansville, 21-12. The series began when Evansville joined the Valley in 1995, with ISU winning the first eight meetings. Illinois State holds a slight 13-12 advantage since then, winning five season series. The Redbirds haven’t lost at Roberts Stadium since 2005, a string of five-consecutive victories.

LAST TIME OUT
A tremendous defensive effort led Illinois State to a 60-45 win over Drake last Saturday. The Redbirds held the Bulldogs to 45 points on 16-of-54 shooting and limited Kristin Turk, the Valley’s leading scorer, to only 12 points. ISU forced Drake into 19 turnovers and blocked 10 shots. ISU jumped out to a 7-0 lead as Drake went nearly six minutes without scoring to start the game. A three-pointer pulled the Bulldogs within three, but ISU quickly answered with a 7-1 run and led 27-22 at halftime. A 13-1 run in the second half gave ISU control of the game, 44-28.

CRANK UP THE D!
ISU was able to snap its three-game losing streak last weekend thanks in large part to a tremendous defensive effort. In the three-straight losses, Redbird opponents scored 69.7 points per game and shot 43.6 from the field. In the two wins, ISU held Creighton and Drake to just 51.0 points per game and a 35.7 field goal percentage. The Redbird defense was particularly tough against Drake, holding the Bulldogs to 45 points and 29.6 percent shooting - both season-lows for Redbird opponents. The Redbirds had 10 blocks (their most since 2008) and 13 steals in the win.

THE STARTING SIX
Head coach Stephanie Glance has always believed that the Redbirds have six starters and she has the enviable position of picking five to be announced before the game. Seniors Amanda Clifton, Emily Hanley, Shala Jackson, Kenyatta Shelton and Hannah Spanich and junior Katie Broadway account for 84 percent of the team’s points and 75 percent of the team’s rebounds. Prior to last weekend when Jackson took Broadway’s spot in the starting lineup, the Redbirds had used the same first five all season. In both of those games, Broadway checked in within the first two minutes of action and all six players averaged at least 23 minutes per game.

SHE CAN DISH IT, SHE CAN TAKE IT
Amanda Clifton has both a selfish and a giving personality. She leads the Redbirds in both assists (90) and steals (42) on the season, ranking in the top-five in the Valley in both categories. She leads the conference in assists per game overall (5.0) and in conference games (5.7). Over the last four games, she is averaging 6.8 assists and 2.5 steals per contest. She currently ranks 25th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.05) after ranking 29th last season (1.89).

ROAD WOES
This season, Illinois State has a perfect 9-0 record at Redbird Arena. The struggles for the Redbirds have come on the road, where they have a record of 3-6. The Redbirds are averaging 67.6 points per game in road games, as opposed to 78.7 points per game at home. ISU’s defense is also showing a significant drop off on the road, allowing 70.8 points per game and a 42.2 field goal percentage to opponents. At home, Redbird opponents are scoring 63.6 points per game and shooting 37.8 percent.