Dec. 7, 2011
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Postgame Interview with Stephanie Glance
NORMAL, Ill. - Turnovers were costly for Illinois State (4-4), as Illinois (4-5) rode a 13-point margin in points off turnovers to a 66-56 victory before a crowd of 1,759 at Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
Illinois State was led by Marley Hall, who recorded a double-double consisting of a career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds to pace her squad. Hall also shot 9-13 from the free throw line.
The Redbird offense had trouble getting into a rhythm early in the game, as the Illini took advantage of a couple ISU turnovers to jump ahead to an early advantage, 15-7. A three-point basket from Katie Broadway at 12:13 would ignite an 8-3 Redbird run to close the gap to 18-15 with 10:41 left in the half.
The Illini quickly responded though, with Adrienne Godbold hitting a trey to start an 8-4 run that culminated with a Godbold three at 5:41 to give the Illini a double-digit lead of 29-19. Godbold would pace Illinois in the first half, scoring 11 points.
Redbird rallies continued to be thwarted by Illinois three-pointers, as Illini shooters combined to go 4-7 from beyond the arc in the first half. A jump shot from Lydia McCully with less than a minute left gave the Illini another 10-point advantage of 36-26 going into halftime.
Alexis Jenkins and Hall lead Illinois State's scoring in the first half with seven points each.
At the end of the first half, the Illini held a 14-5 advantage over the Redbirds in points off turnovers. Illinois State, however, did possess the upper hand under the boards, where they owned an 18-13 lead going into halftime.
Both squads exchanged baskets early in the second half, as the Redbirds struggled to reduce the deficit. Another turnover led to an Illinois layup by Lana Rukavina at 16:21, which gave the Illini their largest lead of the night in that of 12 points, 45-33. The Redbirds would go cold from the field, and experience a field goal drought that would last 5:21 until a layup by Hall at 12:10 made the score 48-36. Another quick Illini three by Ivory Crawford, however, extended their lead to 15, a lead which would be their highest of the night.
Scoring difficulties continued to plague the Redbirds the rest of the half, as they encountered another field goal drought that would last 4:12. A layup by Hall at 3:33 ended the dry spell, and a three-pointer by Candace Sykes brought Illinois State to within seven with the score 59-52 with 3:04 left in the game.
This would be the closest ISU would get, however, as Illinois would lock down on defense and prevent the Redbirds from getting any closer.
Illinois' Crawford sank seven baskets to lead her team with 16 total points. Amber Moore led the Illinois defense with seven steals.
The Redbirds will return to Redbird Arena Friday, Dec. 9 when they host the Lady Toppers of Western Kentucky at 7:05 p.m.
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