Jan. 27, 2012
Final Stats
WICHITA, Kan. - Junior Candace Sykesrecorded her second double-double of the season and led the Illinois State women's basketball team in its win over Wichita State, 68-59, Friday in Koch Arena. With the win, the Redbirds handed the Shockers their first loss in Missouri Valley Conference play and snapped a 10-game winning streak.
In the victory, four Redbirds recorded double-digit performances. Sykes had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Katie Broadway led all scorers with 17 points and grabbed six rebounds in the victory, as Marley Hall scored 13 points and Alexis Jenkinsnetted 10. Illinois State (11-8, 6-2 MVC) shot 48 percent from the field, while Wichita State (13-6, 7-1 MVC) made 39 percent of its shots. The Redbirds controlled the boards, 40-31, in the game and tallied 11 steals.
“Wichita State is a very good rebounding team, very athletic and quick on their feet,” head coach Stephanie Glance said. “We had to box them out because we can’t out jump them and to outrebound them is an impressive stat. It was a great effort on the defensive end for us. Wichita State is known for their defense, and we have a good defensive team as well. I thought that would make for an interesting matchup, and we executed our game plan perfectly on the defensive side of the ball. This was a great win for us to come in and take one on their home court.”
Wichita State scored the first four points and held Illinois State scoreless for nearly the first three minutes of the game, but the Redbirds got back in the game, using a 7-0 run and scoring in three-straight possessions. ISU got on the board with back-to-back layups in transition by Hall and a three by Sykes with 15:55 left in the first half, 7-4.
Jenkins hit a jumper from the corner to end a Redbird drought that lasted nearly four minutes and to regain the lead for ISU, 14-12, after the Shockers made two-straight shots with nine minutes left in the half. Wichita State tied the game, 18-18, with six minutes remaining before the break, but Illinois State ended the half on an 11-5 run to head into the locker room up by six, 29-23.
At the half, Broadway led the Redbirds with seven points, while Sykes brought down eight rebounds. ISU had a slight edge over WSU on the boards, grabbing 20 compared to Wichita State's 19. From the field, the Redbirds shot 46 percent, while the Shockers hit 32 percent of their shots.
Sykes scored nine-straight points for the Redbirds, giving ISU a 10-point lead, 41-31, with 14:57 left in the game. Two minutes later, Broadway drove into the lane and successfully completed the and-one play, increasing the Redbirds lead to 12 points, 47-35, with 11:43 remaining in the game.
A 6-0 run lengthened ISU's lead to 16 points, 53-37, with 8:57 left in the game, thanks to back-to-back shots by Jenkins. Wichita State battled back and got within 10 points, 64-54, with 2:19 left in the game. However, back-to-back offensive rebounds gave the Redbirds valuable time at the end of the game, forcing the Shockers to foul to stop the clock. Wichita State made five-straight points, but it wasn't enough, as Illinois State won, 68-59.
The Redbirds will travel to Springfield, Mo., to close out the first half of Valley play against Missouri State Sunday afternoon. The game is scheduled to begin at 2:05 p.m.
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