Jan. 6, 2012
Final Stats
Postgame Interview with Stephanie Glance
Play-by-Play Highlights
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Candace Sykes netted 17 points with 15 of them coming from behind the three-point line, but it wasn't enough as the Illinois State women's basketball team recorded its first Missouri Valley Conference loss Friday to Indiana State, 67-53, in the Hulman Center.
The Redbirds (7-7, 2-1) shot 28 percent from the field, their lowest field goal percentage of the season, and grabbed 33 boards, while the Sycamores (9-6, 3-0) shot 45 percent and recorded 46 rebounds. Sykes led Illinois State with 17 points, while Marley Hall and Jamie Russell each added 10. Russell came down with seven rebounds and Hall had six.
"We played good enough defense in the first half, but we didn't hit shots," head coach Stephanie Glance said. "I felt we would hit shots in the second half. I didn't think we would shoot 16 percent for the game, and we did hit some shots. For us to get beat on penetration is disappointing, because we emphasize our defense. That is the most disappointing part of the game for me. More so than missing shots because you can control your defense, and we didn't do that."
Indiana State opened the game with a 6-0 run, as Illinois State was scoreless for nearly the first four minutes of the game, until Hall hit a jumper in the middle of the lane, 6-2, with 16:06 left in the first half. The Sycamores responded in the next possession, getting their lead back to six points, 8-2.
Katie Broadway hit a jumper in transition to pull the Redbirds within seven, 12-5, with 12:14 remaining in the first half, but Illinois State didn't get on the board again until Maddie Oliver sank a pair of free throws with 8:39 left before the break, 16-7. Indiana State maintained the momentum with a 6-0 run that lasted almost three minutes. Russell hit a pair of free throws followed by a shot from behind the arc by Sykes to cut Indiana State's lead to 11 points, 25-14, with 3:42 remaining before the intermission. The Redbirds headed into the locker room down by 11 at the half, 29-18.
At the half, Illinois State trailed Indiana State 29-18. The last time the Redbirds scored less than 20 points in half was against Indiana State in the Valley tournament on March 11, 2011. Russell led Illinois State with six points, four rebounds and also recorded a steal. The Redbirds shot 17 percent from the field in the first half and brought down 16 rebounds, while Indiana State made 42 percent of their shots and brought down 26 boards.
Illinois State came out of the locker room a different team as the Redbirds opened the half with a 9-2 run to get within four points of Indiana State, 31-27, with 17:28 left on the game. Threes by Broadway and Sykes ignited the run, but Indiana State answered back and increased its lead by double-digits, 40-30, with 15:44 remaining in the game. A jumper by Alexis Jenkins and another three by Sykes got the Redbirds within six, 41-35.
The Redbirds were held scoreless for nearly seven minutes, as the Sycamores went on a 16-0 run, 59-37, with 7:35 left in the game. During the run, Indiana State sank three shots from three-point land, helping to reach its largest lead of the game. Despite two runs towards the end of the game, the Redbirds weren't able to dig out of the hole they were in and fell to Indiana State, 67-53.
Illinois State is back on the road Thursday, Jan. 12, against Bradley in Peoria, Ill. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m.
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