Nov. 30, 2013
Final Stats
Post-Game Audio
FREEPORT, Grand Bahama Island - Alexis Foleyrecorded her second-straight career-high performance of the weekend, as she led the Illinois State (1-4) women's basketball team Saturday in the championship game of the Freeport Division of the Junkanoo Jam. Despite netting 24 points with six three pointers, which also set a career-high, Foley and ISU fell to No. 14/13 Penn State (5-1), 72-60. For her performance over the weekend, Foley was named to the all-tournament team.
Head coach Barb Smithwas proud of her team's performance over the weekend and believed it became a better team in the process.
"Our team battled the whole game and stuck with the game plan," Smith said. "We didn't execute well down the stretch, but we put ourselves in a position to win the game, and I am proud of that. We took a step forward this weekend and this is how we are supposed to play basketball. We really set a standard this weekend, and I am proud of their effort in this tournament."
Octavia Crump also scored a career-high 13 points with nine coming in the second half. Crump just missed a double-double, as she pulled down nine rebounds. Chloe Nelson was the third Redbird to record a double-digit scoring effort, as she netted 10 points thanks to five free throws. Stekara Halland Briana Puni were the only other Redbirds to score in the game. Puni led ISU on the boards with 11 rebounds, including five offensive boards.
Penn State had a slight advantage on the boards, as it pulled down 43 rebounds compared to Illinois State's 42. PSU sank 46 percent of its field goals, while ISU connected on 31 percent of its shot attempts. The Redbirds were 43 percent from three-point range, while the Lady Lions shot 31 percent from behind the arc.
ISU got on the board first, but a 7-0 run by the Lady Lions gave Penn State an early 7-2 lead in the first three minutes of the game. Hall got ISU back within two points with a three pointer, 7-5. Then, the Lady Lions tough defense helped them go on a 6-0 run, taking a 17-7 lead, while the Redbirds were scoreless for over two minutes. Foley hit from three-point range, while Crump sank two free throws to cut Penn State's lead to five, 17-12, eight minutes into the game, forcing a PSU timeout.
Nelson and Foley connected on back-to-back threes to pull Illinois State within three points, 21-18, near the 10-minute mark of the first half. Foley kept the offensive momentum alive, as she drove the lane and got the layup to cut PSU's lead to one, 21-20, but the Lady Lions answered with a 9-2 run, as they jumped back ahead to a seven-point advantage, 32-25. The Redbirds responded with a 6-0 run to get within four, 32-28, while the Lady Lions were scoreless for over three minutes. Despite two-straight threes by Foley, Penn State ended the half with 12 points, as Illinois State headed into the locker room down by 10 points, 44-34.
At the half, Foley led all scorers with 14 points, shooting 50 percent from the field and draining four shots from three-point range. Hall and Puni both added six points, while Crump and Nelson scored four apiece. Puni had five boards, while Crump pulled down four. Penn State had the advantage on the boards and in the field, as the Lady Lions grabbed 21 rebounds and connected on 58 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half. ISU had 17 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, and netted 36 percent of its shot attempts.
Neither team scored a field goal for the first three minutes of the second half, but five-straight points by Crump put Illinois State back within seven, 47-40, and gave life to the Redbirds five minutes into the second half. Foley and Crump had 11 of ISU's first 12 points of the second half and were a part of a 6-0 Redbird run that cut PSU's lead to three, 52-49, with nine minutes remaining in the game.
Penn State used a 9-0 run to increase its lead to 12 points, 61-49, its largest lead of the game. PSU's Maggie Lucas netted six-straight free throws during the run with less than six minutes left on the game clock. Foley scored back-to-back layups to cut the Lady Lions' lead to eight, 64-56, with over two minutes left to play in the contest. Then, Foley sank another three to cut PSU's lead to nine, 69-60, with a minute to play, but Penn State ended the game with an 8-4 advantage, as Illinois State fell in the championship game, 72-60.
The Redbirds return home to Redbird Arena for two games, beginning with in-state rival Northern Illinois Thursday at 7:05 p.m.
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