Dec. 29, 2013
Game 10: Illinois state vs. denver |
Date: December 30 |
Time: 7:05 p.m. (CST) |
Location: Normal, Ill. |
|
|
|
|
Twitter: @ISUwbb |
|
NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State women’s basketball team returns home to Doug Collins Court for the first time after three-straight road games, as it takes on Denver in its non-conference finale of the season Monday. Tip is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Monday’s game marks the first meeting between Illinois State and Denver. Despite it being the first meeting between the two teams, ISU has experience in the Summit League, as the Redbirds hold a convincing 44-4 record over Summit League opponents.
Chloe Nelson led the Redbirds with 13 points against Milwaukee (Dec. 22), but despite her effort, the Redbirds dropped their fifth-straight game to the Panthers, 73-58, at the Klotsche Center.
As a team, ISU shot 31 percent from the field, while UWM connected on 45 percent of its shot attempts. Milwaukee sank nine three pointers, the second most by a Redbird opponent this season, shooting 53 percent from three-point range, as the Redbirds shot just 10 percent from beyond the arc, making two threes. The Panthers had three more rebounds than the Redbirds with 45 boards.
ON A ROLL
Senior guard Alison Seberger recorded back-to-back career-high games, as she scored a career-high eight points at Princeton
(Dec. 18) and set another career-high at Milwaukee (Dec. 22) with nine points. She was 3-of-5 from the field and sank three free throws on four attempts. She also pulled down a career-high seven rebounds at Milwaukee, including four on the offensive end, in 20 minutes.
THAT’S BETTER
The Redbirds improved on the offensive side of the ball against Milwaukee (Dec. 22), as ISU had a season-low 11 turnovers in the 73-58 loss. Three Redbirds recorded double-digit scoring performances against the Panthers, as Chloe Nelson (13), Katy Winge (11) and Octavia Crump (10) all netted double-digit efforts. It was the first time in three games that the Redbirds had three players score in double-figures with the last time coming in the championship game of the Junkanoo Jam against Penn State (Nov. 30).
SPECIALTY STATS
Illinois State won every specialty stat on the box score, as the Redbirds led the Panthers in points in the paint, points off of turnovers, second-chance points, fast break points and bench points. ISU scored 32 points in the paint and 16 off of Milwaukee’s 17 turnovers.
Illinois State also had 13 second-chance points, eight fast break points and 17 bench points in the 73-58 loss on Dec. 22. It was the first time since the season opener at Northern Kentucky that ISU’s bench outscored an opponent.
NEED MORE OFFENSE
In ISU’s 57-32 loss at Fordham (Dec. 15) ISU only scored six points in the first half, after 17-scoreless minutes, and added 26 points in the second half. The 32 total points is the second fewest points scored in a game in program history. The fewest points scored was during the 1972-73 season, when ISU fell to Southern Illinois (Jan. 28, 1973), 38-27.
FINDING THE BOTTOM OF THE NET
The last time ISU lost by 25 points or more was during the 2010-11 season, when the Redbirds fell to Southern California (March 30, 2011), 63-36, in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. In ISU’s road swing on the east coast, the Redbirds fell by 25 points and 26 points. ISU fell by 25 points at Fordham (Dec. 15), 57-32, and by 26 points at Princeton (Dec. 18), 65-39. It was the first time in program history that ISU ever had back-to-back losses in which the Redbirds score less than 40 points.
CAUSING MISTAKES
The Redbird defense forced Princeton (Dec. 18) to commit 28 turnovers in the 65-39 loss, but the strong defense wasn’t enough, as Illinois State could only turn the Tiger mistakes into 14 points, while Princeton scored 19 points off of 15 ISU turnovers. The Redbirds’ 15 turnovers are the fewest miscues by ISU this season, which it also accomplished against Florida (Nov. 29) and Fordham (Dec. 15).
SHARING THE BALL
At Princeton, the Redbirds only collected three assists, a season-low mark for the team. It was the third-straight game ISU has registered single-digit assists in the stat line and its fourth of the season. Over the last three games, ISU is averaging 4.3 assists per game as a team.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
