Jan. 3, 2014
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NORMAL, Ill. -
Despite watching a 23-point lead in the first dwindled to six points late in the second half, the Illinois State women's basketball team (2-9, 1-0 MVC) snapped a six-game losing streak and won its Missouri Valley Conference opener against Drake (6-6, 0-1 MVC) Friday night on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
ISU was led by Alexis Foley with 20 points, 17 of which she scored in the first 12 minutes of the contest. Foley was joined in double figures by Octavia Crump, who scored a career-best 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field and a 5-for-5 effort from the free throw line. Stekara Hall and Lindsay Smith (career-high) rounded out the quartet of Redbirds with double digits with 14 points each.
ISU opened the game with a strong offensive presence, as the Redbirds scored 10-straight points and went on an 18-5 run, while the Bulldogs were held scoreless for over three minutes. During the run, four Redbirds score, including Foley with 11-straight points, off of three shots beyond the arc, to lead 20-9 at the 12:59 mark of the first half.
The offensive momentum stayed with the Redbirds, as ISU took a convincing 23-point lead, 39-16, at the 7:05 mark of the opening half thanks to a 12-0 run. Drake struggled offensively and was held scoreless for over three minutes, as ISU's dominating defense took forced six steals. The Bulldogs came back to life late in the first half, as they ended the half with a 19-6 run, cutting the Redbird lead to 10 at 45-35 heading into the locker room.
At the half, Foley led all scorers with 17 points, sinking five shots from beyond the arc, while six other Redbirds also scored. As a team, ISU shot 46 percent from the field, while DU sank 56 percent of its attempts. Drake only had four players score at the half with two netting double figures. The Redbirds had one more rebound than the Bulldogs, pulling down 16, including nine offensive boards. Illinois State had 21 points off of Drake turnovers in the first half.
Crump was a force to be reckoned with down low early in the second half, as she had nine of ISU's first 10 points as the Redbird widened the lead to 55-41. The two teams traded baskets until Hall scored four-straight points during a 6-0 ISU run, giving the Redbirds a 17-point advantage, 68-51, while Drake couldn't connect from the field for five minutes.
The Bulldogs scored six-straight points to get within 11 points at the 3:27 mark of the second half. Drake then battled late in the second half and got within six in an attempt to shift the lead back to since the first minutes of the game, but 14 late points from the free throw line by the Redbirds secured the win, 80-71.
The Redbirds will return to Doug Collins Court Sunday at 4:35 p.m., as they welcome Valley foe Northern Iowa to round out the three-game home stand.
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