Jan. 31, 2014
Final Stats
CHICAGO, Ill. -
Ten second half points by Katy Winge led the Illinois State (5-13, 4-4 MVC) women's basketball team over Missouri Valley Conference-rival Loyola (8-12, 4-4 MVC), 65-54, Friday night at Gentile Arena. Winge scored 13 points, shooting 5-of-9 in the win and dished out three assists in 31 minutes. ISU connected on 51 percent of its shots, including 46 percent from three-point range, as both set season highs for the Redbirds.
Octavia Crump added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Kalyn Gebhardt connected for a career-high 11 points. Gebhardt was 4-of-6 from the field and pulled down a career-high six boards. Stekara Hall scored nine points and four assists, and Chloe Nelson added seven points. Illinois State had 30 points from bench players and 14 points off of turnovers. The Redbirds pulled down 40 rebounds, nine more than the Ramblers.
Crump led the Redbirds through the first five minutes of the game, as she scored Illinois State's first seven points, as Loyola took an 8-7 lead. ISU couldn't connect from the field for nearly five minutes, while Loyola scored six-straight points. Hall ended the scoreless period with a layup at the 11:29 mark of the first half, as Illinois State got within five points, 15-10.
Hall's jumper regained the offensive momentum for the Redbirds, including a 10-0 run that lasted 4:21. The run gave the lead back to Illinois State, 22-20, with just under five minutes left to play in the half. Gebhardt and Nelson both had four points during the run, as Loyola went 0-of-5 from the field. The two teams traded baskets over the final minutes of the half, as Illinois State headed into the locker room with a four-point lead, 31-27.
Crump led all scorers with nine points at the half, while Nelson and Gebhardt added seven and six points, respectively. The Redbirds shot 48 percent from the field in the first half, while the Ramblers connected on 42 percent of their shots. ISU connected on 80 percent of its free throw attempts, but LU struggled at the line, going 4-of-12 in the opening half. The advantage on the boards went to the Redbirds, as they pulled down 20 rebounds, four more than the Ramblers.
Loyola opened the second half with an 8-3 run, regaining a one-point lead, 35-34, nearly three minutes into the half. Then, five-straight points by Winge gave a four-point lead back to Illinois State, 39-35. After Winge's five-straight points, the Ramblers and the Redbirds exchanged baskets, as there were three tied scores and seven lead changes in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
After scoreless periods for both teams, Crump completed the and-one play and Winge hit a jumper, increasing ISU's lead to four points, 53-49, with just less than seven minutes left on the clock. The offensive momentum stayed with the Redbirds, as ISU went on a 10-0 run, including back-to-back threes by Winge and Lindsay Smith, to increase ISU's lead to 13 points, 63-50, with 3:58 on the clock. Loyola couldn't overcome the deficit, as Illinois State grabbed the win, 65-54.
The Redbirds return to the court to close out the first half of the Valley season Sunday at noon against in-state rival Bradley.
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