NORMAL – Octavia Crump recorded a double-double and Katy Winge added 10 points in the Illinois State women's basketball team's home opener at Redbird Arena Wednesday, but it wasn't enough as ISU fell to Northern Kentucky, 59-48.
Crump finished 5-for-6 from the field with 11 points and 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. Winge poured in 10 points and added four assists in the loss. Stekara Hall and Colleene Smith added eight points apiece.
The Redbirds outrebounded Northern Kentucky 39-31, but weren't able to convert those boards into points. Northern Kentucky scored 21 points off of ISU's 26 turnovers.
The Redbirds (0-3) started the game by hitting five of their first seven shots. Hall gave the Redbirds their first points of the game with a 3-pointer from the wing. Hall hit another three to give ISU a 7-4 advantage. Crump converted a layup to put ISU up 13-9 with 12:32 left in the half. Crump was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field in the half with six points and five rebounds.
Northern Kentucky (2-1) responded with a 10-0 run to go up 19-13 midway through the half. The Norse pounded the ball into the paint during the run, scoring six points from underneath the hoop. Northern Kentucky had an advantage down low throughout the half, outscoring ISU 18-8 in the paint. Kelly Wiegman led the Norse with eight first-half points.
Despite turning the ball over 16 times, the Redbirds were able to keep the game close with some strong shooting. Kelli Tolar came off the bench and knocked down a 3-pointer to tie the game at 23-23 late in the half. ISU connected on 3-of-7 3-pointers, and finished the half shooting 44.4 percent (8-for-18) from the field. The Redbirds went into halftime trailing Northern Kentucky, 25-23.
The offense for both teams picked up in the second half. The Redbirds outscored Northern Kentucky 19-17 over the first 10 minutes of the second half and tied the game at 41-41. On its next offensive possession, ISU scored on a Smith layup to gain its first lead since the 12:09 mark of the first half.
After ISU took the lead, Northern Kentucky clamped down defensively, holding the Redbirds scoreless for over eight minutes. The Norse ended the game on a 16-4 run over the final 10 minutes to seal the victory.
The Redbirds will hit the road for their next game, against Colorado State Sunday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (CST).
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