CORAL GABLES, Fla. – After falling to Miami Friday in the opening game of the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament, the Illinois State women's basketball team will take on Buffalo in a battle for third place. The Redbirds and the Bulls will square off Saturday at 2 p.m. (CST) at BankUnited Center. It will be the first meeting in program history between Illinois State and Buffalo.
ISU committed a season-high 27 turnovers, as Miami capitalized on the miscues, scoring 37 points off of ISU's mistakes. The Hurricanes' press proved to be more than the Redbirds could handle, as they fell, 95-44. Miami recorded 17 steals in the game, the most by an ISU opponent this season.
Taylor Stewart led ISU and just missed a double-double, as she scored a career-high 16 points and pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. Stekara Hall added 10 points, as the only other Redbird to score in double figures. Hall also pulled down five rebounds, the second most for an Illinois State player in the game. Octavia Crump recorded three blocks for a career high, while Stewart and Colleene Smith both collected two steals.
REDBIRDS-BULLS SERIES
Saturday's game will be the first meeting between Illinois State and Buffalo.
ABOUT BUFFALO
• Buffalo is located in Buffalo, N.Y., and has an enrollment of 29,850.
• The Bulls are members of the Mid-American Conference and finished the 2013-14 season in third place in the east division.
• The Bulls finished 17-13 last season with a conference record of 10-8.
FIFTY IS NOT NIFTY
On Friday, Illinois State faced off against Miami in the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament. The Hurricanes implemented a press that was too much for the Redbirds to handle and ISU fell by 51 points, 95-44. The 51-point deficit was the first time in program history that ISU has lost by 50 or more points. It was the 30th time in program history that the Redbirds allowed an opponent to score 90 or more points.
RUNNING AWAY
Miami maintained its offensive attack and press to open the second half, and it proved to be too much for Illinois State, as the Hurricanes used a 30-0 run to take a 74-24 advantage with 11 minutes left in the game. ISU opened the second half 0-of-17 from the field, as the Redbirds went without a field goal over 15 minutes, until Katy Winge found the bottom of the net at the 8:39 mark. It was ISU's first field goal since 3:51 in the first half.
FEWER MISCUES
Illinois State committed a season-high 27 turnovers, as Miami capitalized on the miscues, scoring 37 points off of ISU's mistakes. Miami recorded 17 steals in the game, the most by an ISU opponent this season. In addition to the Redbird turnovers, Miami was strong from the field, as it sank 49 percent of its shot attempts. The Hurricanes also had 50 points in the paint and 21 points off of fast breaks.
NO TREYS
The Redbirds were 0-of-11 from beyond the arc, as they didn't score from three-point range. The Hurricanes netted nine three-pointers during Friday's 95-44 loss.
LOOKING AT THE FIRST AND SECOND
When looking at both team's performances during each half of Friday's game, it was a different story, as Miami demanded the game offensively, while Illinois State struggled with mistakes. Miami scored 44 points in the first half and netted 51 points in the second half, as ISU had 24 and 20 points, respectively. The last time a Redbird opponent scored 50 or more points in a half was March 3, 2012 against Southern Illinois, when the Salukis scored 56 points in the second half.
JET SETTERS
The Illinois State women's basketball team traveled to Miami, Florida, over Thanksgiving to compete in the four-team Miami Tournament. The Redbirds open the tournament took on host Miami at noon (CST) on Nov. 28. ISU will then compete against Buffalo on Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. (CST). It is the first time in program history that the Redbirds will play in Miami.
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