CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Octavia Crump led the Illinois State women's basketball team (0-6) in its battle for third place at the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament Saturday against Buffalo (3-3), but Crump's 19 points weren't enough, and the Redbirds fell to the Bulls by eight, 68-60, at the BankUnited Center. The junior forward was 7-of-11 from the field and netted 5-of-6 free throws to go along with seven boards and one steal.
Mackenzie Freeman just missed a career-best performance with 11 points, connecting on three shots from beyond the arc. Taylor Stewart, who was named to the all-tournament team, netted nine points in the game, as both team shots 33 percent from the field. Buffalo was led by Kristen Sharkey, who poured in 30 points. Colleene Smith dominated the boards, pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds with six coming on the offensive side of the ball. The Redbirds grabbed a season-high 51 boards, but the Bulls were close behind with 48 rebounds. ISU still struggled to control the ball, committing 22 turnovers.
"We came back and we had fight in us," head coach Barb Smith said. "Our problem was boxing out. We gave up too many boards and fouled too much, but we moved the ball better. We grew this game, and this tournament has been good for us in that respect. We need to continue to build off of what we did down here and affect the win column."
Buffalo jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Illinois State responded with an 8-0 run, including back-to-back threes by Stekara Hall and Katy Winge, to take an 8-5 advantage, just over three minutes into the game. The two teams traded baskets and the lead, as the Redbirds and the Bulls struggled from the field. After both teams regrouped, ISU and Buffalo continued to exchange points and were tied on three separate occasions.
Then, the Bulls jumped out to a 25-21 lead, but ISU worked to get back within one, 31-30, with 3:30 left in the opening half. Smith got her own miss and the put-back to pull the Redbirds within one, forcing a Buffalo timeout. The opening half ended in Buffalo's favor, as Illinois State committed five turnovers in 2:16, while the Bulls used a 9-0 run to take a 40-30 advantage, heading into the locker room.
At the break, Crump led Illinois State with 10 points, shooting 4-of-6, while Hall and Freeman both added five. Smith came off the bench and controlled the boards, pulling down six. ISU had the better field goal percentage after the first half, connecting on 43 percent of its field goal attempts, and Buffalo sank 36 percent of its shots. The Bulls had the slight advantage on the boards, as they pulled down 23, just one more than the Redbirds.
A 7-0 run by the Redbirds cut the Bulls' lead to four points, 44-40, with 17:19 left to play in the game. During the run, Winge hit a three from the corner with a nice pass from Smith to force a Buffalo timeout. With the Bulls leading, 47-42, both teams ran into a lack of offense. Illinois State was scoreless for over four minutes, while Buffalo couldn't connect for over six minutes. Both teams got back on the board, but Buffalo used the momentum towards a 6-0 run to increase its lead back to 10 points, 55-45, with 8:26 remaining in the game.
Illinois State cut the deficit to five points, before four-straight points by Buffalo increased its lead to nine, 59-50, with five minutes to play. A pair of free throws by Stewart and an and-one play by Smith pulled ISU within six, 63-57, with two minutes left on the clock. Five free throws down the stretch secured the win for the Bulls, as three-straight free throws by Crump weren't enough, and the Redbirds fell, 68-60. Illinois State went the final three minutes without a field goal, while Buffalo ended the game with a 3:22 dry spell.
After a week break, the Redbirds will return home to Doug Collins Court to host Tennessee-Martin, Sunday, Dec. 7. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. It will mark the first game of a six-game homestand for Illinois State.
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