NORMAL, Ill.  – After a week-long break for finals, the Illinois State women's basketball team returns to the court Tuesday, as it welcomes Arizona State at 7:05 p.m.
The game will mark the sixth time in program history that the Redbirds and the Sun Devils will face off on the hardwood. ASU leads the all-time series, 4-1, over ISU. The Dec. 16 game will be the third time the two teams have competed in Normal, Illinois, as Arizona State won the first contest on Nov. 30, 1986, but a decade later, Illinois State was victorious on Nov. 27, 1996. The last time the two teams met was in Tempe, Arizona, on Dec. 3, 2011, when the Sun Devils defeated the Redbirds, 77-54.
On Dec. 7, ISU fell to UT Martin, 79-46. Octavia Crump led the way for the Redbirds, tying a career-high 21 points. It's the fourth time this season that Crump has finished in double-figures. Colleene Smith also scored in double figures with a career-high 10 points. Crump and Smith combined to shoot 57 percent, while the Redbirds shot 34 percent as a team.
For the game, Illinois State shot 19-of-56 and was 0-of-11 from beyond the arc. ISU also struggled from the charity stripe, finishing 8-of-21. In contrast, UT Martin buried 11-of-28 three-point attempts and hit 16-of-22 free throws. The Skyhawks held a slight advantage in rebounds (44-40) and points in the paint (26-24). UT Martin moved the ball fluently on offense, assisting 17 of its 26 baskets, while the Redbirds assisted on seven of their 19.
ABOUT ARIZONA STATE
• Arizona State is located in Tempe, Arizona, and has an enrollment of 76,771.
• The Sun Devils are members of the Pac-12 Conference and finished the 2013-14 season tied for fourth place.
• The Sun Devils finished 23-10 last season with a conference record of 11-7.
• ASU qualified for the NCAA Tournament at the end of the 2013-14 season and advanced to the second round.
CALLING CRUMP
Junior forward Octavia Crump led all scorers against UT Martin (Dec. 7), as she tied a career-high 21 points in the game, shooting 9-of-13 (.692) from the field. Crump got off to a quick start, as she connected on her first five shot attempts from the field, and scored 10 of ISU's first 12 points of the contest. Against Buffalo (Nov. 29), Crump netted 19 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Through ISU's last two games, Crump is averaging 20 points per game and is shooting 67 percent from the field. On the season, the junior forward is leading the Redbirds in points per game (11.3), field goal percentage (.600) and rebounds per game (7.3). Her field goal percentage is the best in the Valley, while the 7.3 rebounds per game are the sixth most in the conference.
NOT GETTING ANY EASIER
The Illinois State women's basketball team has never shied away from a tough non-conference schedule, and the 2014-15 season is no different. ISU has played seven non-conference games, but the last four won't be any easier. Through the remainder of December, the Redbirds will host Arizona State (Dec. 16), Bowling Green (Dec. 19), Butler (Dec. 22) and DePaul (Dec. 28). Of the four remaining opponents, Bowling Green and DePaul won their respective conferences during the 2013-14 season. All four of the remaining non-conference foes made postseason appearances, as Arizona State and DePaul were in the NCAA Tournament, while Bowling Green and Butler participated in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
ENDING THE STREAK
The Illinois State women's basketball team opened the 2014-15 season dropping seven-straight games. The Redbirds are the second team in program history to open a season with a 0-7 record. The 2001-02 team lost its first seven games, before defeating Northern Illinois (Dec. 20, 2001) by three points in Normal, Illinois. ISU welcomes Arizona State on Dec. 16, and hopes to end the losing streak and get its first win of the season. If ISU isn't able to get a win, it will mark the first time in program history that a team has opened the season with eight-straight losses.
NO TREYS AGAIN
In two of their last three games, the Redbirds didn't connect from three-point range. Against Miami (Nov. 28), ISU was 0-of-11 from beyond the arc. Then, a week later, Illinois State was 0-of-11 from three-point range against UT Martin (Dec. 7). In the last three games, the Redbirds are shooting just 14 percent (6-of-42) from behind the arc. ISU hopes to get back on track with the perimeter shooting against Arizona State (Dec. 16).
More from the line
In the loss against UT Martin (Dec. 7), the Redbirds connected on 38 percent of their free throw attempts (8-of-21). It was the first time this season that ISU has shot below 50 percent from the line in a game.
REBOUNDING MACHINE
Colleene Smith has been dominant on the boards for the Illinois State women's basketball team so far this season. She is averaging 7.1 rebounds per game, which is the second best on the team. Smith set a career high in ISU's loss to Buffalo (Nov. 29), pulling down 13 rebounds, including six on the offensive side of the ball. With her strong performance on the boards, Smith gave ISU several second-chance shots and brought new life back to the Redbirds. Through seven games, Smith has recorded nine steals, two blocks and four assists. She is also shooting 33 percent from the field in 23 minutes per game.
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