NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team is in the middle of a six-game homestand, as it welcomes Bowling Green Friday at 7:05 p.m. The Redbirds are still looking to grab their first win of the season.
Friday's game will mark the seventh time in program history that the Redbirds and the Falcons will face off on the hardwood. Bowling Green leads the all-time series, 4-2, over Illinois State. The Dec. 19 game will be the fourth time the two teams have competed in Normal, Illinois. Friday's game will mark the first meeting between the two teams in 20 years. The last contest was held Dec. 21, 1994, when ISU defeated BGSU, 75-52, in Normal, Illinois. The Redbirds hold a 2-1 advantage in games played at Illinois State. The Falcons have won three-straight games in the series from the 1990-91 season to the 1992-93 season.
On Tuesday, ISU fell to Arizona State, 89-44, at Redbird Arena, after a week break for finals. Octavia Crump led the Redbirds with 10 points and three rebounds. Katy Winge added seven points and six boards for the 'Birds.
The Redbirds shot 15-of-44 (34 percent) from the field in the game, as ASU went 36-of-71 (51 percent) from the field. The Sun Devils also outshot the Redbirds from the free throw line, going 16-of-24, compared to ISU's 12-of-20 showing. Illinois State turned the ball over 18 times, resulting in 21 Sun Devil points. Arizona State outrebounded ISU, 45-30, which resulted in 18 second-chance points. The Sun Devils dominated down low, finishing with a 46-14 advantage in points in the paint.
ABOUT BOWLING GREEN
• Bowling Green is located in Bowling Green, Ohio, and has an enrollment of 16,566.
• The Falcons are members of the Mid-American Conference and finished the 2013-14 season first in the east division and first overall.
• The Falcons finished 30-5 last season with a nearly flawless conference record of 17-1.
• BGSU qualified for the WNIT at the end of the 2013-14 season.
ENDING THE STREAK
The Illinois State women's basketball team opened the 2014-15 season dropping eight-straight games. The Redbirds are the first team in program history to fall in its first eight games. The 2001-02 team lost its first seven games, before defeating Northern Illinois (Dec. 20, 2001) by three points in Normal, Illinois. ISU welcomes Bowling Green on Dec. 19, and hopes to end the losing streak and get its first win of the season.
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 three won't be any easier. Through the remainder of December, the Redbirds will host Bowling Green (Dec. 19), Butler (Dec. 22) and DePaul (Dec. 28). Of the three remaining opponents, Bowling Green and DePaul won their respective conferences during the 2013-14 season. All three of the remaining non-conference foes made postseason appearances, as DePaul was in the NCAA Tournament, while Bowling Green and Butler participated in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). DePaul has been ranked in the top-25 poll this season.
COULDN'T SLOW DOWN ARIZONA STATE
Illinois State trailed Arizona State by 17 points at the half, 41-24, but the Sun Devils' stellar second-half proved to be too much for the Redbirds. In the second half, ASU outscored ISU, 48-20, including a run of 17-3 near the middle of the half. During the run, ASU went 8-of-8 from the field. Arizona State shot 62 percent from the floor in the second half and connected on 51 percent of its shot attempts in the game. It was the first time this season that a Redbird opponent connected on 50 percent of its shots from the field. As if their hot shooting wasn't enough, the Sun Devils controlled the paint, pulling down 45 rebounds, including 18 offensive boards. The strong post play allowed ASU to score 46 points in the paint and 18 second-chance points.
MORE REBOUNDS, MORE POINTS
In five of ISU's eight games this season, the Redbirds haven't been able to score more than 50 points. In the three games when Illinois State scored 50 or more points, ISU shot 36 percent from the field compared to the 34 percent in the other five games. With the shooting nearly the same, the main difference proves to be rebounding. When ISU scored 50 or more points, ISU averaged 43 rebounds per game, and when it didn't score 50 points, the team only averaged 35 rebounds per game.
DEFENDING THE THREE
ISU may have trouble connecting from three-point range, but they know how to defend beyond the arc. Through eight games, Redbird opponents are finding the bottom of the net only on 28 percent of their three-point attempts. The 28 percent mark is the second best in the Missouri Valley Conference, as ISU has held opponents to five or fewer threes on five occasions this season.
DISHING IT/TAKING IT
Two areas of emphasis Illinois State is working on through the non-conference season are assists and turnovers. The Redbirds have struggled with turning the ball over so far during the 2014-15 season, as they average 19.9 turnovers per game and have had four games with 20 or more turnovers. When it comes to sharing the ball, ISU only has 61 assists to 149 made baskets through eight games. With three non-conference games remaining, the Redbirds hope to increase their number of assists, while decreasing their turnovers and improve upon their 0.4 assist/turnover ratio.
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