NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team is in the middle of a six-game homestand, as it welcomes Butler Monday at 3:05 p.m. The Redbirds are still looking to grab their first win of the season. Monday's game will mark the fifth meeting between the two teams.Â
On Friday, ISU lost a close game to Bowling Green, falling 58-54 to the Falcons. The Redbirds outscored BGSU in the second half, 36-32, but ran out of time. Octavia Crump led ISU in scoring with 17 points, while adding five rebounds. Stekara Hall had her best offensive performance of the season with 14 points to go along with five boards. Katy Winge was the third Redbird in double figures, with 11 points.
Illinois State was 21-of-60 from the field (35 percent) and 4-of-10 from three-point range (40 percent). Bowling Green finished the game 23-of-61 from the field (38percent) and 6-of-16 from beyond the arc (37.5 percent). Bowling Green outrebounded ISU, 44-37, while scoring 30 points in the paint.
Monday's game will mark the fifth time in program history that the Redbirds and the Bulldogs will face off on the hardwood. ISU leads the all-time series, 3-1, over Butler. The Dec. 22 game will be the third time the two teams have competed in Normal, Illinois, where both teams have won one game. The last contest in Redbird Arena was held March 17, 2010, when ISU defeated Butler, 57-54, in the WNIT. The Redbirds have won the last three games in the series, as the Bulldogs won the first-ever meeting on Dec. 4, 2001.
ABOUT BUTLER
• Butler is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and has an enrollment of 4,200.
• The Bulldogs are members of the BIG EAST Conference and finished the 2013-14 season in sixth place.
• The Bulldogs finished 15-16 last season with a conference record of 10-8.
ENDING THE STREAK
The Illinois State women's basketball team opened the 2014-15 season dropping nine-straight games. The Redbirds are the first team in program history to fall in its first nine 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 Butler on Dec. 22, 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 nine non-conference games, but the last two won't be any easier. Through the remainder of December, the Redbirds will host Butler (Dec. 22) and DePaul (Dec. 28) before opening conference play. Of the two remaining opponents, DePaul won its respective conference during the 2013-14 season. Both of the remaining non-conference foes made postseason appearances, as DePaul was in the NCAA Tournament, while Butler participated in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). DePaul has been ranked in the top-25 poll this season.
SECOND-HALF SURGE
At halftime of ISU's game against Bowling Green (Dec. 19), the Redbirds went into the locker room trailing, 26-18. The 18 first-half points were the fewest points scored in a half by Illinois State this season. That didn't get the Redbirds down, as they came out in the second half with a stellar offensive attack. In the second half, ISU outscored BGSU, 36-32. The 36 second-half points were the second-most points scored by the Redbirds in half this season. At Wisconsin (Nov. 16), ISU netted 39 points in the second half. Against the Falcons, ISU's second-half surge was fueled by Redbird runs and stellar shooting. ISU went on a 16-5 run early in the second half. Illinois State shot 7-of-8 from the field during the run, and the Redbirds cut the Bowling Green lead down to just one point. Octavia Crump and Stekara Hall led the Redbirds in the second half, as both had double-digit scoring performances with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Despite the strong showing after the break, ISU ran out of time and dropped its ninth-straight game.
STILL TOO MANY OFFENSIVE BOARDS
Despite the strong second half against Bowling Green (Dec. 19), the Redbirds still allowed the Falcons to pull down 19 offensive rebounds. Illinois State opponents have pulled down 150 offensive boards through nine games, averaging to 16.7 offensive rebounds per game. The offensive boards are giving ISU opponents too many second chance shots. In nine games, ISU opponents have scored a total of 114 second-chance points.
CALLING CRUMPÂÂÂ
Junior forward Octavia Crump has been ISU's leading scorer in its last four games. Since Nov. 29 against Buffalo, Crump has been the offensive spark for Illinois State. In the last four games, Crump netted double-digit performances in each contest. Since Nov. 29, Crump is averaging 16.8 points per game and has connected on 57 percent of her field goal attempts. During the four games, Crump tied a career-high 21 points against UT Martin (Dec. 7), 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 versus the Skyhawks. On the season, the junior forward is leading the Redbirds in points per game (11.8), field goal percentage (.564) and is second in rebounds per game (6.7). She is also a top-10 leader in the Valley in field goal percentage, rebounds per game, as well as offensive and defensive rebounds.
REBOUNDING MACHINE
Colleene Smith has been dominant on the boards for the Illinois State women's basketball team and has had two double-digit rebounding performances this season. She is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game, which is a team best. 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. Against Bowling Green, she grabbed 11 rebounds in 28 minutes. Through nine games, Smith has also recorded nine steals, four blocks and four assists.
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