NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team will return to Redbird Arena for just the second time this season, as it hosts Tennessee-Martin Sunday at 2 p.m. The contest is the start of a six-game homestand for ISU.
Octavia Crump led Illinois State in its battle for third place at the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament against Buffalo (Nov. 29), but Crump's 19 points weren't enough, and the Redbirds fell to the Bulls by eight, 68-60. 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 teams shot 33 percent from the field. 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. ISU still struggled to control the ball, committing 22 turnovers.
It will be the fourth meeting between the two teams, as UTM leads 2-1. ISU won the most recent contest, 70-60, on Nov. 17, 2007. It will be the first time the two teams have squared off in Normal, Illinois. Last season's contest was cancelled due to weather in the Tennessee-Martin area.
ABOUT TENNESSEE-MARTIN
• Tennessee-Martin is located in Martin, Tennessee, and has an enrollment of 7,423.
• The Skyhawks are members of the Ohio Valley Conference and finished the 2013-14 season in first place.
• The Skyhawks finished 24-8 last season with a conference record of 15-1.
• UTM qualified for the NCAA Tournament at the end of the 2013-14 season.
AROUND THE VALLEY
Illinois State will be the third Missouri Valley Conference opponent for Tennessee-Martin this season. The Skyhawks opened their season at home against Southern Illinois and fell to the Salukis, 87-78. A couple of weeks later, UTM hosted Evansville and grabbed a 84-74 win over the Purple Aces. Sunday's game marks Tennessee-Martin's only road game of the season against a MVC rival.
ENDING THE STREAK
The Illinois State women's basketball team opened the 2014-15 season dropping six-straight games. The Redbirds return home for a six-game homestand, beginning with Tennessee-Martin Sunday (Dec. 7), and ISU hopes to get its first win of the season. If ISU wins, they will be the first team in program history to lose its first six games of the season before earning a win. If they can't defeat the Skyhawks, they will be the second team in program history to open a season with a 0-7 record. The 2001-02 season lost its first seven games, before defeating Northern Illinois (Dec. 20, 2001) by three points in Normal, Illinois.
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 7.2 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 six games, Smith has recorded seven steals, two blocks and four assists. She is also shooting 31 percent from the field in 22.7 minutes per game.
TOO MANY SECOND CHANCES
In ISU's loss to Buffalo (Nov. 29), the Redbirds allowed the Bulls to pull down 22 offensive boards. Buffalo used the offensive boards for 28 second chance points and controlled the paint, as they scored 36 points in the paint. The 22 offensive boards were the most by a Redbird opponent this season.
FEWER MISCUES
Illinois State committed a season-high 27 turnovers, as Miami (Nov. 28)Â 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. In the last four games, the Redbirds are averaging 23 turnovers per game, while opponents are averaging 22.5 points off of the ISU mistakes.
FIFTY IS NOT NIFTY
Last Friday, Illinois State faced off against Miami (Nov. 28)Â 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 (Nov. 28) 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.
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