UT-Martin's Balanced Attack Too Much for Redbirds

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team fell 79-46 to UT-Martin Sunday afternoon at Redbird Arena, dropping the Redbirds to 0-7 on the season.

Octavia Crump led the way for ISU, tallying a team-high 21 points. It's the fourth time this season that Crump has finished in double-figures and the 17th time in her career. Colleene Smith also recorded double figures with 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 were 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 their 26 baskets while the Redbirds assisted seven of their 19.

The Skyhawks' bench also tallied 32 points, and the team converted 21 points off of ISU's 19 turnovers.

In the first half, Crump's hot start of 5-of-5 from the field helped ISU to an early lead. During a UT-Martin 15-0 run, the Skyhawks nailed seven-straight shots while ISU went 0-8. The Redbirds led for the first seven minutes of the game, but a 15-0 run by UT-Martin gave the Skyhawks a lead that they would not relinquish.

The Redbirds snapped the run with a bucket by Stekara Hall, but turned the ball over three times within a minute allowing UT-Martin to stretch the lead to 11. The Skyhawks would lead by as much as 14 and went to the break with a 38-24 lead.

UT-Martin spread the wealth on offense with four players finishing in double figures. Katie Schubert led the Skyhawks with 18 points on six three-point field goals. Jessy Ward, Danielle Woolfolk and Monique Jackson also finished with double figures.

The Redbirds will have more than a week off before hosting Arizona State Dec. 16, at Redbird Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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