NORMAL, Ill.  –The Illinois State women's basketball team returns home to Redbird Arena to close out the first half of the Missouri Valley Conference season. The Redbirds welcome Loyola Sunday at 12:05 p.m., as both teams are looking for their first win in Valley play. Illinois State leads the all-time series with Loyola, 7-0.
Illinois State had a shot at the buzzer to tie, but it was off the mark and ISU fell to Bradley, 58-55, Friday night at Redbird Arena.
Octavia Crump and Mary Sims each recorded career-highs in points and led the way for the Redbirds. Crump dropped a game-high 22 points, while Sims tallied 13. Both players grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists. Both teams started off hot from the field in the second half, and ISU cut the Bradley lead down to five before the first media timeout.
Then, midway through the second half the Redbirds made another run. This time they would not be denied, as Katy Winge grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to give ISU a 53-51 lead with three minutes to play. It was ISU's first lead since early in the first half, but ISU wasn't able to hang on to the lead and fell, 58-55.
ILLINOIS STATE-LOYOLA SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Loyola, 7-0. The first game of the series was played on March 2, 1978. The two teams faced off for four-straight seasons from 2004 through the 2008 season. ISU holds a 3-0 advantage of games played in Normal, Illinois.
ANOTHER HOMESTAND
Illinois State continues its homestand Sunday, as it plays the second game in a four-game homestand. It is the second time this season that the Redbirds have had more than three-straight home contests. From Dec. 7 to Jan. 4, ISU had six-straight home games. With four-straight home games over two weeks, the Redbirds hope to return to their winning ways.
BETTER NUMBERS
In the 58-55 loss against Bradley (Jan. 30), the Redbirds dished out 13 assists, tying a season high in the category. The last time ISU dished out 13 assists was in its home opener against Northern Kentucky (Nov. 19). ISU has only had four games with double-digit assists with the last time coming against Evansville (Jan. 16). Not only did the Redbird increase their assists, but they also had fewer turnovers. The 12 turnovers against the Braves were the third fewest by the Redbirds in a game this season. ISU also committed just eight turnovers at Wisconsin (Nov. 16) and 11 miscues against Bowling Green (Dec. 19).
CAREER NIGHT
After struggling to connect from the field over recent games, Octavia Crump found a rhythm and scored a career-high 22 points against Bradley (Jan. 30). Crump netted eight field goals and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe in 29 minutes. Crump's previous career high was 21 points, which she accomplished twice. Crump was consistent throughout the game, as she netted 10 points in the first half and 12 in the second. Mary Sims also had a career night, netting 13 points. Sims was able to accomplish the feat thanks to a career high in field goals made (5) and three-point field goals made (3). It as the first time the duo had scored in double figures in five games.
FINDING A RHYTHM
After sitting out the first 17 games of the season due to injury, Lindsay Smith has started the last two games for the Redbirds, and she has led the team in assists in both games. Against Missouri State (Jan. 25), Smith handed out three, while she dished out four assists against Bradley (Jan. 30). The four assists versus the Braves tied a career high for the junior guard.
TAKE IT AND RUN
Against Bradley (Jan. 3), the Redbirds recorded 11 steals against, marking their third-best performance in take aways this season. The season best is 13, in which ISU accomplished on Jan. 18 against Indiana State. Prior to that, ISU recorded 12 steals, which ISU accomplished on Nov. 19 against Northern Kentucky. It as the fourth time this season that ISU had double-digit take aways.
STRONGER ON THE BOARDS
Despite a better showing in the assist and turnovers columns, the Redbirds struggled from a rebounding perspective, as they pulled down just 28 rebounds against Bradley (Jan. 30). The 28 rebounds were a season low in the category for ISU. The Redbirds only pulled down 12 in the second half. It was the first time this season ISU hasn't pulled down 30 or more rebounds in a contest.
FINDING THE BOTTOM OF THE NET
In ISU's three games from Jan. 18 to Jan. 25, the Redbirds averaged 36.3 points per game and connected on 22 percent of their shot attempts. It is the first time in program history that the Redbirds have dropped three-straight games, scoring less than 40 points in each contest. The previous mark of two-straight losses scoring less than 40 points came during the 2013-14 season on Dec. 15 and Dec. 18.
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