SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Illinois State women's basketball team is in San Antonio, Texas, participating in the four-team UTSA Thanksgiving Classic. ISU fell to UTSA, 77-51, and now looks towards Omaha. The Redbirds and Mavericks play Sunday at noon.
Against UTSA, ISU trailed by 23 points at the end of the first quarter and the deficit was too much to overcome, as the Redbirds fell in its first game of the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic. Octavia Crump and Brechelle Beachum led ISU with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Beachum recorded four steals to go along with her 10 points, setting career highs in both categories.
Crump sank 50 percent of her field goal attempts, while collecting five rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes. Shakeela Fowler added nine points, while Colleene Smith scored eight. On the defensive side of the ball, Illinois State collected a season-high 11 steals. UTSA found the bottom of the net on 57 percent of its shot attempts, while ISU connected on 32 percent of its attempts. The Roadrunners grabbed 36 rebounds, collecting eight more boards than the Redbirds. UTSA's bench controlled the offensive attack, netting 46 points.
REDBIRDS-MAVERICKS SERIES
The game will mark the second meeting between the two teams. Omaha leads the series, 1-0, with the first meeting taking place on Jan. 11, 1979, at a neutral site. Omaha defeated ISU, 69-51.
ABOUT OMAHA
• Nebraska-Omaha is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and has an enrollment of 15,277.
• The Mavericks are members of the Summit League and finished the 2014-15 season seventh in the conference.
• The Mavericks finished 10-18 last season, with a conference record of 5-11.
• Omaha returns two starters and four letterwinners from last season.
PROTECT THE BALL
The Redbirds committed a season-high 24 turnovers against UTSA, with 12 occurring in the first quarter. ISU struggled to protect the ball, as it committed seven-straight turnovers against UTSA (Nov. 27). The Roadrunners turned the Redbird miscues into 30 points on their way to a 77-51 victory. In ISU's last two games, the Redbirds committed 46 turnovers compared to 27 in their first two games.
AN OFFENSIVE ATTACK
Illinois State was scoreless for nearly 12 minutes against UTSA (Nov. 27), while the Roadrunners went on a 24-0 run. UTSA would put together several runs on its way to a 77-51 win, while ISU struggled to find a rhythm. In the game, the Roadrunners connected on 57 percent of their field goal attempts, while the Redbirds found the bottom of the net on 32 percent of their attempts. UTSA also had a long-range attack, as it connected on 44 percent (4-of-9) of its shots from three-point range compared to ISU's 18 percent (4-of-22).
GETTING THE BALL
Against UTSA (Nov. 27), the Redbirds recorded a season-high 11 steals, three more than their previous best. Brechelle Beachum led ISU with a career-high four steals, while Octavia Crump, Colleene Smith and Taylor Stewart each collected two.
A NEW SPARK
ISU has several new faces on its 2015-16 roster and each has contributed at different times. Friday's (Nov. 27) game against UTSA was junior transfer Brechelle Beachum's time to shine, as the guard set career highs in points and steals. Beachum came off the bench and brought life to the Redbirds, as she scored a career-high 10 points, connecting on four field goals, which also set a career high. In the game, Beachum connected on the first 3-pointer of her Redbird career, and led the team with a career-high four steals in 24 minutes.
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