NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team returns to Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena Tuesday at 7 p.m., as it hosts in-state foe SIUE. The game can be seen on ESPN3.
After trailing 37-23 at the half, ISU gained momentum in the second half, as it battled back to tie Omaha with 1:13 left in the fourth quarter. Despite the comeback, the Redbirds ran out of time and fell to Omaha, 60-56, Sunday at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic. Octavia Crump led ISU with 14 points and six rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team.
Colleene Smith and Viria Livingston also recorded double-digit scoring performances, as the duo scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, setting career highs. Crump, Livingston and Smith led the second-half comeback, as the group teamed up for five of ISU's 10 steals. Livingston led the Redbirds on the boards with seven, while Crump and Smith pulled down six and four rebounds, respectively.
Illinois State shot 30 percent from the field before halftime, but improved and connected on 47 percent of its second-half shot attempts. ISU shot 39 percent from the field in the game. ISU controlled the paint, netting 36 points down low, while ONU scored 20.
REDBIRDS-COUGARS SERIES
The game will mark the third meeting between the two teams. Illinois State leads the series, 2-0. ISU has won once on the road and once in Redbird Arena against the Cougars. The last time the two teams faced off on Doug Collins Court was Nov. 20, 2010, when the Redbirds won by 11 points, 68-57.
ABOUT SIUE
• SIUE is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 14,265.
• The Cougars are members of the Ohio Valley Conference and finished the 2014-15 season second in the OVC.
• The Cougars finished 19-12 last season, with a conference record of 13-3.
• SIUE returns four starters from last season.
BATTLING BACK
After trailing 37-23 at the half, the Illinois State women's basketball team gained momentum in the second half, as it battled back to tie the game with 1:13 left in the fourth quarter. Despite the comeback, the Redbirds ran out of time and fell to Omaha (Nov. 29), 60-56, at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic. Octavia Crump led ISU with 14 points and six rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team. Colleene Smith and Viria Livingston also recorded double-digit scoring performances, as the duo scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, setting career highs. Crump, Livingston and Smith led the second-half comeback, as the group teamed up for five of ISU's 10 steals. Livingston led the Redbirds on the boards with seven, while Crump and Smith pulled down six and four rebounds, respectively. Illinois State (1-4) shot 30 percent from the field before halftime, but improved and connected on 47 percent of its second half shot attempts. ISU shot 39 percent from the field in the game, while Omaha (4-2) made 40 percent of its shots. ISU controlled the paint, netting 36 points down low, while ONU scored 20.
DISHING IT, TAKING IT
Against Omaha (Nov. 30), ISU recorded double-digit performances in the assist and steals columns. It was the first time this season that ISU dished out assists in the double digits, while taking away 10 or more steals. The Redbirds' 13 assists and 10 steals were the second-best performances in each category so far this season.
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.
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. Against UIC Nov. 23 and UTSA (Nov. 27), the Redbirds committed 46 turnovers compared to 27 in their first two games against Bowling Green (Nov. 13) and Murray State (Nov. 18). ISU regrouped against Omaha (Nov. 29) and forced 19 turnovers, while committing 14.
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).
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.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
