NORMAL, Ill. – After three-straight road games, the Illinois State women's basketball team returns home to Redbird Arena to host Chicago State Monday at 7 p.m. Monday's contest marks the third time the two teams will face off on the hardwood.
ISU fell to Yale, 60-47, at the Lee Amphitheater, after a third-quarter run proved to be too much for the Redbirds. Shakeela Fowler led all scorers with 19 points, connecting on seven field goals and five free throws. Fowler was the only Redbird to reach double figures. Taylor Stewart scored eight points, while Katrina Beck added six. Colleene Smith pulled down 10 rebounds, leading both teams on the boards. Smith grabbed six offensive rebounds against the Bulldogs. Octavia Crump, Beck and Smith recorded two steals apiece. ISU pulled down 38 rebounds, two more than Yale. The Bulldogs connected on 39 percent of their shot attempts, while the Redbirds sank 28 percent of their field goal attempts.
REDBIRDS-COUGARS SERIES
Illinois State and Chicago State will meet for the third time in program history Monday night. ISU leads the series, 2-0, as the two teams faced off in back-to-back seasons. On Nov. 18, 2005, ISU traveled to Chicago State and won the game by seven points, 70-63. Just over a year later, the Redbirds hosted the Cougars on Nov. 26, 2006, when ISU defeated CSU, 81-53.
ABOUT CHICAGO STATE
• Chicago State is located in Chicago, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 5,211.
• The Cougars are members of the Western Athletic Conference and finished the 2014-15 season in eighth place.
• The Cougars finished 4-25 last season with a conference record of1-13.
• Chicago State returns seven players from last season.
SCOUTING CRUMP
Averaging 13.3 points per game and recording seven double-digit scoring performances in eight games, senior forward Octavia Crump was set to take on Yale (Dec. 16), after scoring a season-high 20 points against Northern Illinois (Dec. 13) three days prior. Yale did their research and kept Crump from scoring. The Redbirds struggled to get the ball to Crump, as the Bulldogs double teamed Crump in the paint. Crump was 0-of-2 from the field, but was able to make a difference on the boards, as she pulled down eight rebounds.
STOPPING THE RUNS
The Redbirds have struggled to maintain a consistent offensive attack, as scoring draughts allow their opponents to go on scoring runs. Illinois State lost to Yale (Dec. 16), 60-47, due to runs and turnovers. Illinois State struggled to find its offensive rhythm in the first quarter at Yale, as the Redbirds connected on one field goal over the first nine minutes of the game. ISU ended the quarter with a pair of field goals and two free throws from three separate Redbirds. Like the first quarter, Illinois State struggled to connect from the field in the third quarter. The Redbirds' first basket came at the 4:56 mark. Yale took a 13-point lead, 42-29, with 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Yale used a 12-3 run to take its largest lead of the game. Again, ISU was scoreless for over four minutes to start the fourth quarter until Shakeela Fowler connected on a free throw with 5:25 left to play. Fowler scored Illinois State's first five points of the quarter, including the team's first field goal of the quarter at the 2:46 mark. ISU made a late comeback, but ran out of time, as it fell, 60-47.
D-E-F-E-N-S-E
Despite turnovers and scoring draughts, the Redbirds stepped up their defense against Yale (Dec. 16). ISU held Yale to 60 points, tying the fewest points allowed by an opponent during the 2015-16 season. Omaha (Nov. 29), also netted 60 points against Illinois State. The Redbirds held the Bulldogs to 21 points over the first two quarter, including nine first-quarter points.
SECOND CHANCES
On average, Illinois State trails opponents in total rebounds by two boards, but through nine games, the Redbirds have pulled down 117 offensive boards, eight more than their opponents. ISU is led by Colleene Smith in offensive rebounds with 18. ISU is averaging 13 offensive rebounds per game. The Redbirds have pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds in seven of their nine games. Illinois State has pulled down 17 offensive rebounds in back-to-back games, which is one board shy of its season-high 18.
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