NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team opens Missouri Valley Conference play Friday, as it hosts Missouri State at 1 p.m. The Redbirds will host Wichita State Sunday at 2 p.m.
Illinois State fell to Western Illinois inside Redbird Arena Monday night, 79-64. The Redbirds scored 44 points after halftime, including 29 in the fourth quarter. The 29 points are the most points scored by ISU in a quarter this season.
Octavia Crump scored 20 points for the Redbirds, connecting on 7-of-12 attempts from the field to go along with six free throws. Colleene Smith and Brechelle Beachum both added nine points apiece. The Redbirds shot 34 percent for the game. ISU controlled the boards, pulling down 46 rebounds, as WIU grabbed 44. Western Illinois connected on 43 percent of its shot attempts and made 10 3-pointers. The Leathernecks' Emily Clemons was a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the arc and led all scorers with 22 points. The Leathernecks forced 18 Redbird turnovers and converted the ISU miscues into 24 points.
ILLINOIS STATE-MISSOURI STATE SERIES
Missouri State leads the all-time series with Illinois State, 37-31. The two teams have met annually since 1984. ISU won 12 of the first 15 meetings. From 1991-2005, Missouri State posted a 26-6 record against the Redbirds, including a string of 11-consecutive wins. An upset win for the Redbirds in the 2005 MVC Tournament started a 10-1 streak over the Lady Bears, which included eight-straight wins. That streak was snapped with a 76-61 loss at Missouri State win on Jan. 11, 2011. Illinois State leads the Lady Bears, 18-15, in games played at Normal, Illinois.
ILLINOIS STATE-WICHITA STATE SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Wichita State, 42-26. The series began in 1980 and the two teams have met twice annually since 1984. ISU won 15 of the first 17 meetings, with 10 victories coming by double-digits. Wichita State posted a 12-10 record against the Redbirds in the next 22 matchups. Since 2003, ISU is 16-12 against the Shockers, but Wichita State snapped a six-game losing streak to the Redbirds with a 59-56 home win on Jan. 16, 2011. In games played at Normal, Illinois, the Redbirds hold a 24-8 advantage.
HERE WE GO
With the non-conference schedule wrapped up, the Illinois State women's basketball team is ready to open the 2015-16 Missouri Valley Conference slate. The Redbirds hope to open the conference schedule with a win. ISU lost its conference opener during the 2014-15 season, but prior to last season, ISU started Valley play with a win for eight-consecutive seasons.
PREPARING FOR CONFERENCE PLAY
Illinois State is no stranger to a tough non-conference schedule, and the 2015-16 season was no different. ISU played 11 games during the non-conference season, including five home contests and one exhibition game. DePaul appeared in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round, after winning the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles.
REDBIRDS PICKED 10TH IN MVC
The Illinois State women's basketball team was projected to finish 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll for the 2015-16 season, as voted on by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media. Illinois State received 48 votes in the poll with its 10th-place selection, a change of pace since ISU has been picked in the top-five in 19 of the 33 preseason polls in conference history. It is the first time in school history that the Redbirds have been picked to finish 10th. The Redbirds were expected to finish ninth over five-straight seasons from 1999-2000 though the 2003-04 season. Missouri State is the preseason favorite to win the conference with 373 points and 22 first-place votes, and is followed by Drake with 347 points and 15 first-place votes. Northern Iowa (320), Southern Illinois (297) and Wichita State (214) round out the top-five teams, collecting one first-place vote apiece. Evansville is projected to finish sixth (182), with Indiana State (151) following in seventh place. Loyola (142) and Bradley (126) were selected to finish in eighth and ninth, respectively. Illinois State was selected to finish eighth prior to the 2014-15 season and ended the regular season in 10th place.
SECOND CHANCES
On average, Illinois State trails opponents in total rebounds by two boards, but through 11 games, the Redbirds have pulled down 142 offensive boards, nine more than their opponents. ISU is led by Colleene Smith and Viria Livingston in offensive rebounds with 23. ISU is averaging 12.9 offensive rebounds per game. The Redbirds have pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds in eight of their 11 games. Illinois State pulled down 18 offensive boards against Western Illinois (Dec. 28), tying the season high.
FOURTH-QUARTER RUN
At the 5:54 mark of the third quarter against Western Illinois (Dec. 28), the Redbirds trailed by 28 points. The 28 points was the largest deficit of the game. The daunting task of battling back didn't faze ISU, as the Redbirds went on to score 29 points in the fourth quarter. The 29 points are the most points scored by the Redbirds in a quarter this season. In the fourth quarter, the Redbirds made a furious comeback, as they went on an 18-4 run in the final four minutes, cutting the WIU lead to single-digits, 73-64. Octavia Crump carried the load, scoring 12 of her 20 points in the final period. ISU outscored WIU, 29-22, in the fourth, but it was too little too late, as the Redbirds fell to the Leathernecks, 79-64.
FINDING CRUMP
In three of ISU's last four games, senior forward Octavia Crump has recorded 20-plus scoring performances. Against Northern Illinois (Dec. 13) and Western Illinois (Dec. 28), Crump drained 20 points. On Dec. 21, versus Chicago State, Crump scored a season-high 21 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the field. Over the last four games, Crump is averaging 15.3 points per game, connecting on 60 percent of her field goal attempts. On the season, she leads the Redbirds with 13.4 points per game. Crump also leads the team in field goal percentage (.564) and blocks (9).
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