NORMAL, Ill.  – The Illinois State women's basketball team returns to the road, after a four-game homestand. The Redbirds travel to Indiana State Friday at 6:05 p.m. (CST), before taking on Evansville Sunday at 2 p.m.
Despite a close 30 minutes, the Illinois State women's basketball team could not handle Drake's hot shooting late in the second half, falling, 70-47, Sunday afternoon inside Redbird Arena. Octavia Crump led the Redbirds for the second-consecutive game, scoring 14 points and collecting five rebounds, including four at the offensive end. Mary Sims was the next highest Redbird scorer, finishing with 10 points and grabbing three rebounds.
ISU shot 25 percent from the field and 26 percent from behind the arc, while the Bulldogs shot 42 percent from the field and 15 percent from behind the arc. Drake scored 36 of their 70 points inside the paint, while Illinois State scored only 16 points inside the paint. The Bulldogs also grabbed more rebounds, collecting 53 boards to the Redbirds' 35.
ILLINOIS STATE-INDIANA STATE SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Indiana State, 47-39. The series, which began in 1972, is the second-longest in Illinois State history. Illinois State started out with a 30-16 record against Indiana State, including a string of 12-straight wins from 1980-87. Indiana State then won 13 of the next 14 meetings and Illinois State is 16-10 in the last 26 matchups. Indiana State holds a 19-17 advantage in games played in Terre Haute, Indiana.
FLASHBAK:INDIANA STATE 60, ILLINOIS STATE 36 (Jan. 16)
The Redbirds fell to Indiana State, 60-36, at Redbird Arena. Illinois State suffered its worst shooting performance of the season. ISU was led in scoring by Mackenzie Freeman and Taylor Stewart who tallied six points each, while three other players added five apiece. After a dismal shooting performance by both teams in the first half, Indiana State found its groove in the second half, scoring 42 of its 60 points in the second period. The Sycamores finished the game 21-of-50 from the field with 16 made field goals in the second half. They were aided by 37 points from their bench players.
ILLINOIS STATE-EVANVSILLE SERIES
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Evansville, 27-15. The series began when Evansville joined the Valley in 1995, with ISU winning the first eight meetings. Illinois State holds a slight 19-14 advantage since then, including 14 wins in the last 19 games. ISU has a convincing 16-4 record over the Purple Aces when playing in Evansville, Indiana.
FLASHBAK: EVANVSILLE 62, ILLINOIS STATE 50 (Jan. 16)
Illinois State fell to Evansville, 62-50, inside Redbird Arena despite a season-best shooting performance from three-point range. Katy Winge knocked in three 3-pointers en route to her 20-point performance against the Purple Aces (9-7, 4-1 MVC). Winge also led the team in assists, dishing out five. Taylor Stewart was the only other Redbird in double digits, netting 10 points on 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc. The Redbirds shot 31 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point territory. ISU's eight treys were the most in a game this season. Evansville had the slight advantage on the boards, pulling down 38, just two more than the Redbirds' 36.
A COMPLETE 40 MINUTES
Despite a close 30 minutes, Illinois State could not handle Drake's hot shooting late in the second half, falling, 70-47, inside Redbird Arena (Feb. 8). ISU outscored Drake 12-6 at the start of the second half, as Illinois State pulled within five points, 35-30, with 13:50 left in the game. Five Redbirds scored in the run. Then, Drake found its offensive attack halfway through the second half, as it scored 10-straight points for a 45-30 advantage. Illinois State regained momentum, pulling within nine of Drake with 7:15 remaining. The Bulldogs answered back and ended the game with a late 20-5 run. Illinois State was scoreless for nearly six minutes during Drake's run.
MORE REBOUNDS
In ISU's game against Drake (Feb. 8), the Bulldogs outrebounded the Redbirds by 18 boards, which is the largest margin this season. Both teams pulled down 14 offensive boards in the game, but Drake grabbed 39 defensive boards compared to ISU's 21. In the game, the Bulldogs pulled down 53 rebounds, while the Redbirds collected 35 boards.
DEFENDING THE THREE
In ISU's first meeting against Drake (Jan. 9), the Bulldogs sank 50 percent of their 3-pointers, but by the time the two teams met for the second time, the Redbirds held Drake to just 15 percent shooting from three-point range. Drake was 3-of-20 from beyond the arc, and the 15 percent was the lowest three-point percentage for Valley opponents this season.
HOLDING ONTO THE BALL
The Redbirds have struggled with turnovers during the 2014-15 season, but over the weekend against Northern Iowa (Feb. 6) and Drake (Feb. 8), the Redbirds committed 10 miscues in each game. ISU averaged 10 turnovers over the weekend, which is a vast improvement from the 19 turnovers it has averaged throughout the season.
GAME SPEED
Though she has only been back on the court for five games, junior Lindsay Smith has quickly gotten back to her old self, recording five steals against Drake (Feb. 8). The five steals against the Bulldogs set a career high for Smith.
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