NORMAL, Ill. – Taylor Stewart and Lexie Taylor each scored in double figures for the Illinois State women's basketball team, but the Redbirds fell, 73-51, in their Missouri Valley Conference opener against Missouri State Friday on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
The two teams went back and forth to start the game, and ISU went ahead 8-6 with 4:04 remaining in the first quarter off of an Octavia Crump layup. However, Missouri State responded with a 10-0 run, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers. Colleene Smith snapped the run with a layup to beat the buzzer at the end of the quarter and ISU trailed 16-10 after the first ten minutes.
The Redbirds built up a 7-0 run to start the second quarter and pull within one, but Missouri State answered with a 14-2 run of its own to take a 28-17 lead midway through the second quarter. The Bears extended their lead with hot shooting, finishing the half with four-straight made field goals, and carried a 39-23 lead into the locker room.
The Bears did most of their damage in transition, owning a 22-6 advantage in fast break points in the first half. MSU also recorded seven steals and tallied an assist on eight of its 16 baskets. Illinois State's bench kept the Redbirds in the game, scoring 13 points.
ISU's offense got them back into the game early in the third quarter as a 9-0 run cut the deficit to seven. As it had all game long though, Missouri State responded. This time, MSU made three-straight field goals while ISU went 1-6 in the same span.
Missouri State led 53-43 at the end of the third quarter and extended the lead to 16 by the media timeout at the 4:54 mark. MSU's hot shooting would carry it the rest of the way as the Bears finished 30-54 from the field and shot 50 percent (9-18) from three-point land.
Stewart led ISU with 14 points, which was nine above her season average. Taylor chipped in with a career-high 10 points and Katrina Beck added nine. Kenzie Williams recorded a game-high 23 points for Missouri State while Tyonna Snow added 16.
Illinois State held a 27-15 advantage in bench points while Missouri State had a slight edge in rebounds, 35-30.
Illinois State (2-10, 0-1 MVC) is back in action Sunday when it hosts Wichita State at 2 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. A live broadcast will be available via ESPN3.
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