NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team stayed within range of Southern Illinois for two quarters Thursday, but the visiting Salukis pulled away in the third on their way to a 68-55 win over the Redbirds on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
Shakeela Fowler led all Redbirds with 13 points. Lexie Taylor chipped in a career-high 12 points, while Octavia Crump added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Southern was led by point guard Rishonda Napier, who scored a game-high 18 points. Forward Dyana Pierre helped the Salukis at both ends, netting a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Crump gave Illinois State (6-20, 4-11 MVC) an early lead with a 3-pointer to start the game, but Southern Illinois (18-9, 11-4) controlled the tempo for much of the first quarter, and led 16-11 after the first 10 minutes of play.
The Southern Illinois lead grew to as many as nine points in the second quarter, but a 3-pointer from Taylor to close out the half got the Redbirds back within six, at 32-26, heading into the intermission.
Fowler cut the Southern Illinois lead to just three points with a 3-pointer to open the third quarter, but Southern slowly increased its lead at the start of the second half, using a 16-5 run to take a 48-35 lead into the final quarter.
Southern Illinois started the fourth-quarter with an 8-0 run to boost its lead to 21 points. The Redbirds finished strong, however, ending the game with a 7-0 push.
The Redbirds return to action Sunday afternoon on Doug Collins at Redbird Arena, hosting Evansville in their home finale at 2 p.m. Redbird seniors Colleene Smith, Crump and Taylor will be honored after the game.
Tickets for Sunday's game can be purchased at the Illinois State Ticket Office, by calling (309) 438-8000, or by visiting GoRedbirds.com/tickets. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3, and links for live video, audio and stats can be found at GoRedbirds.com.
Fans can also receive live updates by following @Redbirdwbb on Twitter.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
