LONG BEACH, Calif. – Illinois State Women's Basketball team fought to the finish to defeat Long Beach State 59-51, capturing the first road win this season.
How It Happened
Shanaijah Davison opened the game as she drove to the basket for Long Beach to put the 49ers up 2-0. Redbirds faced difficulty early on from the field and Long Beach pressed ahead to pull a 6-0 lead. Simone Goods grabbed an offensive rebound and put in a layup to trail 6-2. Redbirds faced difficulty overcoming the deficit and would finish the first quarter behind 14-7.
Redbirds rallied in the second quarter and outscored the Beach 16-10 to trail at halftime 24-23. The teams tied once and had two lead changes in the second quarter. Katrina Beck led Illinois State in the first half adding nine points, two rebounds and one assist.
The Beach opened up the second half on a six-point run to push ahead 30-23. Hannah Green answered for the Redbirds with a quick four points to trail 30-27. The Redbirds found themselves in foul trouble and the Beach took advantage scoring seven points from the charity stripe. The Beach would finish the third quarter ahead 41-33.
Redbirds found their spark in the fourth quarter and outscored the Beach 26-10. Illinois State came out of the gate on a five-point run with a layup by Goods and a 3-pointer from Green to trail 41-38. Jessica Gertz answered with a three to keep the Beach on pace. The Beach led 44-38 with 6:53 on the clock. The Redbirds came back with a nine-point run and would never look back, resulting in a 59-51 Redbird victory.
Inside the Box Score
- Green shined in her home state today as she led all scorers with 19 points and captured a career-high, netting three 3-pointers.
- Goods added her second double-double this season with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
- Livingston tied a career-high of 11 rebounds tonight. The junior guard also added four points and two assists.
- Three Redbirds scored in double figures for the fourth time this season. Green (19), Beck (14), Goods (18).
- Beck continues to be consistent, shooting 50 percent from the field tonight. The junior guard contributed 14 points, six rebounds and three assists.
- Davison led for the Beach with 16 points, six rebounds and two assists.
Stat of the Game
- The Redbirds trailed the 49ers as they entered the fourth quarter. This is the first time this season that ISU trailed entering the fourth and finished with a win.
What's Next
The Redbirds will finish the non-conference schedule as they compete in the championship game of the Beach Classic tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT.
