Four Redbirds posted double figures in Saturday's 70-47 win over UT-Martin at Redbird Arena, that saw the Illinois State women's basketball team hold the Skyhawks to only 11 points in the second half.
Fifth year senior Lexi Wallen led all scorers, posting her first career double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Senior TeTe Maggett nearly recorded a triple-double in the winning effort, collecting 15 points, eight boards and a career high nine assists. Redshirt freshman Mary Crompton hit a career-high four triples and senior Megan Talbot went 3-of-3 from behind the arc to add 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The 'Birds improved to 5-1 in their fourth-straight victory while the Skyhawks dropped to 2-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Illinois State jumped out to an early-lead off back-to-back lay ups by Wallen, and led by as much as eight in the first period of play. UT-Martin battled back, and eventually took a 36-33 lead into halftime after shooting 53.8 percent in the second quarter.
The momentum switched in the second half, as ISU went on an 18-7 scoring run in the third quarter before holding UT-Martin to only four points in the fourth quarter to finish the game. The Skyhawks shot only 21.7 percent and recorded 12 of their 17 turnovers in the second half.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Wallen and Maggett have both tallied double-digit scoring in every game this season, averaging 16.2 and 17.0 points per game, respectively. They have combined for 49 percent of Illinois State's total scoring during the 2019-20 campaign.
- The Redbirds had a 47-28 advantage in rebounding, making it the fourth time this year they have outrebounded their opponent. ISU is averaging 40.2 rebounds on the season with a +8.2 rebounding margin.
- The last time an ISU team held an opponent to 12 or less points in a half was in Dec. 10, 2017's 65-56 home win over Eastern Michigan. The 'Birds allowed only three points in the first quarter and nine in the second, bringing the Eagles to a first half total of 12Â points.
- For the first time this season, the Redbirds held their opponent to less than 50 points. Illinois State has not allowed more than 60 points on four occasions this season.
QUOTES FROM COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On the come-from-behind victory: "I'm so proud of this team. To come out in the second half after being down and hold [UT-Martin] to only 11 points – I think it's a testament to the character of our program."
On what changed at halftime: "We just got after it. We doubled their posts, especially Perry who has been the best post we've faced. I thought Scott Gillespie did a fantastic job on our scout and once we started following the game plan, things went great. We were just a step slow and reactive in the first half, instead of being the aggressor."
UP NEXT
ISU will host Western Illinois at Redbird Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m.
For all latest on Illinois State women's basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
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