Redbirds Triumph Over Braves and Advance to MVC Semifinals

MOLINE, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team surpassed the Braves in a thrilling fourth quarter fight, earning their first MVC quarterfinals win for the first time in five years.

HOW IT HAPPENED
It began as a defensive battle between the two squads early on as ISU pulled a 10-9 first quarter lead. Both teams shot less than 30 percent from the floor at the conclusion of the first, with no shots made from long range.

TeTe Maggett found her rhythm in the second as she led the 'Birds, scoring nine of their 13 points, shooting 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Bradley's offense kicked into gear and added 20 points to push ahead 29-23 at the halftime buzzer.

Illinois State opened the third period with a 5-0 run to come within one, with shots from Simone Goods, TeTe Maggett and Viria Livingston. It was a back-and-forth battle when Goods tied the game, with a 3-point play. Goods and Livingston were key players in the paint today, helping shift the Redbird momentum in the second half. Livingston scored a season-high of 10 points and was joined by fellow seniors, Goods and Katrina Beck, who all added double figures for ISU. The squad persevered and powered ahead of the Braves, and entered the final period with a two-point lead.

The Redbirds were relentless in the fourth, and led by as much as eight points. The team never looked back, and went on to surpass the Bradley Braves 61-55, earning their first MVC quarterfinals win in five years.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE       

• Four Redbirds added double figures today (Goods 15, Beck 15, Maggett 13, Livingston 10)
• Goods and Lexy Koudelka controlled the boards, notching 8 and 7 rebounds, respectively.
• Goods and Beck were a perfect 5-for-5 at the charity stripe.
• The Redbirds got to the line 28 times compared to Bradley's 13 free-throw attempts.
• Illinois State scored 19 points off of 18 Bradley turnovers. The Braves only scored 8 points off of ISU's turnovers.
• The 'Birds outrebounded Bradley 43-33.
• ISU has never loss to Bradley at a neutral site, improving to a 4-0 record on a neutral court.

UP NEXT
The Illinois State women's basketball team will take on first-seeded and nationally ranked Drake at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15 at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois.

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