VALPARAISO, Ind. – Illinois State (11-4, 3-1 MVC) picked up its first Missouri Valley Conference road win on Friday night, defeating Valparaiso (10-6, 2-3 MVC) 72-60 at the ARC.
Senior TeTe Maggett led all scoring on the night, tallying a game-high 26 points while also adding eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Fifth-year senior Lexi Wallen contributed 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the winning effort.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Valparaiso got on the board first, as Shay Frederick stepped up to knock down a three-pointer just a little over a minute into the game. Redshirt freshman Mary Crompton sunk a floater, followed by back-to-back field goals courtesy of Wallen for Illinois State to regain the lead. Valpo put up two more triples, with Paige Saylor adding one of her own, to bring the game to a 9-9 tie midway through the first quarter. After that, ISU would finish the period on an 11-2 run to establish a lead that they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
Wallen paced the Redbirds through the first quarter, picking up 12 of her 18 points on 5-of-5 shooting in that period, also going 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Valpo managed to close the gap to only five points around the halfway mark in the second quarter, but could not complete the comeback as ISU extended it again to 13 points at halftime.
Maggett exploded for 21 of her 26 points in the second half, going 4-of-6 from behind the arc.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Illinois State had a dominant 41-26 advantage on the boards. The Redbirds have outrebounded their opponent in 11 of 15 games this season.
- This was the fifth time this year Maggett led the Redbirds in scoring, as she has also led the 'Birds in assists in 10 of 15 games this season.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On the win: "It's really tough to get a road win in the Valley and I'm so proud of our team. It was a great defensive effort and we had solid contributions from several players and from our bench."
On TeTe's performance: "TeTe was just outstanding. She came alive in the second half and it was so special. Her senior leadership shows, and she really took charge when we needed her to."
UP NEXT
The Redbirds head to the Windy City to face Loyola Chicago on Sunday. Tip-off at Gentile Arena is set for 1 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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