NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season, rolling past Western Illinois, 85-55, in Macomb, Ill. on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Leathernecks drop to 0-6 on the year.
Redshirt sophomore Mary Crompton and sophomore DeAnna Wilson each had 14 points in the victory. Crompton, who has led the team in scoring in back-to-back games, shot 3-of-5 (60.0%) from deep and 5-of-7 (71.4%) from the charity stripe. Wilson went 5-of-7 (71.4%) from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, adding five rebounds and three steals in her Redbird debut.
Also finishing in double figures in her first career appearance was redshirt freshman Maya Wong, who tallied 10 points and three assists.
Grace Gilmore led the Leathernecks in scoring with 16 points, going 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Leathernecks jumped out to an early 16-9 lead in the first seven minutes of play, led by seven points by reigning Summit League Newcomer of the Year Evan Zars. The Redbirds quickly put an end to the Leatherneck rally, going on a 12-0 run that included a pair of triples from Crompton and back-to-back field goals from Wilson to finish the first quarter.
ISU continued to stifle the WIU offense in the second quarter, outscoring the Leathernecks 17-5 in that period to head into halftime with a 17-point lead. The Redbirds never let Western Illinois back into the game, gradually building to the 30-point gap at the conclusion of the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Illinois State improves to a dominant 42-4 all-time record versus Western Illinois, including a 16-2 advantage when playing in Macomb.
- Kate Bullman, Lexy Koudelka, Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor and Juliunn Redmond all grabbed a game-high six rebounds. Redmond also led the team with five assists.
- The Redbirds outrebounded the Leathernecks, 48-23, additionally owning a 42-24 edge in points in the paint.
- Ally Gietzel had a game and career-high two blocks, finishing with three points on the day.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On the win: "I'm very pleased with the outcome of this game and that we were able to get everyone in and some significant minutes. I thought DeAnna Wilson gave us great minutes in her first action – same for Maya Wong as well. They really came ready to play today."
On areas for improvement: "Our offensive fouls and silly turnovers were a problem. If we're going to be a good team we need to do much better and hold ourselves to a higher standard."
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