NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team blocked a school-record 12 shots in a stout defensive performance and 69-38 win over Omaha on Thursday at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds move to 3-0 for the first time since 2010-11 while the Mavericks fall to 1-4. Junior Terrion Moore, redshirt sophomore Mary Crompton, and freshman Kate Bullman each made a trio of three-pointers and scored 11 points.
Moore had an all-around performance, adding a team-high five rebounds, three assists, and a game-high four steals to her 11 points and 3-of-4 (75.0%) three-point shooting.
Omaha was led by seven points from Ella Ogier.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Redbirds came out cold out of the gate, trailing 10-4 late in the first quarter before 6-0 spurt evened the game at 10-10 after 10 minutes. ISU used 9-2 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Moore and Crompton, to close the first half and take a 25-17 lead into halftime.
The 'Birds made 9-of-15 (60.0%) from deep in the second half to take control of the contest. In the third quarter, the Redbirds netted 12-straight points, expanding the lead to 39-19 halfway through the period. ISU closed the third quarter up 48-25 before the lead ballooned to 58-31. A pair of Bullman 3-pointers gave the 'Birds their largest lead at 69-38, the game's final score.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Illinois State's 12 blocks tied a single-game school record set on Jan. 20, 1987 in a 81-68 win over Indiana State.
- The 38 points allowed are the fewest since Nov. 15, 2017. The 'Birds allowed only 37 points in the 49-37 win over Northern Kentucky.
- The 'Birds defense limited the Mavericks to 13-of-53 (24.5%) shooting, ISU's best defensive effort since team held Southern Illinois to 23.3% shooting on Feb. 9, 2018.
- Sophomore DeAnna Wilson drew nine fouls, including three offensive fouls. She scored seven points and tied for the team-high in rebounds (five) and blocks (three).
- Crompton, the NCAA's 5th-ranked shooter entering Thursday's game, made 3-of-6 (50%) attempts from behind the arc, her third consecutive game with at least three three-pointers made.
- Senior Juliunn Redmond and redshirt freshman Maya Wong each had a game-high four assists, contributing to the 'Birds' 15 assists on 22-of-47 (46.8%) shooting.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On the slow start: "We started off a little sluggish and I'm not sure why. We know Omaha is a really good program and they've had a really tough schedule. I thought they did a really nice job of taking us out of what we wanted to do offensively and it took us a little too much time to adapt and adjust. In the second half we really settled in and were able to really play at a higher tempo which is something that's really important to us. We want to get stops and push the ball and I think that equated into some second half success."
On Terrion Moore: "She's an unbelievable defensive player, but she can really score and that's something we've been talking to her about - wanting her to score the ball at a high-rate for us. I think she's a really tough match-up when she shoots the ball the way she does."
UP NEXT:
The 'Birds host recently-added opponent Green Bay at Redbird Arena on Saturday, Dec. 19. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
For all the 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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