NORMAL, Ill. – Fifth-year senior Lexi Wallen put up a career-high 35 points and seven rebounds to carry Illinois State to a 86-85 double overtime victory over Loyola Chicago on Friday night at Redbird Arena. With the win, Illinois State moves to 14-8 (6-5 MVC) on the season and takes sole possession of fourth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
Wallen was 10-of-15 (.667) from the floor, 2-of-2 from behind the arc and 13-of-14 (.929) from the charity stripe. The Champaign, Illinois, native scored 10 points in the final 39 seconds of regulation, including the game-tying triple to force an overtime period.
Reigning MVC Newcomer of the Week Juliunn Redmond recorded her second double-double in as many games, posting 19 points and 10 rebounds, while also dishing out four assists. Senior TeTe Maggett added 14 points, eight boards and four assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After trailing 7-2 at the first media timeout, the 'Birds finished out the first quarter on a 9-2 run to take an 11-9 lead into the second period. Illinois State maintained the lead through the end of the first half, heading into the locker room with a one-point, 27-26 advantage.
Wallen paced the Redbirds through the initial 20 minutes, recording 10 points and collecting four rebounds. Redmond and junior Paige Saylor each added five points, with Saylor recording ISU's lone triple of the half. Both teams were shooting an equal 10-of-25 (.400) from the field at halftime.
The score stayed close, with the two teams trading leads throughout the third and fourth quarters. A 7-0 Loyola scoring run that began with less than three minutes to go in regulation gave the Ramblers their largest lead of night, 64-58, with 39 seconds remaining in the game.
Wallen then took over, making a three-pointer that sparked a Maggett steal on the following inbound pass and an immediate layup for a five-point swing to put the 'Birds back within one. Wallen would make another layup, two free throws and the game-tying triple to total 10 points in that 39-second period and send the game to overtime.
Wallen totaled 10 points in the following two overtime periods, scoring the game-tying layup with 34 seconds left in the first overtime period to force another, and putting away the two game-winning free throws with less than a second left in the second overtime to give the 'Birds the victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Friday night's game featured 27 lead changes and 15 ties. Illinois State led for 19:53, Loyola led for 19:20 and the game was all tied up for 10:47.
- Wallen's 35-point performance is the third-most points scored in a single game by a Valley player, and the most of any Redbird, this season. The last Illinois State player to score at least 35 points in a game was Kristi Cirone, who scored 35 versus Robert Morris on Nov. 22, 2008.
- Redmond's double-double was her second in as many games and her third of the season.
- The Redbirds improve to 12-7 all-time versus the Ramblers and hold an 8-1 advantage when playing at Redbird Arena.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On the opponent: "I'm really proud of our team. I'm not going to lie – Loyola may have deserved to win that game. I thought they played an outstanding 40 minutes and we struggled early, but we did enough down the stretch and made some big baskets when it counted."
On Wallen: "Lexi Wallen answered the call again and again – at the end of regulation, at the end of the first overtime and with the two big free throws at the end to give us the lead.
UP NEXT
ISU will conclude its homestand on Sunday afternoon when Valparaiso visits Redbird Arena at 2 p.m. Sunday's game will also be the annual Play4Kay game, fundraising for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the fight against ALL women's cancers. Admission will be just $1.
For all latest on Illinois State women's basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
