DES MOINES, Iowa. – The Redbirds battled to the very end, knotting the score with only 1:11 left, but ultimately fell to Drake, 87-82, in Des Moines on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Lexi Wallen had a team-high 23 points, grabbing two rebounds and dishing out two assists. Redshirt freshman Mary Crompton tied her career-high of six three-pointers, totaling 18 points on the day while shooting 50 percent (6-of-12) from deep.
Also finishing in double figures was Juliunn Redmond (12 pts, 7 asts, 4 stls, 3 rebs) and TeTe Maggett (11 pts, 9 rebs).
Senior Megan Talbot finished with nine points, eight rebounds and three assists.
ISU drops to 15-10 (7-7 MVC) while the Bulldogs improve to 20-7 (12-3 MVC).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bulldogs got off to a poor start, only shooting 4-of-15 (26.7 percent) in the first quarter for the Redbirds to capitalize and take an eleven-point, 23-12 lead. Crompton went 3-of-3 from deep to lead the 'Birds in the first 10 minutes of play, with Wallen scoring ISU's first six points.
Drake figured out their offensive woes, shooting 10-of-19 (52.9 percent) from the floor in the second period, climbing back to end the half trailing by only one point, 35-34. Drake's Sara Rhine had eight of her game-high 28 points in the second quarter.
Wallen paced the Redbirds in the third quarter, posting 10 points and drawing three fouls. Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field and totaled 26 points in the third period as Illinois State maintained the one-point lead, taking a 61-60 score line into the final quarter. There were five ties and six lead changes in the third period alone.
A pair of triples by Compton tied the game twice with under two minutes to play, with the Redbirds maintaining the lead as late as the 1:11 mark. The Bulldogs scored their remaining seven points all off of free throws to secure the victory and the regular season sweep of the Redbirds.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Crompton's six triples on the day matched her career-high that she had set earlier this season at Missouri State on Feb. 2. It was the fourth occasion this season that Crompton has drained five or more from behind the arc in a game.
- Today's game featured nine ties and nine lead changes. ISU led for 26:06 with Drake leading for 9:42.
- The Bulldogs have now won 15-straight versus the Redbirds, dating back to 2014.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On the loss to Drake: "This is a tough one because we were tied with a little more than a minute left. We're right there and closing the gap. I can not be more proud of the 40 minutes we played and have to give our kids all the credit."
On Talbot: "I'm really proud of all our kids, but in particular Megan Talbot. Meg stepped up and hit big shots while playing outstanding against Becca Hittner."
UP NEXT
Illinois State hosts No. 18/23 Missouri State at Redbird Arena at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday night.
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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