NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team defeated Southern Illinois on Sunday afternoon, 66-56, in their final home game of the 2019-20 season.
Junior Paige Saylor led the way for the 'Birds, leading the team in scoring for the first time this year and matching a season-high 14 points. Fellow junior Juliunn Redmond finished with 13 points, shooting 4-of-5 (80 percent) from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
With the win, the Redbirds (17-10, 9-7 MVC) have clinched at least a No. 6 seed in the MVC Tournament and will get a first-round bye.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Redbirds jumped out to a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, that included a 6-2 Redbird run to close the period. Southern Illinois shot only 26.3 percent (5-of-19) in the first 10 minutes, while also going 0-of-9 from behind the arc. Redshirt freshman Mary Crompton was 2-of-3 (66.7 percent) from deep to start the game, with seniors Lexi Wallen and Megan Talbot both nabbing three first quarter rebounds.
The second period featured several scoring runs, including a 9-0 Saluki run capped off by a Brittney Patrick triple to begin the quarter and give SIU the 21-17 advantage. ISU responded with a 9-0 run of their own, regaining the lead for the remainder of the game. The 'Birds went into the locker room at halftime with a five-point, 28-23 lead.
Southern Illinois continued to fight in the second half, coming within one possession on three occasions with the last occurring at the 5:28 mark in the fourth quarter. The Redbirds held on to win, spurred on by an impressive fourth period performance by Redmond, who totaled 10 of her 13 points in the final 10 minutes of play. Senior TeTe Maggett also contributed six of her eight points in the final quarter, going 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- All four of ISU's seniors scored on their Senior Day.
- Five Redbirds combined to total seven triples on the day, bringing the 'Birds to a 14-5 record when they make at least five three-pointers. Crompton and Kayel Newland both tallied a pair of triples in the win.
- Illinois State has now had at least 17 wins in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On the win: "This was a big one for us. There was a lot on the line with it being Senior Day and the high emotions associated with that, as well as coming off a huge win on Thursday. As a whole, everyone really stepped up and that's what makes this team really special."
UP NEXT
Illinois State will take on the Indiana road swing, traveling to Evansville on Thursday before concluding the regular season at Indiana State on Saturday.
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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