CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Illinois State women's basketball team gave UNI all it could handle, taking a lead into the final quarter, before ultimately falling to the Panthers, 72-67, in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Saturday afternoon. The Redbirds fall to 3-2 (0-2 MVC) on the year while the Panthers improve to 5-4 (2-0 MVC).
Senior Juliunn Redmond and redshirt sophomore Mary Crompton led ISU with 13 points each. Redmond went 4-of-9 (44.4%) from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe, also adding a team-high seven rebounds. Crompton shot 50% (3-of-6) from distance while wrangling four rebounds.
Also finishing in double figures was junior Terrion Moore and sophomore DeAnna Wilson, who each recorded 10 points in the loss.
UNI's Karli Rucker had a game-high 19 points, also tallying four steals, three rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes of play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It was all Illinois State early, as the Redbirds jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead in the first five minutes of play with a pair of triples by Crompton and field goals by Wilson and junior Lexy Koudelka. The Panthers responded with a 9-2 run of their own over the next two minutes before Koudelka rounded out the period making two free throws to bring the score to 14-9 in favor of the Redbirds.
UNI heated up in the second quarter, rattling off eight-straight points on a 12-2 run that was only interrupted by a Moore jumper. With the Panther lead sitting at 23-16 following a Bre Gunnels layup, ISU dialed up the intensity to finish the half on a 13-4 run of its own to enter the break with a two-point, 29-27 advantage.
Moore kicked off the scoring for the 'Birds in the third period, driving in the paint for a layup in which she was fouled, making the awarded free throw and successfully converting the three-point play. UNI's Gunnels was able to tally a field goal before the Redbirds forced the Panthers into another scoreless stretch, scoring nine-straight points before the media timeout. ISU and UNI traded blows the remainder of the quarter, with the Redbirds entering the final period of play with a six-point, 51-45 lead.
Fouls would be ISU's downfall, as UNI converted 20-of-23 free throws in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Illinois State never gave up, pulling within three after a Crompton three-pointer with 14 seconds remaining, but ultimately falling short of the victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Moore has finished in double-digits scoring in four of five games this season..
- UNI's 31 made free throws on the day were the most by an opponent since Loyola Chicago recorded 31 in ISU's overtime victory at Redbird Arena on Feb.14 last season.
- The Redbirds outscored the Panthers 28-14 in points in the paint.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On Illinois State's fight in Day 2: "Got to give UNI credit. We had some empty possessions and some possessions in which you could tell we didn't know the plays and that's on me. It's the season experience – we're just not there yet. I really like our team and we're going to be able to compete this year but we just aren't where we want to be yet. I thought we played a lot better today and that we did some great things but at the end of the day it wasn't enough."
On the quick 22-hour turnaround: "I thought we really bounced back well. This is uncharted territory and I didn't know how we'd react but I thought our kids played their absolute hearts out."
UP NEXT
The Redbirds are slated to travel to Indiana State for a pair of MVC road games on Thursday, Jan. 7 and Friday, Jan. 8. Details about game coverage and streaming information will be updated on GoRedbirds.com in the coming days.
For all the 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.
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