CHICAGO – Sophomore DeAnna Wilson led the Redbirds for the second-straight game, exploding for a career-high 17 points while grabbing eight rebounds in Illinois State's 60-45 win on the road at Loyola Chicago on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Juliunn Redmond and junior Terrion Moore joined Wilson in double figures, each finishing with 12 points. Redmond added five boards and three assists while Moore also recorded two blocks and a steal.
With the win, ISU closes the regular season on a five-game winning streak while improving to 15-6 (12-6 MVC) and locking up the No. 3 seed at the Hoops in the Heartland Missouri Valley Conference Tournament next week. This is the first time ISU has finished third or better in the league standings since the 2012-13 season, also the last year that the Redbirds finished with at least 12 wins in conference play.
Maya Chandler led the Ramblers (10-12, 8-10 MVC) with 18 points, going 6-of-12 (50.0%) from the floor and 3-of-7 (42.9%) from long range.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The 'Birds started slow, scoring just two points in the first 5:03 of the game. However, buckets by freshman Kate Bullman and Moore put ISU up, 11-9, after 10 minutes of play.
Illinois State limited Loyola to just 5-of-27 (18.5%) in the first half and just four points in the second quarter. The Redbirds' first seven points of the second quarter came from Wilson as ISU was able to extend its lead to 24-13 heading into halftime.
After going 0-for-12 from behind the arc in the first half, the Ramblers knocked in 3-of-4 three-pointers to start the second half, cutting the ISU advantage to 29-26 midway through the third period.
The Redbirds closed the third quarter on a 12-6 run, capped by a Redmond lay-up, to lead 41-32 after 30 minutes.
Loyola came to within eight at 45-37 at the 7:21 mark but drew no closer as the Illinois State lead ballooned to 18, its largest of the game, at 57-39 with three minutes left. A jumper by Moore with 36 seconds to play put the finishing touches on ISU's regular season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Redbirds, who were selected fifth in the MVC Preseason Poll, have now finished better than their preseason prediction in all four seasons under head coach Kristen Gillespie.
- Paige Saylor had a team-high five assists, making it the sixth game this year where she recorded at least three.
- Nine of Wilson's career-high 17 points came from the charity stripe, as the sophomore shot 81.8% (9-of-11) from the line.
- Illinois State had a 28-14 advantage in points in the paint and outrebounded the Ramblers, 37-31.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE:
On closing the season with a win: "Once again, a road win in the Valley against a really well-coached team. Nothing is easy, especially in March when everyone is playing for something. I am so proud of our kids. I tell you what, they (Loyola) made some shots in the third quarter. We didn't get rattled and just stayed with it and we did enough to win the game."
The poise of the Redbirds: "I am so proud of this group. We have been through so many ups and downs with this odd COVID year. They've always stayed the course. They've never gotten too down or too high. We've learned from every loss and every misstep. I think they do such a great job of regrouping and just coming back better."
UP NEXT:
The Redbirds will rematch No. 6 Loyola Chicago for the third-straight game in the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament on Friday, March 12 at 8 p.m. CT inside the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill. 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).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
