CHICAGO – The Illinois State women's basketball team (14-9, 10-2 MVC) outlasted Loyola Chicago (12-10, 4-7 MVC) Thursday night, 57-53, to complete the season sweep of the Ramblers on their home court at Gentile Arena.
Fifth year Juliunn Redmond led ISU in scoring for the 11th time this season, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes played.
With the victory, Illinois State improves its win streak to four games and maintains its position at the top of Valley standings.
TURNING POINT
After trailing at the end of each of the first three quarters, the Redbirds outscored the Ramblers, 22-12, in the final period to secure the win.
A free throw by junior DeAnna Wilson put the 'Birds up 44-43 with 5:45 remaining in the game, ISU's first lead since the first half. Loyola briefly retook the lead after a made three-pointer by Maya Chandler before a 6-0 Redbird run gave ISU its biggest lead of the game, 51-46, with 2:16 left.
The Ramblers came within striking distance following a Sam Galanopoulos triple with 1:45 to go, but were unable to get any closer than the two-point differential as Illinois State sank their free throws down the stretch.
GAME NOTES
- Redmond, along with Wilson and sophomore Kate Bullman all grabbed a team-best six rebounds.
- The Redbirds have won at least 10 of their first 12 league games for the first time since 2010 (ISU's last regular season title).
- With the tonight's win, the Redbirds have now swept the Ramblers in the regular season in back-to-back years.
- Six Redbirds finished with at least five points and eight of nine players who saw action scored in Thursday's game.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On the win: "You have to give Loyola credit. They took us out of everything and it's no secret we've been struggling with physicality. That's what they did, they got into us and we responded. There were so many times we could've crumbled and threw the towel in and we just stayed the course. We fought through it and got the stops we needed down the stretch."
UP NEXT
ISU visits Valparaiso on Saturday afternoon to round out the weekend. Tip-off with the Beacons is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be available for streaming via ESPN3.
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.
