VALPARAISO, Ind. – Fifth year guard Juliunn Redmond exploded for a career-high 37 points while joining Illinois State's 1,000-point club to help the Redbirds (15-9, 11-2 MVC) to an 85-80 victory on the road at Valparaiso (8-16, 6-7 MVC) on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the 'Birds maintain their position at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference standings and head into next week's homestand on a five-game winning streak.
In addition to her 37 points, Redmond added six rebounds, four assists and a steal in her 38 minutes on the court. Redshirt junior Mary Crompton ended just shy of her career-high in scoring, going 5-of-10 from behind the three-point arc to record 19 points on the day.
Junior DeAnna Wilson rounded out ISU's double-digit scorers, posting 11 points and four rebounds, while drawing a game-high eight personal fouls.
Valparaiso was led by graduate student Carie Weinman who finished with 22 points, two assists and two steals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Illinois State took the lead off a Crompton layup just one minute in and never trailed, leading the Beacons wire-to-wire in the 85-80 victory.
The Redbirds led by as much as 18 points in the third quarter, but Valpo never folded and used a 5-0 run midway through the fourth period to pull the game within two, 77-75. A layup by Wilson followed by a pair of made free throws from the forward a few possessions later at the 2:08 mark extended the lead back to six and got the 'Birds out of striking distance.
GAME NOTES
- Redmond officially became the 29th member of the Redbirds' 1,000-point club with her second field goal in the first quarter, making her the first student-athlete to reach the milestone under head coach Kristen Gillespie at Illinois State.
- The Chicago-native's 37 points are tied for fourth in ISU's single-game scoring records and they are the most by a Redbird since Caryn Brune had 43 points versus Marquette on Dec. 11, 1992.
- They are also the most by a Valley women's basketball player since Drake's Becca Hittner had 37 against UNI on Jan. 3, 2020.
- In Saturday's game, Crompton sank 5+ triples for the fifth time this season and has now recorded multiple three-pointers in 59-of-82 (72%) career games.
- Currently ranked fourth all-time with 201 career triples, Crompton now sits at 61 treys on the year and is the first Redbird to make 60+ three-pointers in three different seasons.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On the win: "We knew this was going to be a tough one. This [Valparaiso] is a good team. If you look at their final scores, no matter who they're playing, they're always right in the game. They have a bunch of seniors and are playing really well. We are fortunate to come out of this weekend 2-0 and get another two road wins in conference play."
UP NEXT
Illinois State has its final homestand this weekend, hosting a pair of Valley opponents with strong implications for the MVC standings. Missouri State comes to town first on Friday, Feb. 18 with tip-off set for 6 p.m. ISU's final home game on Sunday sees the Southern Illinois Salukis making the trip for a 2 p.m. start.
Fans can purchase the Double Bird package to receive tickets to the last two home games AND an F61 parking pass for the price of $15. For more information, click here.
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.
