IOWA CITY, Iowa – Led by 25 points courtesy of fifth year Juliunn Redmond, Illinois State fell in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, 98-58, to second-seeded Iowa in a sold out Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday afternoon.
Redmond also added three rebounds and three assists, scoring in double digits for the 60th time in her 85 career games played and finishing just one point shy of ISU's NCAA Tournament scoring record (26 points, Cathy Boswell at Kansas State in 1983). Redshirt junior Mary Crompton had 11 points, six boards and two assists playing in her hometown. Junior forward DeAnna Wilson was ISU's leader on the boards, grabbing eight rebounds paired with six points.
The Hawkeyes were led by Naismith Player of the Year candidate Caitlin Clark, who totaled 27 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in 33 minutes on the court.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Iowa scored the first basket of the game, Illinois State went on to score seven unanswered points, including five from junior guard Mary Crompton, giving the Redbirds an early 7-2 lead. The Hawkeyes reclaimed the lead late in the first quarter, never relinquishing its lead from that point on.
The Redbirds battled to within three after Crompton's third triple of the day, but ISU could never narrow the margin further as the 'Birds went on to fall 98-58 on Friday night in Iowa City.
IN THE BOX SCORE
- Fifth year Juliunn Redmond finishes her decorated Redbird career ranked 19th overall in scoring with 1,228 points. Her 571 points this season rank fifth all-time in Illinois State program history.
- Mary Crompton ended the season with 214 career triples, ranked third in Redbird history. Her 74 threes on the season is good for third all-time, joining her two other top-10 marks (fifth, 68 triples in 2019-20; ninth, 65 triples in 2020-21).
- DeAnna Wilson recorded five offensive boards today to become the program's junior offensive rebounds record holder, finishing with 90 this season. That mark ranks fifth in ISU's season records.
- Illinois State drops to 1-7 in the NCAA Tournament with today's loss.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH KRISTEN GILLESPIE
On JuJu Redmond's career: "You know, JuJu hit the nail on the head. JuJu believes she belongs on this stage and she does. What JuJu has done in three years at Illinois State is spectacular. She has just elevated our brand, our profile and she's the most selfless kid. But if you know JuJu, it's not about basketball and that's the type of human being she is. I've said this many times. She has made me a better coach and I want to be a better coach because of the love I have for that young woman. She's going to be wildly successful in anything she does. I know she has aspirations to play professionally, but the moment she hangs those basketball shoes up, I will be the first call. I want to hire her on my staff because she's a winner. I love her, and I will be forever indebt to her for what she's brought to my life.
On her team: "I have 14 young women in that locker room who I tell them this all the time, I would choose them over and over and over. What that group was able to do this year -- and I don't know how many people followed our team closely, we started out really poorly, and for a lot of different reasons. We had some injuries, had some new players trying to figure out their roles. At one point we were 4-7, and I think a lot of people wrote us off. Their belief in what our staff and in what our program is built on, they kept showing up every single day, and I told them one game does not define them. What defines this group and their legacy is they are Missouri Valley champions. They got Illinois State back on the map, back where it should be. We were NCAA participants, and as a coach, what more could you ask for? 14 young women giving everything they have to you and your program. In my books, we won."
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