PEORIA, Ill, – In the 83rd installment of the I-74 rivalry, it would be Illinois State women's basketball (10-5, 4-1 MVC) defeating the Bradley Braves (3-13, 0-5 MVC) by a final of 60-50 from the Renaissance Coliseum Thursday night.
The 10-point win is the fifth straight victory for ISU in the I-74 rivalry and the largest margin of victory since Feb. 25, 2021 when ISU handed Bradley a 79-59 defeat in Peoria. The Redbirds have not dropped a result to their rival since Feb. 7, 2020, in Normal.
The teams traded three pointers to begin the game, with Paige Robinson making the first basket for ISU and Ruba Abo Hashesh for Bradley. ISU's next basket once again came from Robinson as she sank another three. Daija Powell made her presence felt down low, picking up a quick block in the opening minutes of the game. Come first media timeout, the Braves were down 3-8 but had less turnovers and more blocks than the Redbirds.
Enter DeAnna Wilson. The Saint Louis native would step up in the remainder of the first half, finishing the first 20 minutes with 12 points off 6-9 shooting to go along with six rebounds. She would see Robinson add six points of her own in the first 20 minutes, as Robinson held five rebounds at the break.
Bradley was led by the efforts of Caroline Waite who finished the night with a game-high 19 points. Waite was joined in double figures for the home team by Isis Fitch who gathered 10 points on the night.
TURNING POINT
3:49 remaining on the clock in the fourth. Braves lead 50-49. Paige Robinson would knot the game and give ISU the one-point (51-50) lead shortly after with a pair of free throws. The Redbirds would go on to score nine straight, going on a 10-0 run and grabbing a 59-50 lead with 37 seconds left.
The 10-0 run for ISU would be capped off with a dagger three-pointer from Maya Wong, off an assist from Robinson who found the Normal native wide open in the corner for three. Wong would knock down a free throw as 15 seconds remained to give ISU the double-digit margin and victory as the Redbirds keep pace in the top of the ever so competitive MVC standings.
IN THE BOX SCORE:
- With a 12 point-13 rebound effort, DeAnna Wilson captured her fourth double double on the season, first since versus Green Bay (12/19/22).
- The Redbirds shot 41.5% from the field and 37.5% from three while the Braves finished with a mark of 29.5% from the field and 27.3% from three on the night.
- Illinois State finished the night with 16 assists and 15 turnovers; Bradley would see 11 turnovers and 11 assists Thursday.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- DeAnna Wilson
- Fourth double double of the 2022-23 season; season high 13 rebounds and fifth time scoring 12 points this season
- Paige Robinson
- Scored in double figures for the 14th consecutive game, only scoring in single figures (9 points) in the season opener at Dayton.
- Third straight game with five assists
UP NEXT
The 'Birds conclude their four-game road trip with a trip to the Music City Sunday. The Redbirds will go toe-to-toe with the Belmont Bruins for the first time in program history as part of the newly renovated MVC schedule. Sunday is scheduled to tip from the Curb Event Center at 2:00 p.m. CT.
For all latest on Illinois State women's basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
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