CHICAGO, Ill. – In a battle of the top-two scoring defenses in the MVC, it was the Redbirds of Illinois State women's basketball (15-5, 9-1 MVC) handling business over the UIC Flames (12-9, 4-6 MVC) by a final of 55-42 Sunday night.
The 13-point win marks the eighth straight victory for the 'Birds as the halfway point of the MVC season has come and went this weekend.
The Redbirds also saw junior Kate Bullman gather a trio of blocks Sunday, moving her career total to 101 as the Grayslake native continues to move up the ranks in ISU women's basketball history in the category.
Sunday night saw four Redbirds finish in double figures, a feat that last happened at home against UNI earlier this month. DeAnna Wilson led the way with 15 points, as Paige Robinson, Kate Bullman, and Mary Crompton all gathered 12 points on the night in the victory.
Wilson would gather a team-leading seven rebounds Sunday while Robinson dished out a team-leading five assists on the night. Finally, the four blocks by Bullman led the team in the category as the 'Birds finished with five blocks on the evening. The five blocks by ISU are the first time the Redbirds have had as many rejections since their win at Belmont on Jan. 15.
The Flames saw a pair of athletes finish in double figures, as Josie Filer and Jaida McCloud gathered 10 points apiece. Filer added 10 rebounds on the night, finishing with the first double-double against ISU since Chelsea Cain of Indiana State on Jan. 20. Both Danyel Middleton and McCloud dished out two assists as part of seven total assists for the home team.
TURNING POINT
The lead stood at 31-23 as the fourth quarter looms. DeAnna Wilson would get the scoring underway for the 'Birds with a layup only 14 seconds into the final 10 minutes. The lead would spread to double digits off a Paige Robinson three before the Flames trimmed the lead to nine seconds later with a three of their own.
As part of their strong play to build the lead out to as many 19, Kate Bullman would score six straight points for ISU over a minute of game play to give the visitors a 17-point (51-34) lead with 3:03 remaining.
Bullman would end the night, scoring the final two Redbird points with 21 seconds remaining, as the Redbirds secured their eighth straight win and maintain first place in the MVC in 2022-23.
IN THE BOX SCORE:
- UIC's 42 points marks the third straight game where ISU has held an opponent below 50 points in a game.
- Illinois State held 14 assists on 21 made field goals Sunday
- Illinois State won the rebound battle Sunday 31-26 including 24 defensive rebounds.Â
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Mary Crompton
- Finished with two three-pointers Sunday; is one behind Missouri State's Kari Koch for fifth all-time in MVC career threes (271).
- Paige Robinson
- 17th time scoring in double figures this season
- DeAnna Wilson
- 13th time finishing in double figures this seasonÂ
UPÂ NEXT
The 'Birds return home to start a four-game home stand when they welcome their I-74 rival, Bradley, to CEFCU Arena Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. tip.
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.
