MORAGA, Calif. – Four Redbirds reached double-figure scoring for the second straight game as Illinois State women's basketball (4-1, 0-0 MVC) moved by UT Arlington (0-5, 0-0 WAC) 87-63 to open the Saint Mary's Thanksgiving Classic Friday.
"It was a physical affair but I'm really proud of our effort, head coach Kristen Gillespie said. "We had to work through foul trouble and our bench stepped up in so many ways. I know we'll be better be better down the road because of our performance in tonight's game."
HIGHLIGHTS
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Caroline Waite led Illinois State for the second straight game as she put up 16 points and went 4-for-8 from behind the arc. She scored 7 points in the third quarter as Illinois State built a 62-45 lead over the Mavericks.
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Daijah Smith put up a pair of season highs with 14 points and 7 boards Friday night. She went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the win, which marked her career-high.
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Freshman Brooke Coffey was on double-double watch for most of the night. She scored 11 points, her second straight double figure scoring performance, and led Illinois State for the first time in her career with 8 rebounds.
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Redshirt senior Maya Wong finished with 15 points and hit a career-high 11 free throws in the win. She finished 11-of-14 from the line, her first-career single-game performance of 10-plus free throws.
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Five players fouled out in the game as teams combined for 57 fouls. DeAnna Wilson and Kate Bullman both fouled out for the Redbirds.
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Illinois State connected from deep four times during a tight first frame at UCU Pavillion. Both sides traded blows and the Redbirds led 20-17 heading into the second. Kate Bullman, Molly Lenz and Waite each hit from behind the arc in the first.
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The Redbirds built a double-figure cushion for the first time in the second quarter. Smith hit a pair of free throws and Illinois State led 28-17 midway through the quarter. She went on to score five straight for the Redbirds and helped Illinois State stretch the lead to 31-18 before the end of the second. The Mavericks whittled away at the lead, but Waite's three gave Illinois State a 42-33 advantage heading into the half.
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The Redbirds opened the second half on a 10-4 run, led by four straight points from Abbie Aalsma to tip off play. Waite's layup gave the Redbirds a 61-42 lead with 2:00 to go in the quarter, Illinois State's largest lead of the game to that point.
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UT Arlington trimmed the Redbird lead back to single digits with six minutes to go in the game, but Illinois State answered with a run of their own. Illinois State went 11-for-13 from the free throw line over the home stretch as the Redbird advantage swelled to 20-plus points before the final horn.
GAME NOTES
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Waite has scored 15-plus points in each of Illinois State's wins this season. She has also hit three-plus threes in each of those contests.
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It was the first time since February of 2022 that a Redbird hit 10-plus free throws in a single game. JuJu Redmond also hit 11 in that 69-75 loss to Missouri State at CEFCU Arena.
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Illinois State scored 85-plus points for the fourth time this season. Each of the Redbirds' four wins this season came when scoring at least 85 points.
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It marked the second-straight game and third time this season that Illinois State has finished with four-plus double figure scorers in a single game.
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The Redbird bench put up 40-plus points for the second straight game. The Redbirds finished with 41 bench points Friday night and 48 in the win over Saint Francis.
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