NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Women's Basketball (7-3, 0-0 MVC) used a team effort to beat Saint Louis (5-8, 0-0 A10) Tuesday night at CEFCU Arena, putting five players into double figures and securing an 87-81 win over the Billikens.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Maya Wong led Illinois State in scoring for the second straight game, pouring in a career-high 23 points on 5-for-9 shooting from behind the arc. She was 4-for-5 from deep in a 16-point first half.
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DeeAnna Wilson tallied her second consecutive double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Wilson put up 10 points and 7 rebounds in the second half as Illinois State built a 10-point advantage over the Billikens.
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Shannon Dowell played a key role in the win down the stretch and finished with a career-high 13 points. Her three-point play in the fourth quarter put Illinois State back up six after the Billikens made a strong push.
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Kate Bullman and Abbie Aalsma also reached double-figures in the win. Bullman secured her second double-double of the year, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Aalsma put up a pair of key three pointers and finished with 10 points, her first double-figure scoring performance of the season.
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The 'Birds struggled out of the gate as Saint Louis built a 21-14 lead in the first quarter. Wong's three at the 1:36 mark of the first sparked an 11-0 surge though and the Redbirds jumped in front of the Billikens in the second. Shannon Dowell's old-fashioned three-point play gave Illinois State the 25-21 advantage over Saint Louis.
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Saint Louis answered to tie the game at 27 before Illinois State jumped back ahead 39-33 at the 3-minute mark of the second quarter. Threes from Bullman and Wong bookended a 2-for-2 trip for Daijah Smith at the line to put Illinois State in front by six in the second. Saint Louis trimmed the Illinois State lead 39-37, but Illinois State stretched the lead back to six after Dowell's driving layup with 1:33 to play in the half. Illinois State took a pair of trips to the free throw line and headed to the locker room up 48-42.
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The Redbirds opened the second half with four straight points to grab their first double-figure lead of the game. Buckets from Wilson and Caroline Waite gave Illinois State a 52-42 lead. The Redbirds maintained the lead heading into the fourth, as Aalsma hit consecutive threes in less than a minute. She put Illinois State up 67-59 at the 8-minute mark of the quarter.
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The Billikens cut Illinois State's lead to five points in the closing moments, but the Redbirds held on for the win.
GAME NOTES
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It was the second time this season that Wong hit three-plus three-pointers in a single half. She went 3-for-4 from behind the arc in the opening half of the season at Omaha Nov. 6.
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Wong is the second Redbird this year to hit five-plus threes in a single game, joining Caroline Waite's performances against Saint Francis Nov. 19 (5) No.5 NC State Dec. 3 (6).
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Wilson tied former Redbird Ashleen Bracey with her 21st-career double-double, which sits fourth in program history.
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The Redbirds have now won a game this season on each day of the week. Illinois State's first seven wins of the year all came on a different day of the week. Illinois State moved to 5-0 in weekday games.
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Illinois State put four-plus players into double figures for the sixth time this season and the second consecutive game. It marked the third time Illinois State has put five-plus players into double figures, joining the season opener at Omaha (5) and the win over Chicago State Nov. 30 (7).
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Wilson and Bullman secured a double-double in the same game for the second time this season, joining their performances vs Chicago State Nov. 30.
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Illinois State scored 85-plus points in a game for the sixth time this season.
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