NORMAL, Ill. – As the top two scoring defenses in the Valley squared off for the second time this season, it was Illinois State women's basketball who defended home court, coming out on top over the UIC Flames by a final of 66-55 Thursday night from CEFCU Arena.
The win was significant for many reasons for the Redbirds, but none more so than allowing Illinois State to now have 20 wins in a season for the first time under Kristen Gillespie, and first time as a program since the 2012-13 season which saw ISU finish 24-11.
The 11-point victory now moves ISU to have 14 conference wins this season. The last time ISU held fourteen or more conference wins in a season came during the 2009-10 campaign, as ISU finished 16-2 in MVC play that year. Â
ISU would be led once again by the efforts of graduate student Paige Robinson, who finished with a team-high 21 points off 6-of-12 shooting and 9-of-13 from the free-throw line. The Bethany native saw teammate DeAnna Wilson join her in double figures as Wilson finished with 14 points.
For UIC, Jaida McCloud finished with a game-high 23 points, only three points away from becoming the first ISU opponent to have 25 points in a game since Jan. 1 (UNI's Grace Boffeli). Both McCloud and Josie Filer grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds while Tiana Jackson dished out five of the Flames' nine assists.
With the win, Illinois State moves to 20-7 overall and 14-3 in Valley play while UIC is now 15-13 overall and 7-10 in Valley play.
GAME HIGHLIGHT
As she came into Thursday night on the brink of history, Paige Robinson would place herself within NCAA royalty with 3:53 remaining in the first quarter. As she knocked down her second jumper of the night, and fourth point overall, the Bethany native can now call herself one of the top 100 NCAA scoring leaders across all three major divisions.
Later in the evening, the graduate student would continue her historic night as she stepped to the charity stripe in the third quarter. After missing the first of two from the line, Robinson settled back in to knock down her second chance with 1:03 remaining in the frame. With her make, Robinson would see her 2,500th career point.
The guard would gather seven more points on the night, ending the evening with 2,507 career points in her illustrious collegiate career as she continues making her mark as a Redbird.
IN THE BOX SCORE:
- Illinois State went 16-of-25 from the free-throw line Thursday
- UIC won the battle in the paint, 32-28.
- ILS saw 13 bench points, outscoring the Flames 13-9 in the category
- Illinois State gathered six blocks on the night, led by Kate Bullman's four
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Jada Stinson
- Went 2-of-3 from three-point range Thursday
- DeAnna Wilson
- 17th time scoring in double figures this season
- Most points scored in a game since Feb. 10 (20)
- Kate Bullman
- 8th time finishing in double figures this season
- Moves her ISU blocks total to 118, continuing to sit in fourth all-time
- Paige Robinson
- 23rd time scoring in double figures this season
- 14th game with 20+ points
UPÂ NEXT
The 'Birds celebrate their five senior athletes on Saturday in the regular season home finale as Valparaiso comes to town. Tip-off from CEFCU Arena is slated for 4:00 p.m. between the Beacons and Redbirds.
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.
