EVANSVILLE, IN. – In the penultimate regular season game of the MVC season, Illinois State women's basketball would remain atop the standings, with a 73-56 victory over the Evansville Purple Aces Thursday. The win not only gives ISU their 16th conference win of the season but allows the Redbirds to hold the regular season sweep over the Aces.
With 16 wins in conference plays this season, Illinois State matches their most MVC wins in a season since 2009-10, when the Redbirds finished 16-2 that season.
Thursday night saw Paige Robinson lead all scorers with 26 points, including 9-of-14 from the free-throw line. Robinson was joined in double figures by DeAnna Wilson, as the senior went for 23 points off 8-of-17 from the field.
For Evansville, Abby Feit once again lead the team in scoring as she chipped in 14 points as she and Elly Morgan were the two Aces in double figures, with Morgan going for 12 points. On the glass, Celine Dupont would lead the team with 11 rebounds Thursday.
With the win, Illinois State moves to 22-7 overall and 16-3 in Valley play while Evansville is now 11-17 overall and 6-13 in Valley play.
GAME HIGHLIGHT
Holding a 10-point lead at the halftime break, the Redbirds shifted gears once the second half began to start pulling away from the Aces. After Abby Feit trimmed the lead to eight, Robinson would knock down a layup before DeAnna Wilson contributed a layup and free throw herself to build the lead out to 11.
The Redbirds would see Kate Bullman knock down a three-pointer from the top of the key to make it 47-33 for ISU as Evansville was forced to burn a timeout to halt any further ISU momentum.
The remainder of the quarter would see ISU outscore the home team 15-11 as the lead stood at 62-44 heading into the final 10 minutes.
The fourth quarter saw Chloe Van Zeeland and Lauren Cohen get some valuable minutes as the Redbirds now shift their attention to their final regular season game on the road against Indiana State.
IN THE BOX SCORE:
- Evansville went 27-of-31 from the free-throw line Thursday
- Illinois State won the battle in the paint, 34-20.
- Evansville's bench outscored the Redbird bench, 19-8
- Illinois State gathered 37 rebounds to Evansville's 33
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- DeAnna Wilson
- 19th time scoring in double figures this season
- 4th game with 20+ points
- Paige Robinson
- 24th time scoring in double figures this season
- 15th game with 20+ points
UPÂ NEXT
The 'Birds wrap up the regular season with a trip to Terre Haute to face Indiana State Saturday. Tip-off from Hulman Center is slated for 12:00 p.m. between the Sycamores 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.
