CHICAGO – Illinois State Women's basketball's (11-6, 4-3 MVC) rally fell short as UIC (10-7, 3-3 MVC) outlasted the Redbirds 86-79 in overtime Sunday at Credit Union 1 Arena.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Maya Wong led Illinois State with 18 points, including late-game heroics that put the game into overtime. She scored 8 points in the final 35 seconds as Illinois State outscored UIC 11-5 in the closing moments to force overtime. Wong converted a three-point play that brought Illinois State within one point with 24 seconds to go. After UIC jumped back ahead 63-60, Illinois State had possession with nine seconds remaining in regulation. Wong was fouled on a three-point attempt right in front of the Redbird bench, stepping to the line and nailing all three free throws to send the game into overtime 63-63.
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Shannon Dowell tallied her first career double-double, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds. She tallied four points and three assists in the first quarter alone, pairing it with two points. Dowell scored the first five points of overtime for Illinois State to cut away at the UIC lead.
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Abbie Aalsma tallied her third double-figure performance of the season, putting up 12 points with a pair of threes. She scored nine points in the fourth quarter, including seven straight points that brought Illinois State within 51-50 at the 6:23 mark of the quarter.
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After a high-scoring first quarter that saw UIC lead 22-20, Illinois State scored just five points in the second frame and the Flames took a 34-25 advantage into the break. The Redbirds opened the second half on a 12-4 run before foul trouble forced DeAnna Wilson to the bench. Wilson scored four straight points to kickstart the surge but picked up her third foul along the way. Wong's free throw made it 38-37 at the 5:32 mark of the third. The Flames responded though and maintained a two-possession lead for the remainder of the quarter before Illinois State's run in the fourth.
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Illinois State led just three times in the game, and never after the first quarter. The Redbirds struggled from behind the arc, shooting 5-for-24 and failing to make a three in the first half.
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Sunday's contest was a physical affair as the two sides combined for 65 fouls. Four of Illinois State's starting five fouled out in the game (Wilson, Dowell, Kate Bullman and Wong).
GAME NOTES
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Illinois State saw its win streak against in-state foes snapped at 14. The Redbirds were 5-0 against in-state foes this season heading into Sunday and 11-0 over the last two seasons. It was Illinois State's first loss to an in-state team since Southern Illinois handed the Redbirds a 65-49 loss at CEFCU Arena in February of 2022.
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The loss snapped a three-game win streak for Illinois State against UIC. The Redbirds dropped to 19-4 all-time versus the Flames.
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It was Illinois State's first overtime game of the year and just their second game to go to overtime in the last two seasons, joining a 74-70 win over Dayton to open last season.
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It was Dowell's fifth double figure scoring outing over the last five games. The performance was also her first career outing with double-figure rebounds.
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