NASHVILLE, Ten. – Illinois State (8-4, 1-1 MVC) couldn't overcome a slow shooting night Thursday in its MVC road opener, falling 64-52 at Belmont (9-4, 2-0 MVC).
HIGHLIGHTS
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The Redbirds never led in the matchup, as Belmont raced out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter. The Redbirds tied the game on two different occasions in the second frame, but Belmont ultimately jumped back in front and maintained control.
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Belmont led by as many as 18 points, before Illinois State used a 7-0 run to end the third quarter and trim the Bruin advantage down to 48-37. Illinois State's surge cut the deficit to 56-49 with 1:40 to play but it wasn't enough in the loss.
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Maya Wong led Illinois State with 16 points, her fourth-straight game in double figures. She scored five-straight points to open the second quarter, highlighted by a three pointer at the 8:03 mark that tied the game at 18.
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Shannon Dowell scored 8 first-quarter points, finishing with 10 points for her third-straight game in double-figures. She sparked a 10-0 surge for Illinois State that made it a 14-13 game at the 1:07 mark of the first.
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The Redbirds trailed 18-13 after one quarter, but Wong made the most of a second-chance bucket, then hit a three at the top of the key to level the score. Belmont answered before Abbie Aalsma tied the game back up at 20. Belmont mounted a 31-23 halftime lead with an 11-3 run over the remainder of the first half.
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Kate Bullman's three at the 2:02 mark kickstarted the Illinois State run to close the third. Daijah Smith then scored four straight and Illinois State had momentum moving into the fourth. Belmont moved the lead back to 56-42 in the opening moments of the fourth quarter.
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Illinois State made a strong push, as Aalsma's three cut the deficit to single digits with under two minutes to go before time ran out.
GAME NOTES
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Wong has scored in double figures in four straight games for the first time in her career. She is averaging 16.5 points over that stretch.
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Bullman grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, her sixth performance of the year with double-figure boards. She also had three blocks, which all came in the first half. Bullman has five games this season with 3-plus blocks.
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Illinois State shot a season-low 22.2 percent (6-for-27) from behind the arc and shot below 40 percent (33.3%) from the field for the first time this season.
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