ESTERO, Fla. – Despite putting five players in double figures for the second time this season, Illinois State women's basketball (2-3, 0-0 MVC) dropped a heartbreaker 79-76 to Boise State (7-0, 0-0 Mountain West) in the opening round of the 2024 Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Nevaeh Thomas led Illinois State with 19 points, just shy of her second 20-point game as a Redbird. She grabbed 9 rebounds, shooting 7-for-12 from the field for the afternoon. Thomas scored 7 points in the fourth quarter, as Illinois State erased a 7-point deficit to tie the game late.
- Shannon Dowell added 17 points, going 9-for-9 at the free throw line. Her pair of free throws tied the game at 76 in the final moments of the fourth quarter. Dowell grabbed four rebounds to go with 2 assists and 2 steals.
- Doneelah Washington came off the bench and tallied her first-career double-figure performance. She tallied 10 points and grabbed a mark of 5 rebounds that ties her season high from the opener Nov. 6 at Northwestern.
- Elyce Knudsen tallied 12 points for Illinois State, after a 9-point first half, while Maya Wong tallied 11 points for Illinois State on the afternoon.
- Illinois State trailed 68-61 midway through the fourth quarter, before roaring back to tie the game with 15 seconds to go. Dowell stole the ball from the Broncos and earned a trip to the foul line, knocking down both attempts. Boise State answered with a bucket and foul to take a 79-76 lead with one second remaining. Knudsen's three near the buzzer went down but came with no time left on the clock.
- Amid the surge to close the game, Illinois State hit nine consecutive free throws, including six by Dowell. She tallied 8 points in the fourth quarter for Illinois State.
GAME NOTES
- Illinois State finished with four-plus double-figure scorers for the fourth time in five games game to open the season. It marked the second time this season Illinois State has finished with five double figure scorers, joining the Nov. 12 performance at Saint Louis.
- The Redbirds dropped their first-ever meeting with Boise State.
- Senior Caroline Waite knocked down the 200th three-pointer in her career, a long ball that tied the game at 27 in the second quarter.
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