DES MOINES, IA – Despite a strong second-half effort Illinois State Women's Basketball (14-8, 7-5 MVC) fell on the road Saturday at MVC-leading Drake (18-5, 11-1) 79-64.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Three Redbirds scored in double figures, led by DeAnna Wilson's 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Abbie Aalsma turned in her fourth double-figure outing in the last six games, going 3-for-5 from deep for 15 points. Molly Lenz tallied 13 points Saturday, her first-career double figure scoring performance.
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Illinois State fell into a 23-point first half deficit that ultimately was too much to climb out of. The Redbirds shot 26.7 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes and trailed 42-20 at halftime.
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The Redbirds outscored Drake in the second half, going 6-for-14 from deep. Aalsma (13), Wilson (12), Lenz (11) all scored double figures in the second half alone as Illinois State tried to cut at the deficit. Illinois State's 6-0 run in the fourth trimmed the Drake lead to 52-47 at the 4:47 mark.
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The Redbirds eventually fought within 13 points in the fourth quarter, but Drake still maintained control. Aalsma hit three threes in the fourth, with her final long ball making it a 70-57 game with 3:56 to play. She scored 11 points in the final frame.
GAME NOTES
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Illinois State has shot 80 percent or better from the free throw line in five of their last six games. The Redbirds were 8-for-9 at the charity stripe on Saturday.
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After Lenz scored 13 points at Drake, each member of Illinois State's freshman class has now reached double figures at least once this season. Shannon Dowell leads the Redbird rookies with 9 double-figure outings.
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