Dowell Leads Redbirds Past Valparaiso, 79-65

VALPARAISO, IN – Shannon Dowell tallied 22 points to help lead Illinois State women's basketball (10-7, 4-2 MVC) past Valparaiso (5-12, 1-5 MVC) 79-65 Friday night at ARC.  

HIGHLIGHTS 

• Dowell scored 15 of her points in the first half and finished 9-for-11 from the free throw line. She added 6 rebounds and 2 assists to the performance.  

• Nevaeh Thomas posted her fourth double-double in six MVC games this season, which is tied to lead the Valley, finishing with 16 points and a mark of 12 rebounds that tied her season high. She also dished four assists in the win. 

• Two other Birds reached double-figures as Maya Wong tallied 11 points with a team-high 6 assists, while Addison Martin totaled 10 points and 5 rebounds. 

• The Redbirds jumped ahead 19-11 in the first quarter, but Valparaiso cut the Redbird advantage to 21-20 at the 7:32 mark of the second. Dowell used a 6-0 personal run in the second to put Illinois State up 31-25 before Thomas knocked down a long ball for a 35-28 Redbird lead heading into halftime. 

• Illinois State opened the second half on a 7-2 run to lead 45-30 early in the third quarter. Wong scored four of the seven points, knocking down a three-pointer and a free throw to help Illinois State to a big cushion.  

• The Redbird lead grew as high as 19 in the second half to secure the win.  

GAME NOTES 

• Illinois State held a 43-21 advantage on the boards Friday, grabbing 40+ boards for the sixth time in the last eight games. The Redbirds outrebounded their opponent for the 10th time in the last 13 games, and the fourth time in MVC play.  

• Dowell posted her sixth 20+ point performance of the season and her fourth in MVC play. She is averaging 20.3 points per game since the start of league play.  

• Thomas has seven double doubles on the season, which surpasses her mark of six last season in her freshman campaign at Evansville. Her next double-double will tie Simone Goods and DeAnna Wilson for the most double-doubles by a Redbird in the Kristen Gillespie era.  

• The Redbirds shot 25-for-50 from the field, shooting 50% or better for the fourth time in six MVC games. The Redbirds have finished at least 50% from the floor in seven games this season, the most of any team in the Valley.  

• The Redbirds have finished with four-plus double-figure scorers in 14 of 16 games to open the season and seven of eight outings. Over the last two seasons, Illinois State has finished with 4+ double-figure scorers in 27 games, and 5+ double-figure scorers in ten games. The Redbirds are 23-6 when putting four-plus players in double-figures since the start of the 2023-24 campaign. 

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