Redbirds Run Away from Braves in Second Half for Win, 74-58

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State women's basketball (12-7, 6-2 MVC) pulled away from Bradley (8-11, 2-6 MVC) in the second half to grab a 74-58 win over the Braves Sunday inside CEFCU Arena.  

HIGHLIGHTS 

• Illinois State was led by a strong effort from three Redbirds Sunday. Elyce Knudsen led all scorers with 20 points in the win, her second-straight performance of 20+ points. Meanwhile Shannon Dowell tallied her third double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Neveah Thomas finished with 19 points to go with 7 rebounds in the win.  

• Illinois State reached a pair of milestones in the win, Elyce Knudsen surpassed 2,500 career points in the win, becoming one of three active players with 2,500 points in their career (Katelyn Young, Murray State; Aneesah Morrow, LSU). Head coach Kristen Gillespie secured her 250th career win and her 145th win at Illinois State, which puts her second in program history. 

• The Redbirds overcame a sluggish first half and up 46 points in the second half to pull away from Bradley. Illinois State shot 16-for-24 (66.6%) in the second half and 6-for-10 from three.  

• Dowell and Knudsen caught fire in the third quarter, combining for 17 Redbird points. Knudsen knocked down a pair of threes in the third, including one at the 7:54 mark to give Illinois State its largest lead at the time with a 36-27 margin. Dowell scored Illinois State's last seven points of the third quarter as the Redbirds took a 51-39 advantage into the fourth quarter.  

• Thomas put up 7 fourth-quarter points, as the Redbird lead grew as high as 18 points and Illinois State closed out a win.  

GAME NOTES 

• Illinois State improved to 40-9 against in-state foes and 22-2 vs in-state foes inside CEFCU Arena since the start of the 2020-21 campaign. Illinois State is 5-0 this season against in-state foes and 19-1 against in-state foes over the last three seasons. The Redbirds have won 12 straight games against in-state foes inside CEFCU Arena. 

• Illinois State won its ninth consecutive meeting with Bradley, which ranks as the program's third-longest active win streak over a current Valley foe.  

• The Redbirds held a 31-25 advantage on the glass, outrebounding their opponent for the 11th time in 14 games and the fifth time in MVC play.  

• Illinois State finished 28-for-50 from the floor (56%) shooting 50% or better for the ninth time this season and the sixth time in MVC play. The Redbirds have shot at least 50% from the floor in three consecutive games.  

• The Redbirds had a season-low 9 turnovers to go with 18 assists in the win. 

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