CHICAGO, Ill. – Holding a slight 44-38 lead after three quarters of play, Illinois State ended the game on a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter against Loyola Chicago to run away with a 59-44 over the Ramblers on Tuesday night at Gentile Arena. With the win, the Redbirds improve to 3-1 on the year and pick up their first road win of season.
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
•   Illinois State took the early lead on a three-pointer by Bella Finnegan and she would drain her second of the opening quarter to push the lead to 11-5 at the first media timeout.
•   The Redbirds would finish the first quarter of play on a 14-3 run over the final 6:15 of play, as they closed it out with on a jumper by Jaeden Pratt to make the score 19-8 after one.
•   Loyola would go on an 8-0 run over nearly two plus minutes in the second quarter to trim the Illinois State lead to 22-18. A free throw by Nevaeh Thomas would hit a free throw and a three-pointer by Kya Hurt would get the Redbird offense rolling once again as the ISU lead grew to 26-20 with under five minutes to play before halftime.
•   Back-to-back field goals by Addison Martin would grow the Redbird lead to eight points at 30-22 before the Ramblers drilled a three-pointer to make it a five-point lead with two minutes left in the second quarter. The two teams would trade free throws to end the half, as the Redbirds took a three-point lead into the locker room at 32-29.
•   Neither team was able to get much going in the third quarter, as the Redbirds outscored the Ramblers 12-9 with Trista Fayta's layup with 47 seconds remaining gave the Redbirds a 44-38 lead after 30 minutes of action.
•   The fourth quarter started much like the third, with each team scoring six points as the Redbirds maintained their six-point lead with under two minutes to play when ISU head coach Kristen Gillespie called timeout.
•   A jumper by Addison Martin out of the break would push the Redbird lead to 52-44 with 1:30 to play, and three-straight free throws by Fayta would give the Birds a double-digit lead since early in the second quarter. A pair of free throws by Doneelah Washington would push the ISU lead to 57-44 with 38 seconds remaining in the game.
•   Illinois State finished the contest on a 15-2 run as Loyola was held scoreless over the last four minutes of the game as the Redbirds came away with a 15-point victory at 59-44.
HIGHLIGHTSÂ
•   Illinois State out-rebounded Loyola Chicago by a 44-36 margin and scored 15 second-chance points in the game.
•   The Redbirds had three players in double figures, led by Martin's 15 point and nine rebound effort.
•   Washington recorded her first double-double of the year, scoring 11 points while grabbing a career-high 13 boards against the Ramblers.
•   Fayta rounded out the double figure scorers for the Redbirds with 12 points, to go along with six assists and three rebounds in the contest.
UP NEXTÂ
Illinois State will return home Friday night to host the Saint Louis Billikens in a non-conference matchup, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. at CEFCU Arena.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
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