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Illinois State University Athletics

Shannon Dowell
Dennis Banks
63
Belmont BEL 16-10,11-4 MVC
66
Winner Illinois St. ILS 17-9,11-4 MVC
Belmont BEL
16-10,11-4 MVC
63
Final
66
Illinois St. ILS
17-9,11-4 MVC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Belmont BEL 13 16 12 22 63
Illinois St. ILS 14 17 19 16 66

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Keelen Barlow

Birds Outlast Bruins for Crucial Win, 66-63

NORMAL, Ill. – Shannon Dowell tallied a game-high 21 points to go with 9 rebounds as Illinois State women's basketball (17-9, 11-4 MVC) earned a hard-fought 66-63 win over Belmont (16-10, 11-4) Thursday inside CEFCU Arena.  

HIGHLIGHTS  

  • With the score tied at 60, Elyce Knudsen's jumper with 54 seconds to go gave Illinois State a 62-60 lead. The Redbirds got a stop on the other end, before Illinois State connected on 3-of-4 free throws in the final minute to close out the win.  

  • Dowell, who posted 15 points in the first half, shot 8-for-15 (53.3%) and tallied 1 steal and 1 assist in the win. She was 2-for-3 from deep, hitting a long ball in each half.  

  • Addison Martin overcame a slow start, scoring 16 of her 19 points in the second half. She added 7 rebounds and 2 assists to the performance. Martin hit 8 second-half free throws, including two that tied the score at 60 before Knudsen's big bucket.  

  • Knudsen reached double figures for the fourth time in the last five games, which included the go-ahead bucket in the final moments. 

  • Illinois State took a 31-29 lead into the locker room behind the stellar performance from Dowell. The Redbirds outscored Belmont 19-12 in the third quarter to take a nine-point lead into the fourth. Knudsen's three gave the Redbirds a 40-29 lead at the 6:30 mark of the third, before Martin knocked down a pair of free throws to give Illinois State its largest advantage of the game at 48-36.  

  • Belmont battled back to take the lead in the fourth. The Bruins led 60-58 on three-pointer at the 2:12 mark of the fourth quarter, but Knudsen and the Birds had an answer. 

GAME NOTES 

  • The Redbirds held a 40-30 advantage on the glass, grabbing 40+ rebounds for the 11th time this season. Illinois State improved to 14-2 this season when outrebounding their opponent.  

  • Doneelah Washington tallied her 27th block of the season, inching closer to second on Illinois State's freshman single season block list. Washington sits third all-time behind Leslie Ferrell (48, 1986-78) and Cathy Boswell (29, 1979-80). 

  • Dowell posted her sixth 20+ point performance in MVC play and her eighth of the season overall. She is averaging 19 points per game over the last three games.  

  • Nevaeh Thomas tallied a season-high mark of 12 rebounds to go with a career-high 7 assists in the win. She also put up 2 steals and 1 block. Thomas is one of just three Redbirds since 2009-10, and the first since 2013, to post a performance of 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists, at least 1 block and at least 1 steal. Most recently, Janae Smith tallied 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block and 2 steals vs Bradley in Jan. of 2013. Candace Sykes totaled 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block and 3 steals Nov. of 2012 vs Milwaukee.  

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more. 

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