Redbirds Drop Heartbreaker to Bulldogs in Des Moines

DES MOINES, IA – Illinois State women's basketball (14-8, 8-3 MVC) saw its five-game win streak snapped 79-74 Friday at Drake (14-8, 8-3 MVC) inside the Knapp Center.  

HIGHLIGHTS  

• Addison Martin led Illinois State with 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. It was her second 20+ point outing over the last three games, after a season-high 23 points Jan. 31 vs Southern Illinois. She was 10-for-19 from the field (52.6%) against the Bulldogs.  

• Maya Wong tallied 17 points and dished four assists for Illinois State Friday night. She tied her career-high with five three pointers in a 5-for-9 performance from deep. 

• Elyce Knudsen and Nevaeh Thomas also reached double figures for Illinois State, as Thomas put up 14 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals while Knudsen put up 13 points with 2 assists.  

• Shannon Dowell battled shooting woes, but posted a season-high 8 assists to go with 7 rebounds. 

• With the score knotted at 41 after 20 minutes, Drake opened the second half on an 8-0 run and Illinois State trailed 49-41. The Redbirds rallied, scoring 10 unanswered points and outscored Drake 15-4 over 6:27 in the quarter. Wong hit a pair of threes in the run, including one at the 3:05 mark that leveled the score at 49.  

• Martin's bucket gave Illinois State the lead 51-49 at the 1:56 mark of the third. Knudsen's heave at the end of the third put Illinois State ahead 56-53 heading into the fourth.  

• Illinois State ran its lead to 64-59 to open the fourth quarter, before Drake answered to take a 67-64 advantage. Both sides traded blows, and the score was even at 72 with 1:48 to go. Thomas knocked down a crucial three for the Redbirds to tie the score. Drake took a 73-72 lead and never surrendered the advantage for the rest of the game.  

GAME NOTES 

• The Redbirds finished with four-plus double-figure scorers for the 16th time this season. Over the last two seasons, Illinois State has finished with 4+ double-figure scorers in 31 games, and 5+ double-figure scorers in ten games. The Redbirds are 25-6 when putting four-plus players in double-figures since the start of the 2023-24 campaign. 

• Martin shot better than 50% from the field for the 11th straight MVC game, a feat that no other player in the MVC has accomplished this season. 

• The Redbirds had a season-low seven turnovers Friday night, the third time over the last four games the Redbirds have finished with fewer than 10 turnovers.  

• Dowell posted the most assists by a Redbird this season, and the most since Wong tallied 9 assists vs Evansville in Feb. of last season.  

• Doneelah Washington posted a pair of blocks Friday night, moving her season total to 25 rejections and 20 blocks since the start of league play. She ranks second in blocks since the start of MVC play and leads all Valley freshmen.  

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