VALPARAISO, Ind. – Five Illinois State players scored in double figures, highlighted by 16 points from Doneelah Washington and a double-double from Trista Fayta, as the Redbirds (18-11, 12-6 MVC) took an early lead and never looked back in a dominant 83-42 road win at Valparaiso (0-29, 0-18 MVC) on Saturday afternoon at The ARC.
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
•   The Redbirds started the game on a 16-3 run, which included three-pointers by Fayta, Grace Nelson and Bella Finnegan, and would outscore the Beacons 22-9 in the first quarter, as Finnegan joined Fayta, Nelson and Addison Martin with five points each through the first 10 minutes of play.
•   ISU scored the first six points of the second quarter on layups from Martin and Madison Austin and a jumper in the paint from Fayta to widen the advantage to 28-9. Nelson would drill another three-pointer as the Redbirds would extend their lead to 40-17 with just under four minutes remaining before halftime as Washington and Martin combined to push the lead to 23.
•   The Birds would finish the half on a 7-0 run, with five points from Washington and a jumper by Austin made the score 47-21 at the break.
•   Early in the third quarter, Washington would drill her second three-pointer of the contest to give ISU a 31-point lead at 52-21 and a 7-0 run over a minute of action midway through the period would put the lead at 61-29 after a pair of free throws from Jaeden Pratt.
•   Back-to-back threes by Nelson and Finnegan started a 13-4 run to close the third quarter for the Redbirds, with the final basket in the run coming on a third three-pointer by Finnegan which brought the score to 74-35 headed to the fourth quarter.
•   Midway through the fourth quarter, a three-pointer by Nelson and a layup by Martin would give the Redbirds their largest lead of the game of 44 points at 81-37, and ISU would close things out with a layup by Zanyra Adams to bring the score to its final at 83-42.
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HIGHLIGHTSÂ
•   The 41-point margin of victory is tied for the second highest of the season and tied for the highest in MVC play, along with the 105-64 win over Indiana State on December 29.
•   The victory gives the Redbirds back-to-back road wins for the first time this season.
•   Illinois State tied its season high with 11 three-pointer in the contest, with five different players connecting from long range.
•   ISU finished the game with five players in double figures (second time this season), led by Washington with 16 points and seven rebounds.
•   Fayta recorded her second double-double of the season (plus a triple-double) with 11 points and 12 assists … the 12 assists tie her career-high set four games previous in a win at Evansville and the double-digit assist effort was her fifth of the year.
•   Martin ended the game with 14 points and seven boards, marking her fifth-straight game in double figures.
•   Nelson tallied her seventh double-figure scoring effort of the year, scoring 14 points while going 4-for-6 from three-point range.
•   Finnegan rounded out the five Redbirds in double figures with 11 points, her seventh game with 10 or more points on the year … it also marked her sixth game of the season with three or more makes from behind the arch.
•   Pratt brought down a career-high 12 rebounds in the contest, to go along with six points, two assists and a steal against the Beacons.
UP NEXTÂ
Illinois State heads to Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, May 5, for a crucial contest against Drake. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. against the Bulldogs at the Knapp Center.
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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