By ISU Sports Information
ST. CHARLES – The Illinois State women’s basketball team’s season came to an end as the Redbirds were topped by Evansville, 55-51, in the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night at Family Arena.
A career night from Evansville senior Mallory Ladd propelled the Purple Aces to the win. Ladd scored a game-high 27 points, thanks to a career-best five 3-pointers, while matching her career high with 14 rebounds. She also contributed three steals, two blocks and two assists.
The Redbirds were led by Katy Winge’s team-high 17 points. Lindsay Smith, Taylor Stewart, Octavia Crump and Mary Sims added seven points each for ISU, and Colleene Smith pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.
Illinois State (2-28) and Evansville (12-18) traded buckets early in the first half. Winge scored the Redbirds’ first two baskets, the second of which gave ISU a 4-3 lead, but Evansville scored seven straight points and led the rest of the half.
The Redbirds got back to within two points of the lead with back-to-back baskets from Zenobia Bess just over midway through the half, but Evansville’s Ladd hit two 3-pointers in short order to restore a six-point lead the Purple Aces maintained up to halftime.
Illinois State shot 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from the field and 42.9 percent (3-of-7) from the foul line in the first half. The Redbirds were 0-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc before intermission.
Evansville, meanwhile, shot 26.5 percent (9-of-34) from the field, 30.8 percent (4-of-13) from three-point range and 75 percent (3-of-4) from the foul line. Ladd led all players with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.
The Redbirds started chipping away at the Evansville lead early in the second half, first with a Winge 3-pointer, and later with a driving layup from Stewart at the 15:48 mark. A pair of free throws from Lindsay Smith with 13:03 left cut the deficit to two, and a layup from Smith less than a minute later tied the game at 30-30.
Illinois State took its first lead since early in the first half when Sims hit a 3-pointer with 10:17 left. Evansville answered, however, with a 12-2 run, which included seven points from Ladd, to push ahead at 44-35 with 5:37 remaining.
A jumper from Smith and two layups from Crump trimmed the Evansville lead to four points with 3:03 to play, but Ladd hit two free throws moments later to end the run. A backcourt steal and layup from Evansville’s Sara Dickey with 1:26 put the Purple Aces ahead by seven points at 48-41.
Winge sank a pair of 3-pointers in the game’s final minute, but the Purple Aces made 7-of-8 free throws over the final 66 seconds of play.
Illinois State shot 40.4 percent (21-of-52) from the field, 40 percent (4-of-10) from three-point range and 55.6 percent (5-of-9) from the charity stripe for the game. The Redbirds registered a season-high seven blocks in the game.
With the win, Evansville advances to play No. 2 Drake Friday at 6 p.m. The game will be one of four at the MVC Tournament Friday. The tournament champion will be crowned Sunday.
