By ISU Sports Information

SAN ANTONIO – After trailing 37-23 at the half, the Illinois State women’s basketball team gained momentum in the second half, as it battled back to tie the game with 1:13 left in the fourth quarter. Despite the comeback, the Redbirds ran out of time and fell to Omaha, 60-56, Sunday at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic. Octavia Crump led ISU with 14 points and six rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team.

Colleene Smith and Viria Livingston also recorded double-digit scoring performances, as the duo scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, setting career highs. Crump, Livingston and Smith led the second-half comeback, as the group teamed up for five of ISU’s 10 steals. Livingston led the Redbirds on the boards with seven, while Crump and Smith pulled down six and four rebounds, respectively.

Illinois State (1-4) shot 30 percent from the field before halftime, but improved and connected on 47 percent of its second half shot attempts. ISU shot 39 percent from the field in the game, while Omaha (4-2) made 40 percent of its shots. After a convincing lead on the boards by Omaha at the half, ISU regrouped and grabbed 33 rebounds in the game, collecting 19 in the second half. ISU controlled the paint, netting 36 points down low, while ONU scored 20.

“I don’t know why we want to dig a hole and crawl out of it,” head coach Barb Smith said. “We couldn’t get inside in the first half and didn’t shoot well from the field. In the second half, we got inside, took better shots and had a better percentage. I loved the grit and fight we had when we were down. We got beat up Friday, but came back and fought today. We are learning, but we need to correct the mistakes we are still making. We should know better by now.”

The two teams traded baskets early and were all tied up, 8-8, at the 4:08 mark of the first quarter, before the Mavericks found their rhythm from three-point range. Omaha drained three 3-pointers to take a seven-point lead, 19-12, with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. Then, Taylor Stewart responded with her own three, as she connected from the top of the key just before the buzzer, pulling ISU within four, 19-15.

Both teams struggled to get their offense going in the second quarter, as the two teams scored four points apiece over the first five minutes of the quarter, with the Mavericks leading, 23-19. ISU struggled with turnovers, while Omaha netted 11-straight points to increase its lead to 15 points, 34-19. The Redbirds scored four points late in the quarter, but the Mavericks netted three points before halftime, heading into the locker room with a 14-point advantage.

Omaha drained six threes, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc, on its way to a 37-23 lead at halftime. In the opening half, the Mavericks connected on 45 percent of their shots, while ISU found the bottom of the net 30 percent of the time. UNO controlled the boards through the first two quarters, grabbing 22 rebounds compared to ISU’s 14. Omaha also had 10 blocks over the first 20 minutes of the game, while ISU led both teams with five steals. Shakeela Fowler led the Redbirds with five points, while three Redbirds scored four points apiece at the break.

Illinois State took the momentum after the break, and it was all ISU in the third quarter, as the Redbirds used a 16-5 run to cut the Mavericks’ lead to three, 42-39. Crump and Livingston pulled down offensive boards and recorded putbacks during the Redbird run. Crump led the team in the quarter, with five points, while Livingston and Smith each netted four. The trio also battled on the boards, as ISU chipped away at the UNO lead.

Crump and Smith continued to lead the Redbirds in the fourth quarter, as the duo recorded back-to-back steals and layups, cutting the Maverick lead to four, 53-49, with 5:37 left in the game. The four-straight points by Crump and Smith forced an Omaha timeout. The Redbirds maintained momentum through the fourth quarter, as ISU scored eight-straight points to tie the game, 53-53, with 2:33 remaining in the game. During ISU’s comeback, UNO went nearly six minutes without a field goal.

With the two teams tied, 55-55, with 1:13 left on the clock, Omaha drained a three to take a three-point advantage with 53 seconds remaining in the game. Then, the Mavericks sank a pair of free throws, while the Redbirds only connected on one free throw over the final minute of the game. ISU ran out of time and the comeback came to an end, 60-56.

After a pair of road games, the Redbirds return to Redbird Arena Tuesday, as they host SIUE at 7 p.m.