NORMAL- Octavia Crump scored a season-high 21 points Monday night, as the Illinois State women’s basketball team defeated Chicago State, 57-53, inside of Redbird Arena.
Three Redbirds finished the game in double-digits, as Crump led the way with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Shakeela Fowler and Taylor Stewart each finished with 12 points apiece, while Layne Murphy led Chicago State (2-10) in scoring with 15 points.
The Redbirds (2-8) shot a season-high 45.2 percent (19-of-42) from the field. ISU also forced 18 turnovers and converted those turnovers into 21 points.
Crump made the first bucket of the game with a right-handed layup on ISU’s first possession. Then, both teams were scoreless until the 5:57 mark of the first quarter, after Chicago State’s Kaylee Allen connected on two free throws. Allen gave the Cougars their first lead of the game, 5-4, with a three pointer. Fowler answered back with a three of her own on the Redbirds’ next possession to give the lead back to ISU, 7-5. With one second left in the quarter, Brechelle Beachum was fouled while shooting a three pointer. She made one of three attempts from the line to give Illinois State an 8-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
The ISU offense picked up early in the second quarter, as Crump scored ISU’s first eight points to increase the Redbirds’ lead to five, 16-11. Sophomore walk-on Morgan Radtke made her first-career field goal on a baseline jumper from 12 feet at the 3:33 mark. Two possessions later, Radtke connected on her first-career 3-pointer. Crump scored 10 points in the quarter and led the Redbirds into the break with a 23-16 advantage.
The Redbirds started the second half with a 5-0 run thanks to a 3-pointer by Katrina Beck and a layup by Fowler, giving ISU its largest lead of the game, 28-16. The Cougars countered with an 8-1 run to cut the ISU lead to five, 29-24. Following an ISU timeout, the Redbirds went on a 10-2 run with Stewart netting six points off the bench for a 39-26 lead. The Redbirds shot 60 percent (6-of-10) in the third quarter and took a 41-33 lead into the final period.
Stewart picked up where she left off to start the fourth quarter, as she drained a three on the Redbirds’ first possession. Down the stretch Crump scored four-straight points for the Redbirds to extend the ISU lead to 50-39 with 4:43 to play. Chicago State answered with an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 50-47 with 1:17 left in the game. ISU connected on 7-of-10 free throw attempts in the final minute to hold off the Cougars and secure the 57-53 victory.
The Redbirds will be in action Monday, Dec. 28, as they host in-state foe Western Illinois inside of Redbird Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in the final non-conference game of the 2015-16 season.
