By ISU Sports Information
CHICAGO, Ill. – A slow start for Illinois State from the field against Loyola Friday night proved to be the difference in the game, as the Ramblers (13-12, 9-5 MVC) took 19-5 lead after the first quarter and never looked back in a 73-61 win over the Redbirds (6-18, 4-9 MVC) at Gentile Arena.
Katrina Beck was the lone Redbird to get off to a good start in the game and led ISU with 13 points, thanks to a 3-for-6 effort from three-point range. Viria Livingston added 10 points and 11 rebounds for her first career double-double and just the second of the season for the Redbirds.
“I was disappointed with the way we started this game, but I do want to say that the group that was out on the floor at the end of the game played their hearts out and brought us back to a respectable score,” ISU head coach Barb Smith said. “Those kids fought and came off the bench and gave us a great spark tonight. They set a better tone for us in that last six minutes of the game and fought so hard.”
The Ramblers jumped out to a 16-3 lead, as the Redbirds missed their first 12 shots of the game from the field. Livingston connected on a layup with 1:23 left in the first quarter to score the first basket for ISU and trim the lead to 16-5, but the Ramblers added another basket and a free throw to take a 19-5 lead after the first quarter of play.
As the second quarter started, Colleene Smith converted a three-point play to get the Redbirds out to an early start and trim the lead to 19-8. Beck then scored five-straight points for the Redbirds, including her first three-pointer of the contest, to trim the Loyola lead to 24-13. However, the Ramblers answered with a quick 6-0 run to widen the lead to 30-13 with 6:02 and forced Coach Smith to call time out.
Illinois State came right back with a 6-0 run of its own, thanks to another three-pointer by Beck, and trimmed the Loyola lead to 30-19 with just over three minutes left before halftime. The Ramblers went scoreless for over four minutes of play during the Redbird run, as they were able to get back into the contest. Loyola added four more points before the end of the quarter and took a 15-point lead into the locker room at the break at 34-19.
Loyola extended its lead to as much as 20 points at 48-28 in the third quarter, before the Redbirds put together a quick 5-0 run on a three-pointer by Shakeela Fowler and a layup by Smith to cut the lead to 48-33 at the under-four minute time out of the third quarter. During the stretch, the Redbirds made five of six attempts from the field to start the third quarter to chip away at the Rambler advantage. The Ramblers answered with a 6-0 run to extend the lead to 21 points at 54-33, before Smith connected on a jumper from the free throw line to end the quick run. Loyola would score the final four points of the quarter to take a 58-35 lead into the final quarter of play.
Beck drained her third three-pointer of the game at the 8:39 mark of the fourth quarter to make the score 60-40 in favor of the Ramblers, and extended the lead out to 24 points before Brechelle Beachum connected from three-point range to make the score 66-45 with 4:02 left in the game. Back-to-back three-pointers by Taylor Stewart and Millie Stevens would then cut the Loyola lead to 66-52, before the Ramblers scored four-straight points. Stewart would then connect on back-to-back three-pointers to cut the lead back to 12 points at 70-58 with 1:20 left in the contest.
ISU trimmed the lead to 11 points at 72-61 after a three-pointer by Morgan Radtke with under a minute to play, but the Ramblers came away with the 73-61 victory. The Redbirds continue their in-state road swing Sunday, when they travel down Interstate 74 to face off against rival Bradley, with tipoff set in Peoria at 2 p.m
Postgame comments from head coach Barb Smith can be found here.
