By: WJBC Staff
NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women’s basketball team cut an 18-point deficit at the end of the first quarter down to one late in the third quarter, before eventually falling short in a 64-46 loss to Wisconsin Sunday in the Redbirds’ annual PACK THE ARENA game.
The Badgers (3-6) jumped out to a 27-9 lead after the first 10 minutes, because of hot shooting from the field (9-of-20), including 5-of-11 from behind the arc, while the Redbirds (5-4) were ice cold (3-of-15). They also turned the ball over six times compared to the visitors’ one.
However, the second quarter was a different story. Illinois State started the period with an 11-2 spurt, as a three-pointer from sophomore Katrina Beck trimmed the deficit to 29-20, forcing Wisconsin to call a 30-second timeout with 5:45 remaining before halftime.
The Redbirds kept their momentum, and a pair of free throws from senior Brechelle Beachum capped a 17-4 run and brought the home team to within five, 31-26, at the 2:39 mark. However, Illinois State failed to score the rest of the half but held the Badgers to only one bucket, before going into halftime trailing 33-26. The Redbirds outscored Wisconsin, 17-6, in the stanza and limited the Badgers to only 3-of-15 shooting.
Illinois State crept back to within five on two occasions over the first 42 seconds of the third quarter, but Wisconsin answered and extended its advantage to 40-31 with 6:52 left in the period.
Senior Taylor Stewart knocked down a triple to start a 7-0 flurry, and two more free throws from Beachum cut the Badger lead to 40-38. Wisconsin responded with a three-pointer from Suzanne Gilreath, but the Redbirds fought right back with a put-back layup from freshman Morgan VanHyfte and two free throws from Beck, which moved Illinois State to within one, 43-42, with 95 ticks left in the quarter.
After producing a stop on the defensive end, the Redbirds had a chance to take their first lead of the game when Stewart attempted a shot from behind the arc. She missed, and the Badgers went down the other way and scored on a fast-break layup by Gilreath. Beachum then shot a three to try and tie the score, but her attempt hit the back iron, and Wisconsin’s Kendra Van Leeuwen nailed a trifecta at the buzzer to give the visitors back the momentum and a 48-42 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.
The Badgers ultimately scored the first 14 points of the fourth quarter and used a 19-0 run to take full control of the contest. Illinois State ran out of gas after using all of its energy in its comeback and made only 2-of-14 shots over the final 10 minutes, while Wisconsin connected on 6-of-14 and took control of the glass, out rebounding the Redbirds, 16-7.
Illinois State’s starters played 188 out of the possible 200 minutes, and over the last two games, the starters have logged a total of 375 minutes.
Stewart paced the Redbirds with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists over a career-high 39 minutes. Beck, who played all 40 minutes last game, logged 39 more and just missed a double-double with 10 points and a career-high nine rebounds. Freshman Frannie Corrigan also narrowly missed a double-double with season highs of eight points and nine rebounds, while fellow classmate Megan Talbot pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to establish a new season high. Beachum, who chipped in eight points, recorded two steals long with Talbot, Beck and Corrigan.
Illinois State shot 25.9 percent (15-of-58) from the field, including 5-of-20 from downtown. The Badgers, meanwhile, shot 34.8 percent (23-of-66) and made 7-of-22 three’s but only 2-of-11 after the first quarter. They also narrowly won the battle on the glass, 48-46, and forced 18 turnovers while committing only 12.
Wisconsin’s Cayla Morris led all scorers with 21 points, while Avyanna Young added 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds, with Gilreath chipping in 10 points.
The Redbirds return to action this Wednesday, Dec. 7 when they welcome Milwaukee to town, as they continue their four-game homestand. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
