Redbird women’s basketball falls to Cleveland State

Posted on December 17, 2017
Viria Livingston dished out five assists in the loss to Cleveland State. (Photo courtesy File/WJBC)

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Women’s Basketball team dropped to the Cleveland State Vikings in a back-and-forth affair on Sunday 56-47.

How It Happened

The Redbirds were caught in a slow start slump as the Vikings opened the game with a 4-0 lead. Hannah Green put Illinois State on the board with a jump shot and the Redbirds trailed 4-2. The Vikings led by as much as seven points in the first quarter, but the Redbirds tightened the gap to an 11-8 score.

Illinois State tied the game for the first time with a layup by Millie Stevens with 8:37 on the clock in the second. Rachel Slaney responded for the Vikings with a three-pointer to put her team back ahead 14-11. The Redbirds made a comeback late in the second quarter and took their first lead. Katrina Beck took off on a fast break to put Illinois State up 23-22 with 2:37 on the clock in the second. The Vikings responded with a six-point run and would lead at halftime 28-23.

Throughout the entirety of the third quarter the teams were neck-and-neck. Illinois State outscored the Vikings 13-10 in the third, but would trail 38-36 as they entered the fourth.

Olivia Voskuhl opened the third quarter with a jump shot to keep the Vikings ahead. Paige Saylor snuck away on a fast break and was good for a layup, Redbirds trailed 40-38. Viria Livingston was sent to the line and went 2-for-2 to tie the game 40-40 with 6:12 remaining. This was the last tie of the game, and the Redbirds would not find a way to the top, resulting in a 56-47 loss.

Inside the Box Score

  • Saylor led her team with 10 points. This is the first time this season that she has been the leading scorer for the Redbirds.
  • Simone Goods and Beck each added nine points to keep the Redbirds on track. Goods grabbed six rebounds, Beck added three assists and two rebounds.
  • Megan Talbot led the Redbirds in rebounding, grabbing nine. Talbot also added five points and one assist.
  • Three Vikings scored in double digits. Voskuhl (14), Ashanti Abshaw (14), Khayla Livingston (11).
  • Voskuhl led the Vikings with a double-double grabbing 11 rebounds and adding 14 points.
  • Prior to today, the Redbirds average 18.9 turnovers per game. Today they committed half of that with nine turnovers, Cleveland State also committed 9 turnovers.

Stat of the Game

  • The Redbirds held Cleveland State to 56 points, which is 12 points fewer than their average.

What’s Next
The Redbirds travel to the West Coast to compete in the Beach Classic, hosted by Long Beach State. The Redbirds are scheduled for a 5 p.m. CT tip-off against Long Beach on Wednesday and will play again on Thursday depending the result.

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