By ISU Sports Information
MOLINE – Octavia Crump led the Illinois State (1-7) women’s basketball team with 20 points, but her effort wasn’t enough, as ISU fell to Northern Illinois (4-3), 68-59, Sunday at the iWireless Center in Moline.
Crump’s 20 points led all scorers, to go along with five rebounds, four steals and two blocks.
Crump was the only Redbird to score in double figures. Lexie Taylor added eight points, setting a career-high, while Colleene Smith and Millie Stevens scored seven apiece. Smith led ISU in rebounds with eight. Illinois State had the advantage on the boards, collecting 46 rebounds compared to NIU’s 42. The Huskies sank 44 percent of their field goal attempts, while the Redbirds found the bottom of the net on 31 percent of their shot attempts. ISU led both teams in steals with 10, six more than NIU.
“We were coming from behind again and that takes a lot of energy,” head coach Barb Smith said. “There were two stretches where we couldn’t buy a basket, but we played good basketball the rest of the game. I know we are getting better, because I can see it on the court, but it just isn’t showing up in the score. We are getting there, but still have things to work on.”
The Redbirds jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, as Crump scored four of the five points, but the Huskies quickly answered with a 16-0 run of their own. During the NIU run, ISU went 10 minutes without a field goal, as Illinois State trailed Northern Illinois, 18-9, at the end of the first quarter.
Illinois State found its rhythm early in the second quarter, as ISU cut its deficit to six, 24-18, thanks to a pair of threes with 4:30 remaining in the second quarter. The offensive attack didn’t last long, as the Redbirds struggled to find the bottom of the net over the final three minutes of the second quarter. During the Redbird draught, the Huskies scored five-straight points to end the quarter with a 32-20 advantage, heading into the locker room.
At the half, Crump led the Redbirds with seven points and five rebounds to go along with three steals and a pair of blocks. ISU couldn’t find the bottom of the net, as it connected on 22 percent of its field goal attempts in the opening half, while NIU sank 48 percent of its field goal attempts. The Huskies had a slight advantage on the boards, grabbing 21 compared to the Redbirds’ 20. Illinois State led both teams with six steals and three blocks.
Crump scored ISU’s first eight points of the third quarter, cutting NIU’s lead to eight points, 36-28. The Huskies’ took a nine-point advantage, 39-30, before the two teams traded baskets. The Redbirds were able to pull within seven, 43-36, at the end of the third quarter.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Katrina Beck and Smith recorded back-to-back jumpers to cut NIU’s lead to six, 46-40. Then, a pair of NIU 3-pointers increased the Redbird deficit to 12 points, 52-40, forcing an Illinois State timeout. The back-to-back threes by the Huskies ignited a 12-0 run for Northern Illinois, as it jumped out to a 58-40 lead with 4:48 left on the clock. Northern Illinois netted 5-of-6 from the field during the run.
Despite trailing by 22 points late in the fourth quarter, ISU fought back to shrink NIU’s lead. Smith scored five-straight points for the Redbirds, while Taylor and Brechelle Beachum each sank a 3-pointer to chip away at the Huskie lead. The late effort wasn’t enough, as Illinois State fell, 68-59.
ISU concludes its three-game road swing at Yale Wednesday, as the Redbirds travel to New Haven, Connecticut. The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
