By ISU Sports Information
MOLINE – In a game that featured seven lead changes and eight ties, Illinois State came up a bit short in overtime as Evansville’s Sara Dickey made a jumper with four seconds on the clock in overtime to give the Purple Aces (3-27, 1-17 MVC) a 61-59 win over the Redbirds (8-22, 6-12 MVC) in the first round of the MVC Women’s Basketball Championship at the iWireless Center Thursday night.
Senior Octavia Crump scored point No. 1,000 in her career at Illinois State to tie the game at 59-with eight seconds remaining, but Dickey’s late jumper gave Evansville victory. Crump led the Redbirds with 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and fellow senior Colleene Smith added 10 points and nine boards for ISU. MVC All-Freshman Team selection Shakeela Fowler rounded out a trio of Redbirds in double figures with 10 points.
Illinois State took an early lead on a jumper by Smith, but the Purple Aces answered with a 9-2 run to take a 9-4 lead midway through the first quarter. Taylor Stewart responded and connected from three-point range to cut the deficit to a basket at 9-7 at the first media time out to end a scoring drought for the Redbirds. However, Evansville came right back with a 6-0 run to extend the lead to 15-7 and force head coach Barb Smith to call a time out with 2:06 remaining in the first period.
The Redbirds fought back with another three-pointer by Stewart, but the basket was immediately answered by the Aces. As the first quarter came to an end, Lexie Taylor launched a three-pointer from just past midcourt to trim the Evansville lead to 17-13 headed to the second quarter. The lead grew to as many as six points for the Purple Aces at 21-15, before seven-straight points from Octavia Crump gave the Redbirds their first lead since early in the contest at 22-21 with 5:33 left before halftime.
ISU’s defense held the Purple Aces scoreless for over six minutes as the lead extended to 24-21 after a basket by Taylor, but the Aces answered with a three-pointer by Camary Williams to knot the game at 24-24 with just over two minutes to play. A three-pointer by Brechelle Beachum gave the Redbirds the lead right back at 27-24, but Williams punched right back with a three-pointer of her own to tie the game at 27-27. A last-second shot by the Redbirds fell short, and the teams headed to the locker room tied at the half.
Dickey put Evansville up early in the third quarter at 30-27 with her second three-pointer of the contest and a layup by Dickey four minutes into the quarter made the advantage five points at 34-29. Crump answered with a jumper to trim the lead back to three points, before a three-pointer by Laura Friday widened the lead to six points at 37-31. Smith came right back and connected on a jumper in the paint to make the score 37-33 in favor of the Purple Aces at the media time out with 4:38 left in the quarter.
A layup by Crump then cut the lead to a basket at 37-35, before the Purple Aces answered with an 8-0 run to extend the advantage to 45-35 with 1:03 to play in the period. A put-back basket by Viria Livingston ended a nearly four minute scoring drought for the Redbirds, and she completed the three-point play by draining the free throw to trim the Evansville lead to 45-38. Both teams could not convert on their final possessions, and the game headed to the final quarter with Aces leading by seven points.
Fowler connected from three-point range a minute into the fourth quarter to cut the Evansville lead to four points at 45-41, but basket by Camille Coleman evened the action. The two teams traded baskets again, as UE led 49-43 before Smith scored back-to-back baskets to make it 49-45 with 7:19 left in the game. Two minutes later, Fowler beat the shot clock and drained her second three-pointer of the quarter to cut the lead to 49-48 with 5:02 left in the contest.
A layup by Crump gave the Redbirds the lead back at 50-49, before a layup by Sasha Robinson ended a nearly four-minute scoring drought by the Purple Aces to give them the lead right back at 51-50 with 3:38 to play. Nearly two minutes later, Stewart converted a pair of free throws to give the Redbirds the lead back at 52-51 and a layup by Crump with 1:15 left pushed the advantage to 54-51 for ISU.
Dickey came up big for her team in the clutch, draining a three-pointer from the top of the key with 7.6 seconds left on the clock to knot the game at 54-54. Illinois State had the last shot of the game, but a jumper by Fowler did not connect and the game headed to overtime. Smith scored the first points for the Redbirds in the extra period to make the score 56-54, but Dickey answered on the other end to tie the game at 56-56. A free throw by Crump gave the Redbirds the lead back at 57-56, but a basket by Robinson swung momentum in Evansville’s direction at 58-57 with 1:54 to play.
After not converting from the field over the next minute of action, the Redbirds were forced to foul and Dickey made the second of two free throw attempts to make the score 59-57 in favor of Evansville with 25.3 seconds left in overtime. Crump’s layup gave the Redbirds some hope, but the Dickey’s clutch shot proved to be the key for the Purple Aces.
Listen to postgame comments from head coach Barb Smith here.
