By ISU Sports Information
MOLINE – The Illinois State women’s basketball team saw its season come to an end Friday in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, as the Redbirds (8-23) fell to No. 20/19 Drake, 64-40, inside the iWireless Center. The No. 1 seed Bulldogs (26-4) increased their win streak to 20 games and advanced to Saturday’s semifinals against either No. 4 seed Southern Illinois or No. 5 seed Wichita State.
Illinois State played one of its most-inspired games on the defensive end all season. The Redbirds held Drake, who entered the game averaging 83.9 points per game, to their third-lowest total of the season, as the Bulldogs scoring averaging ranks seventh in the country. Illinois State also held Drake to its lowest first-half scoring output of the season (20), with the nine points allowed in the second quarter and the 11 points allowed in the opening stanza becoming the second and third lowest-scoring quarters in the Bulldogs’ season.
The Redbirds, however, could not take advantage on offense, shooting 25 percent (12-of-48) for the game, including 24.0 percent (6-of-25) from 3-point range. Illinois State did win the rebounding battle, 36-33, and used a 13-8 lead in offensive rebounds to hold a 10-3 advantage in second-chance points. But the Redbirds committed 21 turnovers, and Drake took advantage by outscoring Illinois State, 31-6, in points off turnovers. The Redbird defense forced the Bulldogs into 14 miscues.
Scoring in the contest did not start until the 6:14 mark in the first quarter when Drake scored on a free throw before taking a 4-0 lead. Sophomore Viria Livingston and senior Brechelle Beachum each scored to tie the contest, but the Bulldogs tallied the final seven points of the stanza to lead 11-4 after 10 minutes. Illinois State was just 2-of-12 (16.7 percent), but the Redbird defense limited regular-season champions to 26.7 percent (4-of-15).
Junior Hanna Green started the scoring in the second quarter with a pair of free throws, and senior Taylor Stewart followed with a deep triple to move Illinois State to within two.
Drake still led by two later in the period, 15-13, and scored five straight to stretch its lead back out to seven at 20-13 with 2:32 remaining before halftime. However, the Redbirds closed strong, with sophomore Katrina Beck netting the final five points to slice the deficit to 20-18 at halftime. Illinois State improved from the floor during the stanza, shooting 29.4 percent (5-of-17), while holding the Bulldogs to 28.6 percent (4-of-14).
The Bulldogs took it to the next level in the second half. They scored the first seven points, forcing the Redbirds to call a 30-second timeout at the 7:40 mark. After Beachum banked in a trey ball from the left wing with the shot clock winding down, Drake outscored Illinois State by 12 the rest of the third quarter to take a 44-26 lead. The Bulldogs shot 71.4 percent (10-of-14) and held the Redbirds to 18.2 percent (2-of-11).
Illinois State manufactured its best shooting quarter over the final 10 minutes (37.5), but Drake stayed hot and shot 61.5 percent (8-of-13) and cruised to the 64-40 victory, as the Bulldogs outscored the Redbirds in the second half, 44-22, including 24-8 in the third quarter. Drake finished the contest shooting 46.4 percent (26-of-56) but was only 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from behind the arc.
Beck paced the Redbirds with 13 points, while Beachum and Stewart tallied 10 points in their final collegiate game. Stewart also handed out a team-high three assists, while Green pulled down a game-high seven caroms to go along with a team-best two steals.
Conference Player of the Year Lizzy Wendell led the Bulldogs with 17 points, while MVC Freshman of the Year Becca Hittner added 14 points. Sammie Bachrodt and Nicole Miller chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively, and Caitlin Ingle recorded a game-high six assists and a team-high five rebounds.
