Bonnie Ryan
GoSycamores.com
ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- The Indiana State women's basketball team was unable to overcome league champion Illinois State in the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament on Friday, falling 76-39 to the top-seeded Redbirds. With the loss, the Sycamores completed their stay at the conference championship event with a 17-14 (7-11 MVC) season record.
Three Sycamores finished in double-figure scoring, led by sophomore Shannon Thomas, who had 13 points and eight rebounds. The Springboro, Ohio, native went 6-for-12 from the field and had four blocks and a steal to her credit.
Junior Kelsie Cooley and sophomore Amanda Pedro also notched 10 points apiece. Cooley shot 5-for-10 with three rebounds and a pair of assists, while Pedro was 3-for-5 from the field. She also finished a perfect 2-for-2 from both long range and the free throw line, achieving her season best in points scored.
Illinois State was led by 15 points from both Ashleen Bracey and Katie Broadway, and 10 points by Nicolle Lewis. Bracey was also the Redbirds' leading rebounder with seven boards. ILS shot 48.3 percent as a team, the highest any opponent has had against Indiana State all season.
After trading baskets to open the game, Illinois State jumped out to a 17-4 lead on an 11-0 run with eight minutes down. Cooley then came up big for the Sycamores, putting up six straight points inside and an offensive rebound, and Thomas had a jumper to bring it within eight. After a 3-pointer by Bracey, the INS defense held the Redbirds scoreless for nearly five minutes. Krick's first basket of the game, however, coupled with six more ILS points, set Indiana State back 30-14 at halftime.
Illinois State came out with hot shooting in the second half, scoring 12 unanswered points before Thomas and Brittany Schoen hit back-to-back shots to make it 42-18. Pedro then added seven more points off the bench, including the Sycamores' first 3-point basket of the game with 10 minutes to go.
With five minutes remaining in the game, senior Kelsey Luna was fouled by Hannah Spanich, sending Luna to the line for the first time all day. The two-time All-MVC selection swished in both foul shots, improving her nation-leading free throw percentage to 93.3 percent. Pedro then dropped in ISU's final basket of the game, another from long range, and the final score stood 76-39. Illinois State, which improved to 24-6 on the year, advances to Saturday's MVC Tournament semifinals.
"In the first half, I thought we played extremely well defensively," Assistant Coach Clint Weddle said. "Had we made a shot or two, it would have changed the momentum. You have to give [Illinois State] a tremendous amount of credit for stopping us on the offensive end. There were multiple opportunities that could have been game changers. They were a very good basketball team."
