 Illinois State's 14-game winning streak was the second-longest in
the nation, behind only Connecticut, which extended its streak to 21
games with an 80-54 win over Providence on Saturday."I think that
you give credit to the other team in situations like this (when a
winning streak is snapped)," Illinois State head coach Robin
Pingeton said. "Creighton has a very good team, and we knew that
going in. We'll regroup and challenge our players to recommit as the
second half of conference play begins."
The Redbirds were led offensively by a trio of double-digit
scorers. Krick had 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field,
while sophomore forward Ashleen Bracey and freshman guard Shala
Jackson each chipped in with 12 points.
Creighton's Kelsey Woodard led all Bluejay scorers with a
game-high 20 points on an 8-for-12 shooting effort from the field.
Ally Thrall, Sara Cain and Kristina Voss were also in double digits
with 10 points each.
Both teams struggled offensively in the early minutes of the
first half, as neither side was able to get into double digits in
the points column until the Redbirds went up 11-9 at the 14:05 mark
off a jumper from Krick. After the first media timeout (14:33), ISU
used a stifling defensive effort to keep Creighton's offense at bay,
as the Redbirds continued to hold a slim three-point lead (18-15) at
the 10-minute mark of the half.
Despite Creighton's offensive struggles, Illinois State was
unable to put the game out of reach in the first half, as the
Redbirds gave up an eight-point lead (27-19) and allowed Creighton
to move to within one point (27-26) after Kellie Nelson hit a jumper
with just over two minutes left in the period. The Bluejay offense
answered every Redbird attack in the final minutes of the period, as
the Redbirds went into the locker room with just a two-point
advantage (31-29).
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Creighton started the second half in the exact opposite manner
that it had begun the first period, as the Bluejays put in five
quick points, which included a 3-pointer by Cain that gave CU its
first lead of the game at 34-33. Down by one, the Redbirds roared
back, as Cirone stole an in-bound pass from the Bluejays and dished
the ball over to Bracey, who put in the layup to regain the lead for
ISU at 35-34.
The game continued to be a back-and-forth affair, as both sides
increased the offensive tempo midway through the second half. With
the shot clock about to expire, junior guard Kristi Cirone hit a
turnaround jumper from the top of the key to tie the score at 42-42,
and then senior center Lashawn Johnson followed with a layup that
gave ISU a two-point advantage (44-42). After ISU went on a 7-2 run
to take a slim 47-44 lead, both teams started to use an up-tempo
offense to take control of the game. The Bluejays capitalized first
on the run-and-gun offense, as Creighton retied the score at 49-49
at the 11:42 mark thanks to a 3-point basket by Megan Neuvirth.
Creighton grabbed its first double-digit lead of the game (63-53)
off a 3-pointer from Sam Schuett, one of eight 3-point baskets that
Creighton made in the game. The Bluejays' 10-point advantage marked
just the fourth time this season that ISU has faced a deficit of 10
points or more in a game. In the end, it was a game of attrition, as
the Redbirds pulled to within two points at 73-71 before Creighton
drained three straight free throws in the final seconds of the game
to secure the first Valley win by an ISU opponent this season.
Illinois State will hit the road Thursday when it travels to
Cedar Falls, Iowa, to face Northern Iowa. Tipoff from the McLeod
Center is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
[Text from file received from
Keith Trivitt, media relations graduate assistant,
Illinois
State University]
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