Redbirds Open Second Half of Valley Play With UNI and Bradley

[February 07, 2008]  NORMAL -- The Illinois State women's basketball team (18-2, 8-1 MVC) begins the second half of Missouri Valley Conference play this weekend. ISU visits Northern Iowa (7-13, 3-6 MVC) on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. and hosts Bradley (8-12, 2-7 MVC) on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. The Redbirds beat both UNI and Bradley in their first meetings by a combined 53 points.

"We were really pleased with our performance and the results in the first half," said head coach Robin Pingeton. "We definitely have some adjustments to make, and we want to maintain this momentum through the second half of conference play and into the conference tournament. The second half of the season is always tougher because every team has played you once and is more familiar with your style of play and tendencies. I think that the past few years we have had losing records in the second half, and we definitely want to avoid that."

Halfway home

The Redbirds are in first place in the Valley at the halfway point, a game ahead of Evansville and two games ahead of Creighton and Drake. It is the 11th time a Valley team has been 8-1 through the first nine games. Of the teams that have been in first place at the midpoint of the season, 23 have won the regular-season title and 11 have gone on to win the MVC tournament crown.

Think Pink and Dollar Days at Redbird Arena on Sunday

Sunday's game against Bradley has been declared Think Pink and Dollar Days at Redbird Arena. During February, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association promotes its Think Pink initiative. The program is designed to promote breast cancer awareness through women's athletics. All fans in attendance are encouraged to wear pink in support of the cause. All tickets to the game will cost $1, and $1 hot dogs will be for sale.

The Redbirds-Panthers series

Illinois State leads the all-time series with Northern Iowa 33-20. After losing the first meeting in 1976, the Redbirds won 28 of the next 30 games against the Panthers, including a string of 22 consecutive victories. Since then, UNI has exacted its revenge with 15 wins in the last 20 meetings. The Redbirds beat the Panthers at home 74-53 earlier this season. ISU led that entire game and used a 25-10 run at the start of the second half to take a 19-point lead. Junior guard Kristi Cirone led the Redbirds with 25 points, her third consecutive effort at the time, and freshman guard Shala Jackson scored all 12 of her points during the decisive Redbird run. ISU is 4-7 against UNI in the four years that head coach Robin Pingeton has been at the helm.

The Redbirds-Braves series

Illinois State leads the all-time series with in-state rival Bradley 34-17. The series began in 1984, and ISU won 13 of the first 17 meetings, including the first six straight. Bradley has never won more than two consecutive games against Illinois State and has won back-to-back games only five times. The Redbirds have had five winning streaks of four games or more, including a current five-game stretch. Earlier this season, the Redbirds rode a 50-point first half to their first 90-point game of the season and defeated the Braves 94-61 in their final trip to Robertson Field House. Five Redbirds scored in double figures in that game, led by 15 points each for Cirone and sophomore guard Maggie Krick. Head coach Robin Pingeton is 7-3 against the Braves all-time.

(Game notes)
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[Text from file received from Jimmy Knodel, assistant media relations director, Illinois State University]