 Russell's 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting paced two Illinois State
players in double figures. Maddie Oliver added 12 points, seven
rebounds and one block, helping the Redbirds shoot 42 percent from
the field as a team. True freshman Octavia Crump led all players
with 11 rebounds and added seven points. Illinois State made 22
baskets on 13 assists, including a game-best six assists from
Russell.
The Redbirds outrebounded Morehead State 40-23 and limited the
Eagles to 37 percent shooting, including just 6 for 24 from beyond
the 3-point arc. ISU trailed only once, by two points, early in the
first half.
Leading 31-26 at halftime, true freshman Alexis Foley connected
on consecutive 3-point baskets to open the second half, extending
the Redbirds' lead to 37-26 and sparking a 9-2 run.
A 3-point basket by Morehead State's Almesha Jones made it 40-35
Redbirds with just over 14 minutes to play, but the Eagles would
never cut the deficit to fewer than five points. Janae Smith tallied
a key block with 12:53 left in the game, getting the ball upcourt to
Russell, who hit a wide-open layup, setting Illinois State on an 8-1
run that swung the game's momentum for good.
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Illinois State connected on 14 of 18 free throws, including 8
of 11 in the second half, and kept Morehead State without a
score over the final 2:41 of the game.
Terrice Robinson paced Morehead State with 16 points, and Jones
added 15 with a team-best four rebounds. Robinson's 12-footer with
12:34 to play in the first half gave Morehead State its only lead of
the night, 13-11. Baskets from Russell, Crump and Oliver sparked a
13-2 Illinois State run that made it 24-15 Redbirds with 6:42 to go
in the opening half.
Russell closed the scoring in the opening half, hitting a jumper
with 1:36 to go, making it 31-26 Redbirds going into the locker
room. The senior guard led all scorers with 13 points at the break,
followed by Oliver's eight.
With the victory, Illinois State advanced to the second round of
the Preseason WNIT and played at Big Ten foe Iowa in Iowa City,
Iowa, on Sunday afternoon. For a report on that game,
click here.
___
Box score
[Text from
news release received from
Illinois State University]
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