Illinois State women’s basketball (7-1, 4-3 MVC) took advantage of a shorthanded Purple Aces (4-8, 0-7 MVC), defeating Evansville 73-48.
The Purple Aces had only seven players active due to injuries and assistant coach Doug Rogers acting as head coach in place of Mark Ruffing.
After a slow first start, the Redbirds outpaced the Aces in the first half, ending the first half shooting 56% from the field and making eight of their last nine shots with a 9-point lead to close the half.
The Redbirds, averaging 16.6 turnovers per game, cleaned up on turnovers, committing only eight on the night and forcing 13 turnovers from the Aces.
“If we don’t turn the ball over, we’re going to put ourselves in a position to win a lot of games,” Illinois State head coach Kristen Gillespie said.
Sophomore guard Mary Crompton had a strong start with 12 points and four rebounds, finishing the contest with a team high 14 points and 5 rebounds.
Evansville’s sophomore guard Abby Feit scored a team high 10 points and 6 boards. Gillespie praised junior guard Terrion Moore, who finished with 6 points and 2 rebounds, for her dominate defensive efforts and clamping down on Feit.
The Redbirds came out storming in the second half, leading by as many as 16 and going on a 11-0 run over 3:20 while Evansville went scoreless during that time, ending the contest missing their last four shots and shooting 32.4 % from the field.
Sophomore DeAnna Wilson picked up her first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 17 minutes. Wilson has shot 51% from the foul line on the season, but finished a perfect 6-of-6 from the stripe.
Wilson said she’s been working on her free throws in practice. She credits her teammates for the confidence boost in her performance and her overall adjustment to Division I competition.
“I’m starting to get the hang of things,” Wilson said. “The way they’re asking me to guard, the way they’re asking me to do things on offense. It’s starting to come a little more easier now.”
ISU bench outscored Evansville’s 42-11 led by Wilson, senior guard Paige Saylor’s 8 points, and senior guard JuJu Redmond, who finshed with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Redmond came off the bench and was replace by junior guard Kayel Newland in the starting lineup due to being tardy to film session.
The Redbirds lead the rest of the way, leading by as many as 21 points to eventually seal a 25-point victory.
They will be back in action Friday against Evansville at Redbird Arena at 4 p.m.
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