Nov. 20, 2005

Box Score

Normal, Ill. - Illinois State used a 34-18 spurt that bridged the two halves to break open a close game and the Redbirds cruised to an 82-56 win over Loyola this afternoon at Redbird Arena in Normal, Ill. Junior guard Marquise Hanser set a career-high for the second consecutive game, pouring in a career-high 25 points to lead the Ramblers.

"We opened up very aggressively on both ends of the floor despite allowing ISU to take a nine-point lead in the last few minutes going into halftime," said head coach Shannon Reidy. "In the first half, our defense did a great job on the boards and limited their touches inside. We showed energy and confidence in not allowing them to get comfortable offensively. I was disappointed in the way we came out in the second half. While ISU has a very deep bench with solid players at every position, we are struggling with only eight healthy scholarship players. Right now, our ladies struggle to put together two strong halves and we seem to be beating ourselves when it comes to unnecessary turnovers."

For the second consecutive game, Loyola came out of the gates playing strong defense, which allowed it to stay in the game until the offense found a flow. Hoops from Jana Lucas and Hanser gave the Ramblers an early 4-2 lead before the Redbirds slowly crept out to a five-point lead, 11-6, after six minutes. Two hoops from Danielle Lonie and a Hanser three-pointer pulled LU even at 13 and although Illinois State was able to play from the lead, Loyola had enough hoops to stay within striking distance. A steal and lay-up from Hanser drew the Ramblers within four (27-23) at the 3:04 mark but ISU responded by scoring eight of the last 11 points of the period to take a 35-26 lead into intermission. Loyola shot 50% (10 of 20) from the floor in the half and outrebounded the Redbirds, 16-14, but took nine less attempts thanks to turnovers.

Illinois State roared out of the locker room, extending the lead to double figures on a Kristi Cirone three-pointer 62 seconds into the half. Another Hanser trifecta and a Danielle Nabolotny hoop cut it to 11 (48-37) with just over 12 minutes left but a 16-2 run later turned a 57-42 ISU lead into a 73-44 bulge with four minutes to play and the hosts cruised from there.

Hanser hit 9-of-15 from the floor, including five three-pointers, en route to her career-best point total. Lucas also reached double figures, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds. The Ramblers shot the ball well, hitting at a .476 clip for the game, but mustered just 42 shots thanks, in part, to 33 turnovers.

"Marquise gave an outstanding effort, competitively battling on both ends for us," said Reidy. "Her energy was outstanding and she seemed to be in a zone when it came to putting the ball in the hoop. Without a doubt, she put our team on her back but she also realizes that we need TEAM contributions before any success starts to come our way."

The Ramblers play their third game in five days when they take on Dayton on Tuesday night (Nov. 22) at the Gentile Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.