By Austin Duncan
WICHITA, KS- The Illinois State women’s basketball team out scored Wichita State 18-9 in the third quarter to rally and beat the Shockers 53-49 at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
The Redbirds trailed 29-22 at halftime before using a strong third quarter to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
Illinois State took the lead for good at the 9:04 mark of the fourth quarter. The Redbirds expanded their lead to as many as eight before the Shockers cut it to four with just over two minutes to play.
The next points for either team did not come until the 41 second mark of the fourth quarter, thanks to a free throw by Vira Livingston.
The Redbirds were paced by Sue Crump’s game-high 20 points, while Shakeela Fowler added 17 points.
With the win, Illinois State secures the No. 7 seed in the MVC Tournament, which begins next Thursday. The opponent will be No. 10 Evansville.
Illinois State ends its regular season at the JQH Arena in Springfield, MO to take on the Lady Bears of Missouri State for a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday.
Postgame comments from head coach Barb Smith can be found here.
