Lady Shockers fall on road to Illinois State, 68-62

February 24, 2012|KWCH 12 Eyewitness Sports

NORMAL, Ill. — Despite a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double from Haleigh Lankster, the Wichita State women's basketball team fell short, 68-62, at Illinois State Thursday night. The defeat drops the Shockers out of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Wichita State turned the ball over 20 times, the team's highest total in MVC competition, and forced just 10 Redbird miscues. That soured a return to form in the rebounding department, where the Shockers held a 34-27 advantage.

Illinois State scored the first seven points of the game before WSU rallied and took its first lead of the game, 21-20, on a Jazimen Gordon jumper with 7:13 remaining in the first half. From there the score stayed tight until Illinois State's Allison Seberger drained a three-pointer from the top of the key with seven seconds left to give the Redbirds a six-point advantage.

Jessica Diamond quickly followed with the play of the game, a last-second shot from just past half court that swished through the net to pull Wichita State within 30-27 at the half.

The Redbirds put in the first two baskets of the second half but the Shockers retaliated with a 10-0 run, capped by a Lankster layup, that lifted Wichita State to a 37-34 lead.

The teams traded the lead 14 times and tied on four other occasions until the home team began to pull away. Jamie Russell, who finished with 18 points for the Redbirds, stuck a jumper and a layup followed by a Marley Hall basket in the paint to expand their lead from one to seven, 56-49, with 3:12 to go.

Three times Wichita State fought back to within four points but Illinois State went 12-for-12 from the free throw over the final 2:49.

Diamond added 16 points to Lankster's 22. Alex Harden, playing near her hometown of Springfield, Ill., led the team with seven rebounds. Fellow freshman Molly O-Brien added six board and topped the team with four assists in 26 minutes off the bench.

Hall matched the 18 point output from Russell to tie for the Illinois State team lead. Candace Sykes collected eight rebounds and five steals plus 14 points for the Redbirds.

The defeat knocks WSU out of first place in the Valley for the first time this year while Illinois State extended its home court winning streak vs. MVC opponents to 24 games.

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