Early Illinois State run dooms Bulldogs

Story by Ashley Beall
Photo by Joel Venzke

The Bulldogs fell to the Redbirds this past Friday, 81-57. The Bulldogs struggled with shutting down the Redbirds and were not able to overcome their shooting problems throughout the game.

The Redbirds had the hot hand throughout the game and were led by Jamie Russell, who scored 16 points. Janae Smith and Brianna Puni contributed 15 points apiece. Illinois State snapped a two-game skid with Friday’s victory over Drake.

At the start of the game, both teams matched each other point for point. But after the first timeout, the Redbirds jumped ahead with an 18-6 run on the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs were able to close the gap down to 34-27, but the Redbirds took charge and led the game 40-28 at halftime.

Freshmen Ashley Bartow and Emma Donahue both registered career-highs in scoring with 17 and six points, respectively. Junior Morgan Reid also scored 13 points. The Bulldogs registered 38.3 percent shooting from the floor and made only 5-of-20 from behind the arc.

This was the second time Drake has fallen to Illinois State on the season. Illinois State defeated Drake on Jan. 13 at the Knapp Center, 71-66. The Bulldogs played a more collected game the first time around and better handled the Redbirds’ defense.

Sophomore Kyndal Clark was guarded heavily by the Redbirds and didn’t score until the opening of the second half. Clark only managed to score four points.

The Redbirds were able to shut down the Bulldogs and prevent them from coming back in the second half, draining 61 percent of their shots.

The Bulldogs faced Indiana State on Sunday in Terre Haute, Ind. Results from that game will be available in the next issue of The Times-Delphic.