Redbirds Fall to Southern Illinois 84–60

Image courtesy of Illinois State Women’s Basketball social media 

NORMAL, Ill.– The Illinois State women’s basketball team suffered an 84–60 loss to Missouri Valley Conference rival Southern Illinois Friday night in Carbondale, Illinois.

With the loss, the Redbirds fall to 14–10 on the season and 8–5 in conference play, while Southern Illinois improves to 9–13 overall and 6–7 in MVC play. It was a tough night offensively for Illinois State, as the team shot just 22-for-59 from the field (37%). The Redbirds also struggled from three-point range, going 6-for-18 (33%), and finished the game with 13 turnovers.

Southern Illinois controlled the game throughout, building a lead as large as 31 points, while the Redbirds’ biggest lead was just two. The Salukis shot 48% from the field and an impressive 60% from three-point range, keeping their offense rolling all night.

The top performer for the Redbirds was sophomore forward Doneelah Washington, who finished with a team-high 19 points and six rebounds, continuing her strong play this season. For Southern Illinois, sophomore guard Alayna Kraus led all scorers with a game-high 30 points.

Illinois State and Southern Illinois will meet one more time this season, with the next matchup set for February 26th at CEFCU Arena, which will also serve as Senior Night.

The Redbirds will be back in action tomorrow afternoon on the road in Evansville to face the Purple Aces, with tipoff set for 3 p.m.

For all things Redbird basketball, stay tuned to wznd.com.