Illinois State women’s basketball dominates Valparaiso on the road

Image from Illinois State women’s basketball.

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State women’s basketball earned their first back-to-back road win of the season and started off their three-game road stretch with a 83-42 win over Valparaiso Saturday afternoon at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

The 41-point victory ties the Redbirds’ largest Missouri Valley Conference win, the flock defeated Indiana State 105-64 on Dec. 29.

All 12 active players saw the court in the victory, making it the sixth time this season that all actives have picked up minutes.

Doneelah Washington led the campaign with 16 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

ISU took control early on, going on a 7-0 run with a dagger 3-pointer from Trista Fayta. A layup from Kayla Sullivan ended the Beacons’ scoring drought, but Grace Nelson answered back a minute later with a shot from beyond the arc.

The freshman ended the day with 14 points, shooting four for six from the 3-point line.

The Redbirds kept the momentum going and took a 15-point lead with two free-throws from Addison Martin after a foul by Sullivan. Fiona Connolly went to work in the paint to make it an 11-point game, 20-9, with just under a minute left in the first quarter. The guard led Valpo with 13 points and four steals.

The Redbirds outscored the Beacons 22-9 after the first 10 minutes of action.

It was all gas, no breaks for ISU heading into the second quarter. The Redbirds went on a 6-0 run in the first minute to take a 19-point lead.

ISU shined from inside the paint throughout the match. Another layup from Washington gave the Redbirds a 42-21 lead and they would lead by at least 21 points the rest of the match.

A deep shot from Washington increased ISU’s lead to 24 points with 2:26 left on the clock.

The Redbirds led 47-21 going into halftime.

Washington stayed hot after the break and secured another 22-foot shot to give ISU a 31 point lead.

The Redbirds had five 3-pointers in the third quarter, adding to their season high of 11 buckets from beyond the arc.

Two deep shots from Bella Finnegan helped give ISU a 39-point lead going into the final 10 minutes of action. The senior was one of five Redbirds to end the campaign in double-digits, earning 11 points.

The Beacons had no room to breathe in the fourth quarter. ISU had a 44-point, its largest of the game, after points in the paint from Martin. The Redbirds scored just seven points in the final quarter, but it was more than enough to seal the victory.

Trista Fayta joined Finnegan in securing 11 points for the Redbirds and also earned her second double-double of the season with 12 assists. Addison Martin ended in double-figures for her fifth game in a row, earning 14 points.

Jaeden Pratt’s six points all came from the charity stripe, but she had a career high 12 rebounds to round off the night.

ISU improves to 18-11 overall and 12-6 in MVC action.

The Redbirds stay on the road to battle Drake at 6 p.m. on March. 5 inside the Knapp Center.

For all things ISU women’s basketball, stay tuned on wznd.com.