NORMAL,
Ill.
- Junior Anna Munn's jumper from the left baseline rolled off the back of the
rim as the game clock expired on Friday night inside Redbird Arena, as the
Indiana State women's basketball team dropped their third Missouri Valley
Conference contest on the game's final possession.
Illinois State (13-6, 5-2 MVC) claimed a 66-65 victory on Friday, dropping
Indiana State to 11-7 on the season and 3-4 in the MVC. Indiana State's close
losses in conference play are by two points to Northern Iowa and by one point
each to Evansville and Illinois State.
Indiana State and Illinois State battled back-and-forth in the opening 20
minutes of action, with the lead changing hands 12 times and sitting tied on
eight other occasions. Junior Anna Munn sank a three-pointer in transition with
5:23 remaining in the first half, giving the Sycamores a three-point lead at
30-27.
Munn's trey would be Indiana State's last field goal of the half, however, as the
Redbirds closed the half on a 12-1 run to take a 39-31 lead at the break.
Freshman Marina Laramie led the Indiana State charge in the second half,
scoring 10 of the career-high 17 points in the second half alone. The newcomer
from O'Fallon, Mo., knocked down her first career three-point attempt with 9:01
remaining and made a shot at the free-throw line on ISU's next possession,
knotting the game at 57-57 with 8:34 to play.
Laramie made two more shots at the line with 4:01 remaining to put Indiana
State in front 63-61, but Illinois State answered with five straight points to
regain the lead.
After senior Taylor Whitley's layup with 8.7 seconds remaining made the score
66-65 in favor of the Redbirds, Illinois State's Alexis Jenkins missed the
front end of a 1-and-1 situation to give the Sycamores a chance at the buzzer.
Indiana State found Munn open on the left baseline, but the ISU junior was unable
to hit her second game-winning shot of the season.
Laramie finished the night with career bests in points and rebounds, totaling
17 points and nine rebounds for the game. Munn (17 points), sophomore Racheal
Mahan (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Whitley (10 points) also went into double
figures for Indiana State. The double-double was Mahan's seventh of the season.
Indiana State begins the month of February with a pair of road games, traveling
to Missouri State (Friday, Feb. 1) and Wichita State (Sunday, Feb. 3) next
weekend.
