Summary
NORMAL - Dont be fooled by the Illinois State womens basketball teams two-game losing streak.If anything, the Redbirds are as confident as ever entering tonights 7:05 Missouri Valley Conference battle with Northern Iowa at Redbird Arena."I dont know if weve turned the corner, but I think were headed in the right direction," said ISU coach Robin Pingeton. "They (ISUs players) are all very encouraged and optimistic that we can finish on a strong note."I think the key factor is now they understand how good our league is and how much parity there is in our league. You cannot afford not to show up for a game. You cant take a night off, and you cant take a possession off."ISU (8-11 overall, 3-7 MVC) had won three straight before suffering a 76-73 overtime loss Jan. 28 at Drake. The Redbirds bounced back from the Drake loss by taking league-leading Indiana State to the wire Saturday before suffering a 75-71 setback.Amber Shelton (13.8 points per game), Kristi Cirone (12.2), Holly Hallstrom (11.6) and Megan McCracken (10.6) have all scored in double figures during the five-game stretch followed closely by Lori Trumblee (9.6), a recent newcomer to the starting lineup.With Hallstrom averaging 12.2 rebounds, the Redbirds have outrebounded their last five opponents by an average of five per game while cutting their turnovers per game from nearly 18 to 14.8."I feel like were playing a lot better," Pingeton said. "Im really encouraged by our girls mindset. I think theyre very confident and they think theres not a team they cant beat on our schedule. I think theyve also really matured and have a very strong understanding theres nobody on the schedule that cant beat us, too."Second-place Northern Iowa (14-6, 8-3) has won five straight behind 6-foot-7 center Cassie Hager and 6-foot forward Tara King. Hager, the Valleys all-time leader in blocked shots, averages a team-high 16.7 points and 6.7 rebounds. King, who is shooting a league-best 49 percent from 3- point range, adds 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds.Hager and King combined for 51 points on 19-of-25 shooting in the Panthers 75-69 win over ISU last month at Cedar Falls, Iowa. Northern Iowa outscored the Redbirds 28-12 in the final 10 minutes to overcome a 57-47 deficit."In that UNI game, for most of their run we had some mismatches," Pingeton said. "We didnt have our bigger lineup then, so I think well match up a lot better playing with two bigs inside (Hallstrom and Trumblee) and moving Amber to a perimeter spot. But that doesnt mean its just going to happen for us."Those kids are playing with so much confidence. Tara King has had a tremendous run in the conference and has really stepped up her game. Shes a tough matchup because she can go inside and out. Cassie Hager is a tough kid to match up against because no matter what we do in practice we dont have a 6-7 kid."Pingeton said the Redbirds have more to worry about than King and Hager."As good as their inside game is, theyve got too many other good kids for us just to focus on two players," Pingeton said. "You dont win as many games as they have with just two players. Although we have to be able to contain (Hager and King) a little bit better, we also have to be aware of their abilities on the outside."We need to go out and play with a lot of confidence and understand its going to be a 40-minute dogfight."Northern Iowa coach Tony DiCecco has plenty of respect for the Redbirds."We know how tough they will be on their home court," DiCecco said. "They played Indiana State very tough."ISU will conclude a three-game homestand Sunday at 2:05 p.m. against Bradley.
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