Illinois State Redbirds lost to the Drake Bulldogs 73-55 on Thursday night in Des Moines, Iowa. The game was part of a two-game road trip for Illinois State as they look to finish the regular season in the top half of the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
Drake, with a record of 11-18 overall and 10-9 in conference play, took control at the end of the first quarter with a 10-0 run that gave them a 26-13 lead. The Redbirds (18-12, 12-7 MVC) were unable to recover from this deficit. Trista Fayta led Illinois State with 14 points and three assists, while Bella Finnegan contributed 10 points off the bench. Doneelah Washington and Madison Austin each collected six rebounds.
The game began with Drake scoring four straight points before Illinois State tied it at nine after Grace Nelson made three free throws. Drake then pushed their lead to five before closing out the first quarter strongly. In the second quarter, Illinois State cut into Drake’s lead but trailed by 14 at halftime after a late three-pointer by Drake’s Knutson.
Illinois State tried to rally early in the third quarter with another three-pointer from Finnegan but fell further behind as Drake went on another run to increase their advantage to 21 points. In the final period, Nelson and Washington hit back-to-back threes for Illinois State but could not close the gap significantly.
“Fayta led the way for the Redbirds with 14 points, including a pair of three-pointers, and added three assists in 33 minutes of action.”
“Finnegan also scored in double figures for the second-straight game off the bench, finishing with 10 points including a pair of connections from beyond the arch.”
“Washington and Austin tied for the team lead with six rebounds each in the contest, as Washington added nine points and Austin tallied seven.”
With this loss, Drake secured a split in their regular-season series against Illinois State.
Illinois State will conclude its regular season on Sunday against Bradley at Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT.
Illinois State Redbirds are associated with Illinois State University and compete across various NCAA Division I events nationwide. The program uses facilities such as OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for athlete preparation and benefits from resources like news updates, schedules, rosters, fan engagement opportunities, and support through initiatives like the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund designed to boost competitiveness and recruitment.
