McLean County Times

Illinois State women's basketball team ended a two-game losing streak with a significant victory over High Point in the Gulf Coast Showcase held at Hertz Arena. The Redbirds secured a 70-49 win, marking their largest margin of victory this season.

Addi Martin led the scoring for Illinois State for the first time in her career with the Redbirds, contributing 14 points and seven rebounds. Martin scored 10 points in the first half and managed to reach double figures for the fourth time this season. Her performance included scoring six consecutive points in the second quarter, helping her team to a 26-15 lead.

Nevaeh Thomas also made an impact by scoring five of Illinois State's opening 11 points, finishing with a total of 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Thomas hit a three-pointer and drove through contact to score quickly at the start of the game.

Doneelah Washington added 11 points coming off the bench, achieving double figures for the second consecutive game. Shannon Dowell contributed another 10 points to round out Illinois State's double-figure scorers. The Redbirds started strong with an early 11-0 lead and maintained control throughout, leading by as much as 28 points after outscoring High Point significantly in the third quarter.

Elyce Knudsen was instrumental during this period with her contribution of 11 points, including a crucial three-pointer that extended Illinois State's lead to 58-30 near the end of the third quarter.

This match marked Illinois State's fifth game out of six this season where they had four or more players scoring in double figures. The team's record when having four or more players reach double digits since last season is now at 16 wins against just four losses.

Both Shannon Dowell and Nevaeh Thomas continued their streak of reaching double figures in every game this season during Saturday's match-up. This win was not only their largest margin but also their first victory by more than twenty points this year.

The Redbirds' all-time record against current Big South members improved to 2-0 following this win over High Point, adding to their previous victory against Radford back in 1996.

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