McLean County Times

Illinois State University's women's basketball team secured a victory over Bradley University, finishing with a score of 74-58 at CEFCU Arena on Sunday. This win brings Illinois State's season record to 12-7 and 6-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), while Bradley stands at 8-11 and 2-6 in MVC play.

Key players for Illinois State included Elyce Knudsen, who scored 20 points, marking her second consecutive game with over 20 points. Shannon Dowell achieved her third double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Neveah Thomas contributed significantly as well, adding 19 points and seven rebounds.

During the game, Knudsen reached a career milestone by surpassing 2,500 career points. She is one of only three active players to achieve this feat alongside Katelyn Young from Murray State and Aneesah Morrow from LSU. Head coach Kristen Gillespie also marked her own milestone with her 250th career win and her 145th win at Illinois State, placing her second in program history.

After a slow start in the first half, Illinois State gained momentum by scoring 46 points in the second half. The team shot an impressive 66.6% during this period and successfully made six out of ten three-point attempts.

In the third quarter, Dowell and Knudsen were instrumental in building the lead by contributing a combined total of 17 points for the Redbirds. Knudsen hit two critical three-pointers during this time frame, helping to extend their lead significantly.

Thomas continued to strengthen Illinois State's position in the fourth quarter by adding seven more points to widen their lead to as much as an eighteen-point margin before closing out their victory.

The Redbirds improved their record against state rivals to an impressive tally of wins since the beginning of the previous campaign and extended their streak against Bradley to nine consecutive victories—one of their longest active winning streaks against current conference opponents.

Overall, Illinois State displayed strong shooting performance finishing at fifty-six percent from field goals and maintained low turnovers with only nine throughout the match while securing eighteen assists.

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