Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
The Louisiana Tech women’s basketball team travels to Norman, Illinois, to take on Illinois State in the Great 8 of the WNIT tonight in the CEFCU Arena on ESPN+.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game can be heard on 97.7 FM with Kyle Roberts providing a call of the action. Tech leads the all-time series 5-3, although Illinois State is 1-0 against the Lady Techsters in the WNIT.
“We are excited to be playing on March 31,” said head coach Brooke Stoehr. “We are playing meaningful games in late March, and it’s an opportunity for this group to continue to compete together and try to win a championship. Now you get a chance to go on the road and play a very good opponent in Illinois State.”
Louisiana Tech (17-15) used a dominant third quarter to erase a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Lindenwood 68-64. Paris Bradley scored 12 of her game-high 12 points, and Isla Airey had five blocks in the third quarter for the Lady Techsters.
Airey’s presence down low as a shot blocker has not been seen by a Lady Techster in 17 seasons. The 6-4 forward had seven blocks against the Lions, tying her with Tori Harrison and Margaret DeCiman for the fourth most in a single game in program history. Her 60 rejections on the year rank 10th overall and third among Lady Techster freshmen.
Another freshman etching her name in the record book is Paris Bradley. The 5-9 guard’s eight 20-point performances are the sixth most by a freshman in Lady Techster history, only trailing Belinda Jones (14), Pam Kelly (14), Kay Ford (11), Angela Turner (10) and Elinor Griffin (9). She also ranks eighth in total points (471), 10th in assists (98) and third in 3-pointers (45).
Illinois State (23-12) comes into the game off a 78-68 win over Abilene Christian in the Super 16. The Redbirds shot 52.9 percent from the field and 55.6 percent from behind the arc.
“They are very good offensively,” said Stoehr. “They are efficient. They are well balanced. They can score on the perimeter. They can score on the interior. They make you work really hard. Defensively, we are going to have to be very solid because they can score at each position.”
Illinois State is the sixth-best shooting team in the country at 48.2 percent. They have shot under 40 percent just six times in 35 games and have shot over 50 on 17 occasions, including the previous two games. Their 3-point percentage ranks ninth in the country at 37.5 percent.
Shannon Dowell leads the way for the Redbirds with 17.3 points per game on 48.9 percent shooting. The sophomore guard has 12 games of 20 or more points, including the last five. The second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference member adds 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game.
