NORMAL, Ill. – The visiting Saint Louis Billikens took control of Friday night's game against Illinois State with a nine-point lead after the first quarter. However, the Redbirds (4-1) would outscore the Billikens (1-5) by a margin of 21-6 in the second quarter to take a lead at halftime and battled in the second half to come away with a hard-fought 81-75 victory on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• After a three-pointer by Bella Finnegan gave the Redbirds an early lead, Saint Louis proceeded to go on an 8-0 run over the next two-plus minutes before Doneelah Washington drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key to cut the deficit to two at 8-6.