NORMAL, Ill. — In a game that saw each team hold double-digit leads, Illinois State's Brechelle Beachum took over with a fourth quarter flurry that saw the Redbirds push past the University of Evansville women's basketball team in 71-58 fashion at Redbird Arena on Friday night.
Beachum, a senior out of Mexia, Texas, scored 12 straight points late in the fourth quarter for the hosts as they put an end to a six-game losing skid. She finished with a game-best 21 points, and Taylor Stewart added another 20.
Overall, the Aces (8-11, 3-5 Missouri Valley Conference) were out-scored 23-10 in the final frame.
"I give Illinois State a lot of credit," UE head coach Matt Ruffing said. "They played harder tonight, and I think they played better as a team than we did. We didn't what we needed to do as a team tonight on either end of the floor. We'll take a look at things tomorrow, and hopefully, we'll be able to bounce back on Sunday at Bradley."
Things started off positively enough for the Aces as the team grabbed a 16-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, a feat made more notable by the fact that neither Sara Dickey nor Camary Williams scored a point in the period. Both senior guards rank in the top five in the MVC in scoring at over 15 points per contest. Each would enjoy an effective second stanza, but after taking a 10-point lead late in the half, ISU put together a quick 6-0 run to send the game into the break with the Aces leading 31-27.
Williams finished the game with 14 points, six rebounds and four steals, and Dickey ended with 12 points. Both Sasha Robinson and Kerri Gasper added 10.
The Redbirds (5-14, 2-6 MVC) tied things up at 48 at the end of the third quarter and gradually pulled ahead midway through the fourth. After a Robinson jumper cut the deficit to three with 5:30 left in the contest, ISU scored 14 of the final 18 points to close things out.
UE will return to action on Sunday with a trip to Bradley. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m.
NOTES: Sara Dickey, UE's all-time leading scorer, now has 1,938 career points, which is the 12th-best mark in MVC history … Sasha Robinson's career rebound total now stands at 747. She's just five away from tying Jenny Schultz (1980-84) for the fourth-best mark in school history … UE is 18-30 all-time against ISU, which includes a 9-14 mark in Normal … The Aces are now 92-105 against schools from the state of Illinois.
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