ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The Illinois State women's basketball team defeated third-seeded Drake (22-10), 70-62, in the championship game of the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Sunday, March 16. The win clinched the second MVC Tournament title in the last four years for the Redbirds and gives ISU the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Redbirds became the 15th No. 1 seed to win the title in the 24-year history of the MVC Tournament.

The Redbirds will make their fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament, their first since winning the conference tournament crown in 2005. ISU will find out its NCAA Tournament fate when the field of 64 is announced on ESPN at 6 p.m. CDT.

Junior guard Kristi Cirone was named the MVP after scoring a game-high 20 points in the final and averaging 18.7 points per game (ppg) over the three days. She is the second Redbird to win the award, joining Jaci McCormack, who was named MVP in 2005. Cirone was 5-for-6 from the free throw line against the Bulldogs and her first two foul shots of the game made her the Illinois State all-time leader in the category, moving her past Katie Donovan.

Sophomore forward Ashleen Bracey recorded her second-consecutive double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds, which tied her career-high and the ISU MVC Tournament single-game high. Bracey averaged 13.0 ppg and collected 37 rebounds in the three games, the most a player has had in the conference tournament.

Sophomore guard Maggie Krick, the Redbirds' third all-tournament selection, added 14 points and three assists against Drake. Senior guard Tiffany Hudson scored nine points and sophomore forward Kenyatta Shelton pulled down eight rebounds, including six on the offensive end.

The Bulldogs started the game shooting well from long range, making their first three three-pointers, and held a 15-10 lead at the 13:21 mark. Consecutive three-point plays gave Drake a nine-point cushion, but Hudson answered with ISU's first three-point field goal of the game to snap a 3:25 scoreless streak and cut the score to 21-15.

Trailing by eight, Illinois State used a 9-2 run over a four-minute span to pull within one, 27-26. Drake guard Lindsey Whorton hit a three-pointer from the top of the key to stop the Redbird run and snap a streak of more than four minutes that Drake was without a field goal. Cirone scored the next four points for the Redbirds, including the record-setting free throws, and ISU was down by one point, 31-30, with 2:18 remaining. The two teams traded baskets over the remainder of the half, including a layup by senior center Lashawn Johnson as the shot clock expired, and Drake held a one-point edge at halftime, 35-34.

Bracey canned a jumper on ISU's first possession of the second half to give the Redbirds their first lead since the beginning of the game, 36-35. The lead grew to four points, 41-37, after Shelton made a wide-open layup off a feed from Jackson. Whorton snapped another four-minute Drake scoreless streak with a jumper in the lane.

With their lead at one point, the Redbirds reeled off a 14-3 run to go ahead by double-digits, 56-44, with just under eight minutes left in the game. Bracey scored six-straight points during the run, with two of her layups coming after offensive rebounds. Drake committed three offensive fouls during the stretch.

Drake managed to cut the deficit down to nine points, but Shelton made two free throws and after another offensive rebound by Bracey, Krick cut through the lane for an uncontested layup to give ISU its biggest lead of the game, 61-48. From that point, Illinois State began to run some clock. After nearly draining the shot clock, Krick missed a short jumper, but Shelton leapt above two Drake players to tap it back out to her. Shelton came up big on the offensive glass again, picking up a board after Cirone missed a free throw. She was fouled coming down with the rebound and made one free throw to put the `Birds back up by 12, 64-52.

A quick 5-1 run brought Drake within eight points, 65-57, with less than a minute left. The Bulldogs would get no closer after that as the Redbirds made five free throws down the stretch to clinch the victory.
 

2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women's Basketball Championship Schedule
Thursday-Sunday * March 13-16 * The Family Arena * St. Charles, Mo.
Thursday, March 13 * Opening Round (Session I attendance: 1,421)
Game 1: No. 9 Southern Illinois def. No. 8 Bradley, 65-54					Quotes
Game 2: No. 7 UNI def. No. 10 Wichita State, 75-45					Quotes
Friday, March 14 * Quarterfinals (Session II attendance: 1,856/Session III attendance: 2,156)
Game 3: No. 1 Illinois State def No. 9 Southern Illinois, 77-65					Quotes
Game 4: No. 4 Creighton def. No. 5 Missouri State, 56-49					Quotes
Game 5: No. 2 Evansville def. No. 7 Northern Iowa 79-56					Quotes
Game 6: No. 3 Drake def. No. 6 Indiana State, 65-59					Quotes
Saturday, March 15 * Semifinals (Session IV attendance: 2,385)
Game 7: No. 1 Illinois State def No. 4 Creighton, 68-60					Quotes
Game 8: No. 3 Drake def. No. 2 Evansville, 46-41					Quotes
Sunday, March 16 * Final (Session V attendance: 1,829)
Game 9: No. 1 Illinois State def No. 3 Drake, 70-62					Quotes