MOLINE, IL - Maya Wong’s clutch scoring and stifling defense down the stretch sent Illinois State into the NCAA tournament.

The fourth-seeded Redbirds held No. 3 seed Northern Iowa scoreless over the game’s final 5:19 and beat the Panthers 50-48 Sunday to win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. With it, Illinois State heads to NCAA play for the first time since 2008, which was the last time the Redbirds (19-13) won the MVC tournament.

Northern Iowa (22-10) led 48-42 after Cam Finley’s layup with 5:19 left and was controlling the tempo. But the Redbirds throttled the Panthers the rest of the way and handed UNI its fourth straight loss in the championship game.

JuJu Redmond scored 21 points to lead the Redbirds, made the go-ahead basket and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. But if Illinois State was to win it, she and DeAnna Wilson, who joined Redmond on the all-tournament team, were going to need some help.

Wong provided it in a big way.

She had averaged just 5.5 points in the previous six games but scored 15 in this one, making 6-of-11 shots, including a 3-pointer, and adding five assists.

Her scoring was all the more important because Wilson sat out most of the first half after picking up two quick fouls and scored just five points on 2-for-10 shooting.

All-tournament pick Karli Rucker led UNI with 16 points and was the only Panther in double figures. Emerson Green scored nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from 3-point range, Finley finished with seven and Bre Gunnels scored six.

Like Wilson, UNI post Grace Boffeli got into early foul trouble and finished with four points while playing only 14 ½ minutes.

The Panthers were left waiting for a possible bid to the WNIT. They’ve been in a postseason tournament the last six years, including the NCAAs in 2017.

Neither team was able to gain much separation before Mary Crompton started Illinois State’s final surge with a 3-pointer – her only points of the game – to slice the lead to 48-45. Then it was JuJu Time.

Redmond stole the ball, drew a foul 27 seconds later and made both free throws to get the Redbirds to within a point. They got the ball back on a turnover – UNI had only six in the game -- and again Redmond took it to the basket.

Gunnels blocked her shot, but the ball came back to Redmond and she dropped in a layup for the sixth and final lead change of the game, putting Illinois State up 49-48 with 1:53 remaining.

After both teams missed a shot, Illinois State’s Kayel Newland knocked the ball away for a steal and Wilson made one of two free throws to make it 50-48 with 8 seconds left. UNI advance the ball with a timeout, but Finley missed a jump shot just before the buzzer and Illinois State had its title in the ninth championship game decided by one or two points.

It’s the fifth MVC tournament title for Illinois State, which is now 5-4 in championship games. This was the fourth time the No. 4 seed made the finals and that team has won each time.

Redmond finished the tournament with 68 points, tying Drake’s Lizzy Wendell for sixth place on the Valley’s all-time chart. Her 29 field goals were the most since 2002 and tied her for fourth.

Missouri State’s Abi Jackson was the other all-tournament selection.
 
All-Tournament Team
Abi Jackson, Missouri State
Bre Gunnels, UNI
Karli Rucker, UNI
DeAnna Wilson, Illinois State
JuJu Redmond, Illinois State (MVP)

ELITE 17 Award
Mary Crompton, Illinois State (4.00 GPA Biological Sciences)