The Illinois State women’s basketball team defeated Drake 69-62 in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday night at Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
The third-seeded Redbirds, who improve to 20-12 on the season, advance to Saturday’s 4 p.m. semifinal against No. 10 seed Evansville which upset No. 2 seed Belmont, 76-63, earlier Friday.
Sophomores Trista Fayta and Doneelah Washington led ISU with 22 and 20 points, respectively. A Washington 3-point basket with 1:45 remaining in the second quarter fueled a 7-0 run at the end of the first half that saw ISU run out to a 35-30 lead at halftime.
The Redbirds would jump ahead as many as 13 points in the second half and never relinquish the lead.
With the win, ISU reached the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive season under ninth-year head coach Kristen Gillespie.
ISU last won the MVC tournament in 2022.
Top-seeded Murray State and No. 4 seed Northern Iowa will meet in the 1:30 p.m. semifinal after winning their Friday quarterfinal games.
