TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State women's basketball team recorded its first postseason win since 1977 by defeating Big Ten foe Illinois, 72-60 in the first round of the Sportsview.tv WNIT Wednesday (Mar. 16) night at the Hulman Center. With the victory, ISU set a new school record for most wins (23) in a single season.

Illinois jumped out to a twelve-point lead (17-5) in the first five and a half minutes of the game as the Sycamores missed seven of their first nine shots. Melanie Boeglin snapped the cold spell for ISU as she hit a lay-up, which was followed by a three-pointer from Lisa Verhoff to cut the Illini lead to seven. The Sycamores continued to claw their way back and both teams entered halftime deadlocked at 31-31.

Indiana State came out of the locker room and quicky jumped out to a 41-35 lead in the first four minutes of the second stanza. After Illinois cut the lead to three (41-38), the Sycamores received baskets from Stephanie Lisch and Boeglin to surge ahead by seven, a lead they would never relinquished.

Boeglin paced ISU with 19 points, hitting 6-of-11 shots from the field, including two from behind the three-point arc. Stephanie Lisch added 13 points and four rebounds for the Sycamores, while Lisa Verhoff pitched in 12 points, all from three-point land.

Angelina Williams and Tiffanie Guthrie led the Illini with 16 points apiece. Williams finished the game on 7-of-12 shooting, with Guthrie was 6-of-19 from the field and added 11 rebounds. Erin Wigley chipped in 15 points and Jere Issenmann added eight for Illinois.

ISU forced 20 Illinois turnovers, which the Sycamores converted into 15 points. Conversely, ISU turned the ball over just nine times, which turned into six Illini points. Illinois out-rebounded the Sycamores 44-27, while ISU's bench out-dueled Illinois, 15-9.

Indiana State now advances to the second round of the WNIT, where they will host Xavier on Monday, March 21, at 7:05 p.m.

GAME BOX SCORE