Jaeden Pratt and the Illinois State women’s basketball team got their revenge.
Eight days after Pratt went scoreless in the Redbirds’ 73-55 loss at Drake, the former Ankeny Centennial standout nearly recorded a double-double on Friday as third-seeded Illinois State posted a 69-62 win over the sixth-seeded Bulldogs in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
Pratt scored eight points on 3-of-7 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Redbirds, who dominated the battle of the boards by a 40-27 margin. She also had one assist in 26 minutes of action.
In Illinois State’s loss at the Knapp Center on March 5, the Redbirds were outrebounded by Drake, 43-25. The Bulldogs had 17 offensive boards that resulted in 18 second-chance points.
In Friday’s game, Drake held a 24-19 lead in the second quarter before Illinois State got a layup from Grace Nelson and a 3-point goal by Pratt to tie it. The Redbirds later ended the half with a 7-0 run to build a 35-30 advantage, then led by as many as 13 points in the second half.
Illinois State (20-12) will play No. 10 seed Evansville (9-24) in the semifinals on Saturday at 4 p.m.