WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

03/13 03:43 CDT Illinois State plays Drake in MVC Tournament Illinois State plays Drake in MVC Tournament By The Associated Press Drake Bulldogs (12-19, 11-10 MVC) vs. Illinois State Redbirds (19-12, 13-7 MVC) Coralville, Iowa; Friday, 9:30 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Illinois State plays Drake in the MVC Tournament. The Redbirds are 13-7 against MVC opponents and 6-5 in non-conference play. Illinois State has a 5-7 record against opponents over .500. The Bulldogs' record in MVC play is 11-10. Drake ranks eighth in the MVC allowing 74.4 points while holding opponents to 42.5% shooting. Illinois State averages 72.9 points per game, 1.5 fewer points than the 74.4 Drake allows. Drake averages 6.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 more made shot on average than the 5.7 per game Illinois State allows. The teams meet for the third time this season. Drake won 73-55 in the last matchup on March 6. Abbie Aalsma led Drake with 17 points, and Trista Fayta led Illinois State with 14 points. TOP PERFORMERS: Doneelah Washington is averaging 16.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.7 blocks for the Redbirds. Fayta is averaging 14.4 points over the last 10 games. Aalsma is averaging 15.1 points for the Bulldogs. Anna Becker is averaging 12.6 points over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Redbirds: 7-3, averaging 71.0 points, 29.6 rebounds, 16.0 assists, 6.1 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.4 points per game. Bulldogs: 6-4, averaging 73.2 points, 36.6 rebounds, 17.3 assists, 6.1 steals and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.9 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.