NORMAL — First place was on the line in the Missouri Valley Conference on Sunday at Redbird Arena.
The Illinois State women’s basketball team tripped over it.
The Redbirds stumbled to a season-low 15 first-half points and were manhandled by Southern Illinois 65-49 before a crowd of 1,039.
Picked eighth in the MVC preseason poll, Southern strengthened its hold on first place by improving to 12-2 in league play and 17-7 overall. ISU dropped to third in the Valley at 11-4, also behind Missouri State (11-3).
The Redbirds (15-11 overall) have been held under 50 points twice this season, both times by Southern.