NORMAL, Ill.- After trailing by nine at halftime, Wichita State (13-10, 5-7) cut the deficit to two midway through the second half but fell, 62-50, Friday night at  Illinois State (17-5, 10-1).

Jessica Diamond led the Shockers with 11 points while Sheena Johnson and Michelle Price added 10 points each for WSU. Ashleen Bracey led the Redbirds with 18 points.

A matchup of the second and fifth ranked defenses in the league lived up to its billing in the early minutes.

After giving up a basket on the Redbirds' first possession, the Shocker defense started to clamp down. Going into the second media timeout, WSU had held ILS to six points on 37-percent shooting and had forced four Redbird turnovers.

But the Shockers held just a two-point advantage, 8-6, after shooting just 22-percent themselves.

ILS started to heat up thanks to Bracey, who was 6-for-7 from the floor for 13 points in the first half. Her basket with 7:02 to play in the half started an 8-0 ILS run that gave the Redbirds a 23-16 lead.

A Bracey free-throw gave ILS its largest lead of the half, 31-20, with just under a minute to play in the half, but a driving layup from Haleigh Lankster cut the defecit to 31-22 at the half.

The Shockers shot 35-percent for the half while the Redbirds heated up to 54-percent.

In the third start of her career, Michelle Price led the Shockers with six points in the half. Lankster, Diamond and Chynna Turner each had four points for WSU.

The second half began much like the first with both teams cold from the floor in the early going. As was the case in the first frame, the Shockers held the Redbirds to just six points heading into the first media timeout, but could only shave one point off the ILS lead.

WSU would make a run, however. Diamond got the offense rolling with an old-fashioned three-point play as she was fouled while hitting a 17-foot jumper. Jazimen Gordon, Sheena Johnson and Diamond all hit jumpers as part of a 9-3 run to cut the ILS lead to two, 40-38, with eight minutes to play.

The Redbirds responded quickly with a 14-2 run that started on a three-point play by Nicolle Lewis. Maggie Krick and Katie Broadway each hit 3-pointers in the run that extended the ILS lead to 12, 54-42, with 4:10 on the clock.

The Shockers couldn't get closer than eight points the rest of the way, falling, 62-50.

The Shockers held ILS to 36-percent shooting in the second half, but shot just 32-percent in the frame and 33-percent in the game. WSU took care of the basketball, committing just five turnovers.

WSU travels to Terre Haute, Ind., on Sunday for a matchup against Indiana State. Tip-off is set for 1:05 p.m., central time.