NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team hosts Lindenwood in an exhibition game at 7:05 p.m., in Redbird Arena Wednesday. It is the only public exhibition game the Redbirds will play before the 2015-16 regular season.
Illinois State returns four letterwinners from the 2014-15 team that finished 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference regular season.
The Redbirds were projected to finish 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll for the 2015-16 season, as voted on by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media. Illinois State received 48 votes in the poll with its 10th-place selection, a change of pace since ISU has been picked in the top-five in 19 of the 33 preseason polls in conference history. It is the first time in school history that the Redbirds have been picked to finish 10th. The Redbirds were expected to finish ninth over five-straight seasons from 1999-2000 though the 2003-04 season.
REDBIRDS-LIONS SERIES
Illinois State and Lindenwood will meet for the first time in program history Wednesday evening at 7:05 p.m., in Redbird Arena.
ABOUT LINDENWOOD
• Lindenwood is located in St. Charles, Missouri, and has an enrollment of 8,787.
• The Lions are members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (Division II).
• The Lions finished last season with an 11-16 record, including a conference record of 4-15. Lindenwood finished 12th in the MIAA.
• Lindenwood was picked to finish ninth in the MIAA preseason poll.
IN-SEASON MEDIA CONFERENCES
ISU Athletics Communications will host eight in-season media conferences during the 2015-16 season. Each conference will feature head coach Barb Smith and a member of the ISU basketball team. The media conferences start at 1:15 p.m., and the scheduled dates are: Nov. 11, Dec. 3, Dec. 14, Jan. 5, Jan. 19, Feb. 10, Feb, 23 and March 1.
REDBIRDS PICKED 10TH IN MVC
The Illinois State women's basketball team was projected to finish 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll for the 2015-16 season, as voted on by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and media. Illinois State received 48 votes in the poll with its 10th-place selection, a change of pace since ISU has been picked in the top-five in 19 of the 33 preseason polls in conference history. It is the first time in school history that the Redbirds have been picked to finish 10th. The Redbirds were expected to finish ninth over five-straight seasons from 1999-2000 though the 2003-04 season. Missouri State is the preseason favorite to win the conference with 373 points and 22 first-place votes, and is followed by Drake with 347 points and 15 first-place votes. Northern Iowa (320), Southern Illinois (297) and Wichita State (214) round out the top-five teams, collecting one first-place vote apiece. Evansville is projected to finish sixth (182), with Indiana State (151) following in seventh place. Loyola (142) and Bradley (126) were selected to finish in eighth and ninth, respectively. Illinois State was selected to finish eighth prior to the 2014-15 season and ended the regular season in 10th place.
A LEGEND RETURNS HOME
Redbird legend Cathy Boswell has joined the Illinois State women's basketball staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2015-16 season. Boswell came to Illinois State as a 16-year-old freshman and left as the school's all-time leader in scoring and rebounds. She has 31 years of competitive basketball experience, including 24 years of professional basketball. Most recently, Boswell was the head coach of the Tenerife Club in Spain for two seasons. Boswell graduated from Joliet West High School in just three years, and the Shorewood, Illinois, native burst onto the scene in her first two seasons at Illinois State, leading the Redbirds to a 51-18 record, an AIAW State Championship and a WNIT bid. She eclipsed 1,000 points in her first two years and still holds the ISU freshman and sophomore records for scoring average, field goals and rebounds. A WBCA All-American in 1982 and 1983, Boswell led the Redbirds to 90 wins in her career. She was the first Redbird to eclipse 2,000 points. Boswell is the ISU career record-holder in field goals, rebounding average, and is in the top-10 in scoring, assists, blocks and steals. Boswell is a three-time hall of fame inductee, including Joliet West High School, Missouri Valley Conference and Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame. Her ISU number is retired and hanging in the rafters of Redbird Arena.
RETURNING MINUTES
Prior to the 2015-16 season, ISU lost most of its minutes played. With only four returning Redbirds from the 2014-15 season, ISU lost 64 percent of its minutes played from the previous season. The Redbirds return Taylor Stewart and Octavia Crump, who played 825 and 721 minutes during the 2014-15 season, respectively, which were the second- and third-most minutes played.
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