NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team starts a three-game road swing, as it travels to Chicago, Illinois, to take on No. 23/18 DePaul Saturday at 7 p.m., inside McGrath-Phillips Arena.
The 7 p.m. contest will be the first ranked opponent Illinois State will face this season. Since the 1971-72 season, the women's basketball program has competed against 61 ranked teams, as Dec. 5 will mark the 62nd game against a ranked opponent. The 2015-16 meeting will mark the sixth time the two teams have competed when DePaul was ranked.
Illinois State fell to visiting SIUE, 65-57, in a non-conference game on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena Tuesday night. Freshman Shakeela Fowler led the Redbirds with 12 points. She also recorded four assists and three steals. Octavia Crump registered 10 points and three rebounds to go along with two steals and two blocks. Viria Livingston recorded a career-high 10 rebounds, while chipping in five points. SIUE's Shronda Butts led all scorers with a total of 20 points.
REDBIRDS-BLUE DEMONS SERIESIllinois State and DePaul will meet for the 15th time in program history Saturday at 7 p.m., in Chicago. The Blue Demons lead the all-time series, 11-3, including eight-straight wins since the 2006-07 season. DePaul has a 5-1 advantage in games played in Chicago, Illinois. Illinois State's last win over its in-state rival came nearly three decades ago, on Jan. 11, 1984, when the Redbirds won, 78-65, at DePaul.
ABOUT DePaul
• DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois, and has an enrollment of 25,145.
• The Blue Demons are members of the BIG EAST Conference and finished the 2014-15 season in first place.
• The Blue Demons finished 27-8 last season with a conference record of 15-3.
• DePaul advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season and ended with a record of 1-1.
• DePaul ended the 2014-15 season ranked 35th.
THROUGH THE RANKS
On Saturday, the Redbirds travel to Chicago to take on in-state rival No. 23/18 DePaul. The 7 p.m. contest will be the first ranked opponent Illinois State will face this season. Since the 1971-72 season, the women's basketball program has competed against 61 ranked teams, as Dec. 5 will mark the 62nd game against a ranked opponent. The last time ISU faced a ranked rival was during the 2014-15 season, when the Redbirds played against then-ranked No. 25 DePaul. The Blue Demons defeated the Redbirds, 99-62, at Redbird Arena on Dec. 28, 2014. The 2015-16 meeting will mark the sixth time the two teams have competed when DePaul was ranked.
A STRONGER START
Through six games, Illinois State has struggled to get its offense going early in each contest. In the first quarter, ISU has scored a combined 56 points in six games, averaging to 9.3 points in the opening quarter. During the second quarter, ISU has scored 88 combined points, averaging to 14.6 points scored in the second quarter. In the first half, ISU averages 24 points per game. However, after the break, the Redbirds are able to find a rhythm, as they average 36 combined points in the second half of play. As a team, ISU's offense improves with each quarter, as Illinois State has scored 121 combined points in the fourth quarter through six games.
CONTROLLING THE BOARDS
Freshman Viria Livingston pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds in ISU's 65-57 loss to SIUE (Dec. 1). Livingston pulled down four offensive boards to go along with six defensive rebounds in the game. She is the first Redbird to record double-digit rebounds in a game this season. The freshmen guard has led the Redbirds on the board in their last two games. Over the last two games, Livingston is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game.
SECOND CHANCES
On average, Illinois State trails opponents in total rebounds by four boards, but through six games, the Redbirds have pulled down 78 offensive boards, two more than their opponents. ISU is led by Viria Livingston and Millie Stevens in offensive rebounds. Livingston has collected 14 offensive boards, while Stevens has grabbed 12. ISU is averaging 13 offensive rebounds per game.
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