NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team returns home from a three-game road trip for a pair of Missouri Valley Conference contests this weekend on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena. The Redbirds will host Bradley in their annual "We Back Pat" game, on Friday at 7 p.m., before taking on in-state foe Loyola, in their annual "PACK the Arena" game, on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Redbirds will help raise awareness for Alzheimer 's disease at Friday's "We Back Pat" game, which is named in honor of legendary Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt. Sunday's "PACK the Arena" game offers free admission to all fans.
Illinois State (3-13, 1-4 MVC) enters the weekend on a three-game skid, after suffering road losses at Indiana State (Jan. 10), Northern Iowa (Jan. 15) and Drake (Jan. 17). The Redbirds have been at their best in games played on their home court, however, with all three of the team's 2015-16 wins coming in games played on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
The Redbirds were led by Colleene Smith in their last game, a 76-41 loss at Drake on Jan. 17, as Smith poured in a team-high 14 points to go along with six rebounds. Two nights prior, in a 65-51 loss at Northern Iowa, Octavia Crump scored a game-high 19 points in the Redbird loss, while Shakeela Fowler added 11 points off the bench.
Bradley (5-11, 1-4 MVC) enters Friday's game fresh off its first Valley win of the season, a 50-44 triumph over visiting Wichita State, on Jan. 17 in Peoria, Illinois. The Braves are led by sophomore guard Anneke Schlueter, who is the team's lone player averaging double-digits in scoring, at 11.1 points per game.
Illinois State owns a 45-22 edge in the all-time series with Bradley, including a 23-9 mark in games played in Normal. Bradley has won four-straight games against the Redbirds, however, including both games last season.
Loyola (8-8, 4-1) sat atop the MVC standings heading into play last weekend, before a 73-62 home loss to Missouri State on Jan. 17 relegated the Ramblers to a share of third place in the league standings. Loyola is led by Taylor Manuel (15.3 ppg) and Taylor Johnson (14.4 ppg), who rank fifth and seventh, respectively, in league scoring.
Illinois State is 8-1 all-time against Loyola, with the only loss coming last season in Chicago. The Redbirds have never lost to the Ramblers on their home court.
Tickets for both of this weekend's games can be purchased through the Illinois State Athletics Ticket Office, by calling (309) 438-8000 or by going online at GoRedbirds.com/tickets.
Both of this weekend's games will be streamed live online on ESPN3, and links for live video, audio and stats can be found at GoRedbirds.com. Fans can also receive live updates from the game by following @Redbirdwbb on Twitter.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
