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NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team is in its fourth week of practice for the upcoming 2016-17 season. The Redbirds are less than one week away from their home exhibition contest against Harris-Stowe Tuesday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m., and only 16 days away from the season opener at Arizona State Friday, Nov. 11, at 5 p.m. CT.
This year's squad will be one of the youngest in the nation, featuring six freshmen, three sophomores, one junior and two seniors. Overall, the program will be ushering in seven newbies.
Sophomores Katrina Beck and Viria Livingston are the squad's top-two returning scorers, with Beck averaging 5.9 points and Livingston 5.5 points per game last season. Livingston led the Redbirds on the glass during her freshman campaign with 6.1 rebounds per game, and she is the top-returning distributor from a year ago with 36 assists, and steals leader with 33. She also set the program record for most offensive rebounds by a freshman with 78, which was good enough for the eighth-best tally in single-season history. Beck, meanwhile, looks to improve upon her team-leading 31 triples from a year ago. The duo also returns with the most starting experience from last season, combining for 47 starts. Each student-athlete played in 28 game, with Livingston starting 25 and averaging 29.1 minutes per game, while Beck started 22 contests and averaged 23.6 minutes per game.
Senior Taylor Stewart is the most experienced student-athlete in the program, having played in 88 out of a possible 90 games, including 30 career starts, with four coming last season. She averaged 5.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 21.2 minutes per game to go along with 35 assists, 27 steals and 26 made three's.
Sophomore Millie Stevens (3.2 points, 2.8 rebounds) and senior Brechelle Beachum (3.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, 31 steals) also return and add much-needed depth. Both student-athletes made six starts, while Stevens played in 29 games and Beachum all 30.
Watch the video to meet the five returnees in the program.
