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NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team (3-8, 0-0 MVC) returns to action for the first time in nine days when it begins Missouri Valley Conference play Sunday, Jan. 1, when the Redbirds host Bradley (4-7, 0-0 MVC) on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, with tipoff slated for 2 p.m.
THE SERIES:
Illinois State and Bradley are meeting for the 81st time in series history, dating back to Feb. 3, 1976, with the Redbirds holding 51-29 advantage, and 27 wins (out of 39 contests) coming in Normal. The Braves have won five of the last six and six of the last eight, after Illinois State won 15 straight in the series from Feb. 12, 2006 - Jan. 6, 2013.
THE COACHES:
Illinois State: Barb Smith (Ohio State, 1986) is in her fourth season as the head coach at Illinois State and has the Redbirds off to their best start in her four seasons as the Redbird head coach.
Bradley: Andrea Gorski (Bradley, 1992) is in her first season as the head coach at her alma mater (4-7) and sixth season overall (110-66). She is a member of the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame after a stellar four-year career as a Brave.
ILLINOIS STATE:
The Redbirds, who were picked to finish eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference, started out the nonconference slate strong, before injuries and sickness began to take over. But the Redbirds enter the New Year with a healthy roster. Senior Brechelle Beachum took over the team lead in scoring at 11.7 points per game and is tied for the team lead in steals with 18. Senior Taylor Stewart adds 11.5 points per game and team bests of 29 assists and 23 triples. Freshman Megan Talbot paces the squad on the glass with 6.1 boards per game, while junior Hannah Green chips in 8.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game to go along with team highs of 3.0 blocks and 1.9 steals per game.
BRADLEY:
Picked to finish seventh in the MVC, the Braves are looking to win three straight for the first time this season, after losing four in a row and five of six. They are 2-4 away from home, but the two wins have come in the last two games. Five players average 8.1 points or more, with Anneke Schlueter leading the way with 12.3 points and 2.2 assists per game while making all 20 of her free throw attempts and shooting 39.7 percent from behind the arc (23-of-58). Vanessa Markert adds 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, Leti Lerma chips in 8.9 points and a team-high 9.1 rebounds per game, and Chelsea Brackmann contributes 9.0 points per game and a team-high 11 rejections.
ALL-TIME SERIES VERSUS THE BRAVES
Illinois State and Bradley will be meeting for the 81st time in series history, dating back to Feb. 3, 1976 when the Redbirds earned an easy victory over the Braves, 62-29, inside Horton Fieldhouse. The two sides have played every year since, with Illinois State holding a 51-29 advantage, including a 27-12 lead at home. Bradley, however, has won five of the last six and six out of the last eight, after the Redbirds won 15 straight in the series from Feb. 12, 2006 - Jan. 6, 2013.
MISSOURI VALLEY (GATEWAY) CONFERENCE OPENERS
The Redbirds are 21-12 in conference openers and hold a 16-10 mark in conference openers at home. Illinois State is playing its ninth-consecutive MVC opener inside Redbird Arena and has opened up conference play with Bradley six previous times (5-1), with the last time coming Dec. 30, 2010.
PLAYING ON NEW YEAR'S DAY
Illinois State will be playing on New Year's Day for the eighth time Sunday, including five times at home. Overall, the Redbirds are 4-3 on the first day of the year going back to Jan. 1, 2001 when they lost to Northern Iowa. Illinois State will be playing on New Year's Day for the second-straight season.
OFFENSE SHOWS UP
Illinois State scored a season-high 80 points – the first time the Redbirds have scored 80 or more since scoring 81 in the 2015-16 home opener in against Murray State – made a season-best 31 field goals (on 70 attempts), and their 44.3 field goal percentage was their second highest of the season when they played at SIUE last time out.
BEACHUM AND STEVENS COMBINE FOR 44 POINTS, SET NEW CAREER HIGHS
Senior Brechelle Beachum and sophomore Millie Stevens combined for 44 points on 62.1 percent (18-of-29) shooting at SIUE, both setting career highs in scoring and made field goals. Beachum poured in 27 points, including 16 in the third quarter, and knocked down 11 buckets (on 18 attempts), including a career-high three triples (on five attempts), while Stevens added 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Senior Taylor Stewart, the Redbirds' leading scorer, has already tallied 127 points and swished 23 triples this season. She did not score her 127th point until the 27th game last season (2/19/16) and did not make her 23rd three-pointer until the 26th contest (2/25/16). Fellow classmate Brechelle Beachum, who scored 89 points last season, has already scored 129 this year and went over the 200-point mark for her career at Illinois State. She has already produced a pair of 24+-point games this season.
BECKLES' BENCH PRODUCTION
Freshman Zakiya Beckles played extended minutes for the first time this season in the contest at SIUE. She came off the bench and provided a spark to produce season highs in points (8), field goals (3), three-point field goals (2), assists (2), turnovers (0) and minutes played (18).
CORRIGAN RETURNS TO STARTING LINEUP
Freshman Frannie Corrigan returned to the starting lineup at SIUE for her fifth start of the season and produced four points, five rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes. She was reinserted into the starting lineup, as sophomore Katrina Beck was under the weather.
BEST START IN FOUR SEASONS
Despite being 3-8, the Redbirds are off to their best 11-game start in four seasons when they began the 2012-13 season with a record of 7-4.
BACK TO THE ROAD
Illinois State returned to the road for the first time in 24 days when the Redbirds played at Western Illinois Dec. 20, after having the luxury of playing four-consecutive home games to start December. The mini two-game road swing ended nine days ago in Edwardsville.
TALBOT TALLIES SEASON HIGH
Freshman Megan Talbot constructed her best overall game of the season at Western Illinois, as she led the Redbirds with a season-high 14 points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds. She also went a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe, establishing a new season best in made free throws.
GAME NUMBER 100
Senior Taylor Stewart played in her 100th career game as a Redbird in the contest at Western Illinois, which was out of a possible 100. Head coach Barb Smith also coached her 100th game at Illinois State in the same contest.
GREEN THROWS "WELCOME BACK" BLOCK PARTY
Junior Hannah Green returned to the lineup in the loss to Milwaukee, after missing three-straight games with an injury. She made her presence known with seven blocks, the second most in the program's history in a single game, tying Nicole Lewis, who accomplished the feat Feb. 15, 2008, at Indiana State (the record is eight by Leslie Ferrell, Feb. 8, 1988 at Missouri State). Green also added 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and three steals. The seven blocks were also the most by a Redbird since Megan Grace rejected five Bears from Missouri State March 3, 2013. She followed that performance with four more versus George Mason to give her an average of 5.5 blocks per game over the two-game sample. She has 24 through eight games this year, and her total number of rejections leads the Missouri Valley Conference and ranks 51st in the nation.
BECK BREAKING OUT
Before the game at Western Illinois, sophomore Katrina Beck had scored in double figures in five straight games, averaging 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game over the stretch. She was coming off a 14-point, four-rebound and two-steal performance while knocking down a career-high six field goals (on 11 attempts) in the loss to Milwaukee, before netting a team-high 12 points in the loss to George Mason.
LIVINGSTON RETURNS
Sophomore Viria Livingston returned to the lineup against George Mason and responded with a season-high nine rebounds.
BEACHUM DROPPING DIMES
Senior Brechelle Beachum handed out a career-high five assists in the loss to Milwaukee. She also added 11 points and four rebounds.
BECK NAMED MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Illinois State women's basketball standout Katrina Beck was named the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week, presented by Eagle Bank and Trust Company of Missouri, it was announced Tuesday, Dec. 6, by MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin. Joining Beck was Loyola Chicago's Clayton Custer. The athletes were honored for their performances during the period of Nov. 28 – Dec. 4. Beck averaged 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game while playing 79 out of a possible 80 minutes in the Redbirds' two games last week, which they beat Eastern Illinois, 60-49, and lost to Wisconsin, 64-46. Beck played all 40 minutes and scored 15 points while pulling down a then career-high eight rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals in the win over EIU. She scored 11 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter, which the Redbirds entered down two, as they outscored the Panthers, 24-11, over the final 10 minutes. Beck also tallied her 200th career point in the contest as well. Against the Badgers, she just missed her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-best nine rebounds while recording two more assists and two more steals in 39 minutes. A standout both on the court and in the classroom, Beck owns a 3.89 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) as a broadcast journalism major. To qualify for MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week laurels, student-athletes must carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20, completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution and must be at least a sophomore in academic standing. Redshirt freshmen and first-year junior college transfers are not eligible. In addition to the academic qualifications, student-athletes will be evaluated on their athletic performance for a one-week period.
STEWART NETS 500 CAREER POINTS
Senior Taylor Stewart scored her career 500th career point on a three-pointer in the third quarter in the game against Wisconsin.
375/400
The Redbirds used the same starting five for the third-consecutive game in the loss to Wisconsin: seniors Taylor Stewart and Brechelle Beachum, sophomore Katrina Beck, and freshmen Frannie Corrigan and Megan Talbot. Over the last two games, the starting five has played a grand total of 375 out of a possible 400 minutes:
Stewart - 38, career-high 39
Beachum - career-high 35 both games
Beck - career-high 40, 39
Corrigan - 36, season-high 37
Talbot - season-high 38 both games
The bench played 13 minutes against Eastern Illinois and 12 versus Wisconsin.
POUNDING THE GLASS
Illinois State almost won the rebounding battle for the second time this season, narrowly losing the edge to Wisconsin, 48-46, after the Badgers held a 16-7 lead in the fourth quarter. Freshman Megan Talbot pulled down a season-high 12 (averaging 11.0 over the last two games), sophomore Katrina Beck grabbed a career-high nine (8.5 over the last two games), and freshman Frannie Corrigan also corralled a season-high nine boards.
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
Illinois State turned it over a season-low 10 times against NIU and was averaging only 12.0 turnovers per game over its last four, before turning the rock over 18 times in the loss to Wisconsin.
STARTING DECEMBER OFF RIGHT
The victory over Eastern Illinois allowed the Redbirds to start out December 1-0 for the first time in five seasons when they beat Arkansas State, 78-50, in Tempe, Arizona, Dec. 2, 2011.
BEACHUM BURIES THE PANTHERS IN CAREER GAME
Senior Brechelle Beachum poured in a career-high 24 points, including 15 after halftime, in the victory over the Panthers. Beachum knocked down a career-best seven field goals (on 16 attempts), swished a career-high eight free throws, as she went to the line a career-best 10 times, and added a season-high six rebounds to go along with two assists and two steals while logging a career-best 35 minutes. She also tied her career high in made triples with two.
KATRINA CARRIES THE REDBIRDS LATE
Sophomore Katrina Beck, who logged all 40 minutes, added a season-high 15 points, with 11 coming in the fourth quarter, a career-best eight rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win over Eastern Illinois.
BECK AND BEACHUM CLOSE OUT EASTERN ILLINOIS
Sophomore Katrina Beck and senior Brechelle Beachum combined to score 20 points in the final period, where the Redbirds outscored Eastern Illinois, 24-11. Beck made 4-of-5 field goals, including 2-of-3 from deep, while Beachum connected on 2-of-3 shots and delivered on all four of her free throw attempts. As a team, the Redbirds shot 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the field, 3-of-5 from distance and 7-of-8 at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.
STEWART SUCCEEDS ELSEWHERE
Senior Taylor Stewart, the Redbirds' leading scorer, was held to only three points against Eastern Illinois, but she handed out a game-high six assists and recorded a game-best four steals to tie career highs in both categories. She also tied a career high in minutes played with 38.
TALBOT AND CORRIGAN EQUAL GLUE
Freshmen Megan Talbot and Frannie Corrigan were "glue guys" in the win over Eastern Illinois. Talbot played 38 minutes and tied her season high in scoring with nine points and just missed a double-double with a season-best 10 rebounds. She scored five of the Redbirds' nine points in the first quarter, as they trailed by seven. Corrigan, meanwhile, finished with six points, five rebounds, one steal and one block in 36 minutes.
MORGAN MAKING MOVES
Freshman Morgan VanHyfte came off the bench at NIU and produced season highs of 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal while knocking down 6-of-12 shots, including 2-of-3 from distance.
OTHER FRESHMEN STEP UP
Megan Talbot led the Redbirds in rebounds (6) and blocks (2) against the Huskies and chipped in nine points, tallying season highs in all three categories. Frannie Corrigan chipped in a season-high six points and three rebounds, while Zakiya Beckles netted the first five points of her career.
SO MUCH ROBBERY
The Redbirds recorded a season-high 18 steals in the win over Valparaiso. Joining junior Hannah Green with four steals against the Crusaders was sophomore Katrina Beck, who registered a career high, and senior Brechelle Beachum recorded a season-high three. Eight of the 11 Redbirds who played tallied at least one. And against Yale, Beck once again tied her career high with four.
ABOVE .500
The win over Valparaiso moved the Redbirds over the .500 mark for the first time since finishing the 2012-13 season with a record of 24-11.
STEWART'S CAREER DAY FOLLOWS STEWART'S CAREER NIGHT
Senior Taylor Stewart poured in a career-high 24 points and tied the program record for most three-pointers in a game with seven in the win over Valparaiso. She made of 7-of-12 from behind the arc, setting new career highs in both three-point field goals and attempts, and finished the game 7-of-14 from the field, tying her career best made field goals. In the previous contest at UIC, Stewart tied or set a new career high in six different categories. She scored a then career-best 19 points, connected on a career-high seven field goals, tied a career best in field goal attempts with 15, swished a then career-high four three's, took a then career-best 10 three-pointers and recorded a career-high four steals for the third time in her career. Over the two-game sample, Stewart averaged 21.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
GREEN GOBBLES UP VALPO
Junior Hannah Green produced a solid all-around performance in the win over Valparaiso. Not only did she produce season highs in points (15), rebounds (9) and steals (4), she held the Crusaders' leading scorer, Dani Franklin, to only seven points, 18.5 points below her season average.
STEVENS SHINES AFTER SLOW START AGAINST VALPARAISO
Sophomore Millie Stevens missed her first six shots against Valparaiso, but she finished strong, scoring a season-high 15 points while tying a career high in rebounds with nine.
LIVINGSTON STUFFS THE STAT SHEET
Sophomore Viria Livingston stuffed the stat sheet against Valparaiso with five points, a season-high seven rebounds, a career-best six assists and two steals. She also set the tone on defense with her ball pressure.
DRAINING FROM DOWNTOWN
The Redbirds recorded a season-high 10 triples against Valparaiso, their most in a game since making 10 against Bradley, Feb. 12, 2012.
TURNOVERS
The Redbirds took much better care of the basketball against Valparaiso and turned the ball over only 12 times. Illinois State's defensive pressure forced the Crusaders into 30 turnovers, which led to a 27-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
WINNING THE BATTLE ON THE GLASS
The Redbirds won the battle on the glass for the first time this season, 43-39, in the win over Valparaiso. Illinois State also held a huge lead on the offensive boards, 20-7, which resulted in a 16-4 lead in second-chance points.
BEACHUM RIGHT BEHIND AT UIC
Senior Brechelle Beachum also had a career night offensively in the win over UIC, tying or establishing career highs in four different categories. She netted a career-best 15 points, made a career-high five field goals, tied a career best in field goal attempts with 13 and tied her career high in made three's with two.
NONCONFERENCE ROAD LOSING SKID ENDS
Illinois State's victory at UIC ended a 15-game losing streak in true nonconference road games. Before Monday night's win, the Redbirds' last win on the road in the nonconference was Dec. 30, 2012 when they won at Butler, 65-57. Including neutral site games, Illinois State had lost 19 of its last 20 away from Redbird Arena, with its only win coming in a 68-64 triumph over Florida, Nov. 29, 2013 in the Bahamas.
1-1 START
Illinois State's win over UIC produced the Redbirds' second-consecutive 1-1 start to the season.
46TH SEASON OPENER
Illinois State dropped to 21-25 all-time in season openers, after falling at No. 18/16 Arizona State.
LONGEST ROAD TRIP
The season-opening trip to Tempe, Arizona, then to Chicago, Illinois, was Illinois State's longest road trip of the season in terms of days (5) and miles (3,652) roundtrip.
REDBIRDS PICKED EIGHTH IN THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE
Illinois State was selected to finish eighth in the 2016-17 Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, announced Tuesday, Oct. 25 by the league prior to the start of the league's Media Day at the St. Louis City Center Hotel. The poll is compiled from votes by the conference's sports information directors, media and coaches. The Redbirds received 123 points in the poll, after finishing seventh last season when they were predicted to finish last. Drake is the favorite to win the league, as the Bulldogs collected 392 points and 34 out of a possible 40 first-place votes. Northern Iowa is predicted to finish second with 317 points and four first-place votes, while Missouri State was picked right behind the Panthers in third place with 313 points and the final two first-place votes. Southern Illinois (306), Wichita State (248), Indiana State (199) and Bradley (141) fill out slots four through seven. Completing the final two spots in the poll after ISU is Evansville (109) and Loyola Chicago (52).
NEEDS REPLACING
Illinois State lost its top-three scorers from a year ago, who combined to average 30.5 points per game, which was 52.4 percent of the team's scoring.
RETURNING REDBIRDS
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 all 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.
NEW FACES
Out of the six incoming freshmen, three hail from the state of Illinois: Frannie Corrigan (LaGrange Park, Ill./Lyons Township), Morgan VanHyfte (Annawan, Ill./Annawan) and Megan Talbot (Barrington, Ill./Barrington). Zakiya Beckles (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex), Deja Turner (Tampa, Fla./Plant) and Amaria Allen (Cincinnati, Ohio/Colerain) are the other incoming freshmen. Junior Hannah Green (Santa Clarita, Calif./West Ranch (College of the Canyons)) is a junior college transfer from the state of California. Green will be a junior and averaged 13.9 points, 13.7 rebounds and 6.5 blocks per game, as she led the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) in blocks per game and ranked third in caroms per game.
ONE OF THE YOUNGEST IN THE NATION
With its roster consisting of six freshmen, three sophomores, one junior and only two seniors, the 2016-17 edition of the Redbirds will be one of the youngest teams in the nation.
REST OF THE NONCONFERENCE
The Redbirds will not have to travel far during the nonconference portion of their schedule, after starting the season at Arizona State. ISU plays its next 10 games in their home state, with six taking place inside Redbird Arena against the likes of Valparaiso, Yale, Eastern Illinois, Wisconsin, Milwaukee and George Mason. The Redbirds will have the luxury of only having to travel to UIC, Northern Illinois, Western Illinois and SIUE.
UP NEXT
The Redbirds return to the road to start a two-game conference road swing, beginning with a trip to Chicago next Friday, Jan. 6, to take on Loyola Chicago, with tipoff slated for 7 p.m. inside Gentile Arena.
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