NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team looks to rebound, after suffering losses to the MVC's first- and second-place teams on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena last weekend, when it hits the road to face a couple of in-state foes in Loyola and Bradley this weekend.
Despite dropping two-straight games, the Redbirds (6-17, 4-8 MVC) remain in seventh place in the Valley standings and will hit the road to play Loyola on Friday and Bradley on Sunday. Friday night's game will start at 7 p.m. and Sunday's tilt will begin at 2 p.m., with both games streamed live on ESPN3.
Shakeela Fowler continued in her role as one of Illinois State's top offensive threats, as she averaged 8.5 points per game over a pair of Missouri Valley Conference contests last weekend. Fowler scored 12 points in the Redbirds' 98-58 loss to MVC co-leader Drake on Feb. 12, and five points in Illinois State's 61-35 loss to MVC co-leader Northern Iowa on Feb. 14.
Loyola (12-12, 8-5 MVC) is one of the best shooting teams in the league, ranking second in field goal percentage (42.9). The Ramblers also rank first in blocked shots per game (5.4). Loyola is led by Taylor Manuel, who is in the top-five in the conference in scoring (15.4 per game) and rebounding (7.5 per game).
Bradley (7-17, 3-10 MVC) is one of the best teams in the Valley at defending the three, ranking No. 1 in opponent's three-point field goal percentage (28.9). The Braves have two players averaging just under 10 points per game, with Anneke Schlueter and Whitney Tinjum average 9.9 and 9.6 points per game, respectively.
The Redbirds hold the all-time advantage against both squads, with an 8-2 record against Loyola and a 46-22 advantage over the Braves. Both games will be streamed live 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.
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