NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team held its first practice of the 2017-18 season Monday in the North Gym, located inside Horton Field House. The official practice was the first for first-year head coach Kristen Gillespie.
Gillespie, the eighth head coach in program history, was introduced April 4, 2017, after compiling an impressive overall record of 105-65 in her previous stops at Benedictine University and Lewis University over the past six seasons. She will have the task of navigating the Redbirds back to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference standings and has the proven track record to do so.
Illinois State lost its top-two scorers from a year ago in seniors Brechelle Beachum and Taylor Stewart, who combined to average 22.9 points per game, which was 42.2 percent of the team's scoring. Junior Katrina Beck and senior Hannah Green are the squad's top-two returning scorers, with Beck averaging 8.7 points and Green averaging 6.6 points per game last season. Beck is also the top returner in field goals (85), 3-point field goals (31), free throws (team-best 68), assists (44) and steals (43), while Green had a historic season on defense, rejecting an MVC-best 75 shots, which was the second-most in program history, and averaging a program-record 2.9 blocks per game. She also led the Redbirds in field goal percentage (.396) and free throw percentage (.793).
The Redbirds, who were one of the youngest teams in the nation a year ago, will still be youthful with two freshmen, six sophomores, four juniors and one senior. After seven newcomers entered the program last season, Gillespie will welcome three newcomers in her inaugural campaign, including junior Simone Goods (Omaha, Neb./Benson), the 2017 Spalding® NJCAA DII Women's Player of the Year. Goods led Kirkwood Community College to a perfect 37-0 record and an NJCAA Division II National Championship. For the season, she averaged 16.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game and shot 67.9 percent from the field, which was the top mark in the Division II ranks. Completing the recruiting class are freshmen Ajai Simmons (Studio City, Calif.) and Paige Saylor (Martinsville, Ind./Roncalli).
Illinois State will play 29 regular-season contests, with 15 on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena, 13 being true road tilts and one neutral-site game. The Redbirds have 11 nonconference games scheduled and 18 Valley contests. The highlight of the nonconference slate is a trip to Long Beach, California, where Illinois State will play in two games at Long Beach State's Beach Classic, Dec. 20-21. The Redbirds open against the hosts, who are the defending Big West champions and a 2016 NCAA Tournament participant, before taking on either New Mexico State, another 2016 NCAA Tournament participant and the defending Western Athletic Conference champions, or Northeastern.
For the second year in a row, MVC play starts at home with Bradley, part of a doubleheader with the men's team on New Year's Eve, and ends in Peoria against the Braves on the first Saturday in March. Illinois State has a four-game home stand halfway through league play, as the Redbirds will welcome the top-two teams from a year ago, Drake and Northern Iowa, at the end of January, before meeting Loyola Chicago and conference-newcomer Valparaiso over the first weekend of February. Illinois State defeated both the Ramblers and Crusaders last season.
The MVC Tournament will take place at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois, for the third year in a row, with the event running March 8-11.
Home Start Times (All CT)
Wednesday, Nov. 1 – 7 p.m. – Eureka (Exhibition)
Wednesday, Nov. 15 – 7 p.m. – Northern Kentucky
Sunday, Nov. 26 – 2 p.m. – UMKC
Thursday, Nov. 30 – 7 p.m. – SIUE
Sunday, Dec. 3 – 2 p.m. – Butler
Sunday, Dec. 10 – 2 p.m. – Eastern Michigan
Sunday, Dec. 17 – 2 p.m. – Cleveland State
Sunday, Dec. 31 – 11 a.m. – Bradley*
Friday, Jan. 12 – 7 p.m. – Missouri State*
Sunday, Jan. 14 – 2 p.m. – Southern Illinois*
Friday, Jan. 26 – 7 p.m. – Drake*
Sunday, Jan. 28 – 2 p.m. – Northern Iowa*
Friday, Feb. 2 – 7 p.m. – Loyola Chicago *
Sunday, Feb. 4 – 1 p.m. – Valparaiso*
Friday, Feb. 16 – 7 p.m. – Indiana State*
Sunday, Feb. 18 – 2 p.m. – Evansville*
Away Start Times (All CT)
Saturday, Nov. 11 – 12 p.m. – at Oakland
Wednesday, Nov. 22 – 11 a.m. – at George Mason
Thursday, Dec. 7 – 7 p.m. – at Milwaukee
Wednesday, Dec. 20 – 5 p.m. – at Long Beach State
Thursday, Dec. 21 - TBD – vs New Mexico State or Northeastern
Friday, Jan. 5 – 7 p.m. – at Valparaiso*
Sunday, Jan. 7 – 1 p.m. – at Loyola Chicago*
Friday, Jan. 19 – 7 p.m. – at Evansville*
Sunday, Jan. 21 – 1 p.m. – at Indiana State*
Friday, Feb. 9 – 6 p.m. – at Southern Illinois*
Sunday, Feb. 11 – 2 p.m. – at Missouri State*
Friday, Feb. 23 – 7 p.m. – at Northern Iowa*
Sunday, Feb. 25 – 2 p.m. – at Drake*
Saturday, March 3 – 2 p.m.. – at Bradley*
MVC Tournament
March 8-11 – Moline, Illinois (iWireless Center)
*MVC contest
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