Redbirds Finish First Half of MVC Slate on the Road

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team returns to the road with stops at Loyola and Valparaiso this weekend to complete the first half of Valley play.

GAME INFORMATION VS. LOYOLA CHICAGO
Illinois State Redbirds (10-8, 3-4) vs. Loyola Chicago (9-9, 3-4)

When: Friday, Feb. 1

Tip-Off: 7 p.m. CT

Watch: ESPN+

Listen: 1230 AM

THE SERIES VS. LOYOLA CHICAGO

• The Redbirds are 10-5 overall when facing the Ramblers. The 'Birds are 6-1 at home, 3-4 at Loyola Chicago and 1-0 at a neutral site.

• The teams most recently met on Feb. 2, 2018 in Redbird Arena where the 'Birds captured a 57-49 victory.  

REDBIRD BITS

• Illinois State enters the contest coming off of a tough loss to I-74 rival, Bradley.

• Megan Talbot had a noteworthy performance in Saturday's game against Bradley. The junior forward has recently returned after being plagued by injury for the first half of the season. Talbot tied her career high with 3-pointers made (2) and assists (4). She was strong from the field, shooting 62.5 percent, adding 12 points for the 'Birds and grabbed four boards.

•TeTe Maggett  averages 17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game in Valley play. The junior guard has scored in double figures in all but one MVC contest and set a new career high of 29 points in win over UNI. She averages 94 percent from the charity stripe, netting 32-for-34 and leads the 'Birds in 3-point shooting with 19 made during MVC play. Currently, Maggett sits fifth in the Valley for overall points per game (16.1) and fifth in 3-pointers per game (1.9).

 • Illinois State continues to lead the Valley and sits in the top 100 in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to 60.3 points. The squad is also second in the Valley in field goal percent defense with challengers averaging 38.0 percent.

SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS

• Loyola enters the game after facing two road losses against Missouri State and Southern Illinois.

• The Squad is led by the trio of Abby O'Connor, Janae Gonzales and Ellie Rice, who each average double figures this season.

• Gonzales netted a season-high of 30 points in Sunday's loss to SIU. The freshman guard was one triple shy of breaking the single-game program record, sinking 8-for-13.   

• O'Connor averages a team-high 13.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. The sophomore was selected to the MVC All-Freshman team last season and is one of three Ramblers to start in all 18 contests this season.

GAME INFORMATION VS. VALPARAISO
Illinois State Redbirds (10-8, 3-4) vs. Valparaiso Crusaders (5-14, 1-6)

When: Sunday, Feb. 3

Tip-Off: 1 p.m. CT

Watch: ESPN 3

Listen: 1230 AM

THE SERIES VS. VALPARAISO

• The Redbirds are 4-2 overall against the Crusaders. ISU is 2-1 at home, 1-1 at Valpo and 1-0 at a neutral site.

• Illinois State most recently faced Valparaiso on Feb. 4, 2018, finishing with a 63-55 edge over the Crusaders.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS

• Valparaiso dropped the previous weekend's matches to Southern Illinois and Missouri State.

• The squad is under the direction of first-year head coach Mary Evans. Evans came to Valpo after a five-year stint at Ohio University as an assistant coach.

• The Crusaders are led by the duo of Meredith Hamlet and Addison Stoller, who average 13.3 and 11.4 points, respectively. The pair have each started all 19 contests this season.

• In Valpo's last game, Shay Frederick came off the bench and led the team with 17 points. She made a season-high six field goals and swished in four threes. The freshman guard has appeared in all 19 games this season and averages 7.1 points per game.  

NEXT UP

The Redbirds return to Doug Collins Court on Friday, Feb. 8 as the squad enters the second half of the MVC slate, taking on Evansville in Redbird Arena. On Feb. 10, ISU will host Indiana State for its annual Play 4Kay game with tip-off set for 2 p.m.

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