NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team continues their homestand, taking on the Ramblers of Loyola Chicago on Friday before hosting Valparaiso on Sunday for ISU's annual Play4Kay game. Friday's game tips off at 7 p.m., with Sunday afternoon's contest set for a 2 p.m. start.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (13-8, 5-5 MVC) vs. Loyola Chicago (15-7, 6-5 MVC) / Valparaiso (13-9, 5-6 MVC)
When: Friday, Feb. 14 / Sunday Feb. 16
Tip-Off: 7 p.m. / 2 p.m. CT
Location: Normal, Ill.
Arena: Redbird Arena
Watch: ESPN+ / ESPN+
Radio: WJBC AM 1230
Live Stats: Loyola Chicago / Valparaiso
SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS
Loyola is coming off a pair of wins over Indiana State and Evansville last weekend to improve to 6-5 in conference play and fourth in the Valley standings.
Junior guard/forward Abby O'Connor leads the Ramblers, averaging 13.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game on the year. Senior guard Tiara Wallace has totaled 100 assists on the season, dishing out on average 4.5 assists per game.
Head coach Kate Achter is in her fourth year at the helm of the women's basketball program, owning a 37-74 record in that span.
SERIES HISTORY – LOYOLA CHICAGO
Illinois State leads the all-time series with the Ramblers, 11-7, including a 7-1 advantage when playing at Redbird Arena.
Despite the overall record, Loyola Chicago emerged victorious in the last meeting with the Redbirds, handing ISU a 69-64 loss when they visited Gentile Arena in Chicago earlier this season. Fifth-year senior Lexi Wallen led all scorers with 23 points on the day, with TeTe Maggett and Juliunn Redmond each adding 16 and 12 points, respectively. Megan Talbot owned the boards that day, collecting a game-high nine rebounds.
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
The Crusaders are also coming off a pair of victories over Indiana State and Evansville last weekend, sitting currently in eighth place in the Valley standings with a 5-6 conference record.
Senior Grace Hales averages a team-high 12.8 points per game while redshirt junior Addison Stoller leads the team in rebounding on the season, grabbing 5.5 boards per contest and averaging 11.5 points a game.
Head coach Mary Evans is in her second season leading the Valpo women's basketball program and currently holds a 21-33 overall record.
SERIES HISTORY – VALPO
Illinois State has a 7-2 edge in the series with the Crusaders, including a 3-1 record at Redbird Arena.
The Redbirds defeated Valparaiso, 72-60, on their home court earlier this season, to pick up their first Valley road win of the year. TeTe Maggett tallied a game-high 26 points, also adding eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Lexi Wallen also contributed 18 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the winning effort.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
The Crusaders (8th), Ramblers (4th) and Redbirds (6th) all enter the weekend as part of a contested middle pack in the Valley standings, which sees the fourth through eighth spots separated by just one game.
3X NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
Junior Juliunn Redmond was tabbed the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the third week in a row, after collecting her second double-double of the season against Bradley on Friday, posting a team-high 18 points while also matching her career-high of 11 rebounds.
She is the first Valley player to "three-peat" at Newcomer of the Week since Drake's Becca Hittner did so in the 2016-17 season.
LAST TIME OUT
Despite a pair of double-double performances by Juliunn Redmond (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Lexi Wallen (17 points, 10 rebounds), the 'Birds fell to I-74 rival Bradley at home, 66-62, on Friday. ISU dropped to 13-8 (5-5 MVC) while the Braves improved to 17-4 (8-2 MVC).
PROMOTIONS
Friday night's game with coincide with the "Ballin' in Love" promotion, which features $15 loge box tickets that includes a rose delivery from Reggie Redbird.
Sunday will serve as Illinois State's 10th annual Play4Kay game, fundraising for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the fight against ALL cancers affecting women. There will be a $1 admission for all fans attending. For more information on the Play4Kay game, visit www.GoRedbirds.com/play4kay.
For all latest on Illinois State women's basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
