NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team will hit the road to take on a pair of Iowa teams this weekend, facing off with UNI on Thursday before taking on the Drake Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off at UNI is slated for 6:30 p.m. with Drake's start time set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (14-9, 6-6 MVC) at UNI (15-9, 7-6 MVC) / Drake (18-7, 10-3 MVC)
When: Thursday, Feb. 20 / Saturday Feb. 22
Tip-Off: 6:30 p.m. / 2 p.m. CT
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa / Des Moines, Iowa
Arena: McLeod Center / Knapp Center
Watch: ESPN+ / ESPN3
Radio: WJBC AM 1230
Live Stats: UNI / Drake
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
UNI went 1-1 on the road this past weekend, dropping a 65-63 decision at Indiana State before dominating Evansville, 67-49. Junior guard Karli Rucker leads the Panthers in scoring and assists on the season, putting up 12.9 points and dishing out 3.6 assists on average. Fellow junior Bre Gunnels averages a team-high 5.9 rebounds per contest.
Head coach Tanya Warren is in her 12th season at the helm of the UNI women's basketball program, owning a 240-175 record with three NCAA tournament appearances in that span.
SERIES HISTORY – UNI
Illinois State has a 42-36 edge in the all-time series with UNI, while the Panthers are 19-17 when hosting the Redbird in Cedar Falls. ISU is 3-0 in their last three meetings with UNI.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Drake enters the weekend positioned third in the Valley standings with a 10-3 conference record, with two of their three MVC losses at the hands of No. 18/23 Missouri State. The Bulldogs most recently took on Evansville and Indiana State over the weekend, defeating both programs by a commanding double-digit margin.
Seniors Sarah Rhine and Becca Hittner lead the Bulldogs in many categories, averaging 18.2 and 17.6 points per game, respectively. The duo are both members of the 2,000 career points club, and are the first-ever teammates in Drake or MVC history (men's or women's) to reach the impressive 2,000-point scoring mark together in the same season. Fellow senior Brenni Rose is also the Valley's assists leader at 5.2 per game.
Head coach Jennie Baranczyk is in her eighth season at the helm of the Drake program, amassing a 172-83 record with three NCAA Tournament appearances during her era.
SERIES HISTORY – DRAKE
Drake has a 47-35 advantage in the all-time series with Illinois State, and has won 14-straight versus the Redbirds. ISU is 13-24 when playing in Des Moines.
LAST TIME OUT
The Illinois State women's basketball team fell at home to Valparaiso, 78-70, on Sunday afternoon at Redbird Arena. Junior Juliunn Redmond had a team-high 20 points and a career-best 14 rebounds for ISU to record her third-straight double-double. The junior also picked up two assists and three steals as well.
Senior Lexi Wallen and TeTe Maggett also joined Redmond in double figures. Wallen recorded 17 points while grabbing eight boards and Maggett added 11 points, five rebounds and two assists.
For all latest on Illinois State women's basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
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