NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team is set to host I-74 rival Bradley at Redbird Arena on Friday night for their annual "Pack the Arena" game. FREE admission will be granted to all fans as part of the promotion, with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (13-7, 5-4 MVC) vs. Bradley (16-4, 7-2 MVC)
When: Friday, Feb. 6
Tip-Off: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Normal, Ill.
Arena: Redbird Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: WJBC AM 1230
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
SCOUTING THE BRAVES
After going undefeated the first seven games of Missouri Valley Conference play, Bradley picked up a pair of losses at No. 21/24 Missouri State and Southern Illinois over the weekend to drop to a 7-2 record and a tie for second place in the league standings with Drake.
The Braves are led by sophomore Lasha Petree, who averages 16.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Senior Chelsea Brackmann leads the battle on the boards, grabbing a team-high 8.4 rebounds per contest.
SERIES HISTORY – BRADLEY
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Bradley, 49-28, and has a 25-11 advantage when playing the Braves in Normal. The Braves swept ISU during the 2018-19 regular season before Illinois State eliminated them from postseason play in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals in March.
Bradley outscored Illinois State, 19-5, in the final quarter to claim a 76-61 victory over the Redbirds earlier this season at Renaissance Coliseum on Jan. 10. Juliunn Redmond finished with a team-best 20 points and added four rebounds, shooting 7-of-12 (.583) from the floor and 3-of-4 (.750) from behind the arc. Seniors Lexi Wallen (15 points, seven rebounds) and TeTe Maggett (10 points, eight rebounds) joined Redmond in double figures. Maggett also dished out a team-high four assists.
Bradley's Lasha Petree had a game-high 24 points and a career-high six blocks in the victory.
NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
Junior Juliunn Redmond was tabbed the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the second week in a row, after averaging 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals over the weekend.
She is the first Valley player to repeat as Newcomer of the Week in back-to-back weeks since Missouri State's Jasmine Franklin did so in Jan. 7 and Jan. 14 of last season.
SHE DOES IT ALL
Senior TeTe Maggett is one of just seven players in the nation averaging 16 points, six rebounds and four assists per game. Also joining her on that list is DJ Williams (Coastal Carolina), Ciara Duffy (South Dakota), Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon), Haylee Andrews (Portland), Rachel Thompson (Colgate) and Erica Johnson (Ohio).
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois State fell at No. 21/24 Missouri State, 87-74, on Sunday afternoon in Springfield, Mo. Fifth-year senior Lexi Wallen led all scorers, recording a game-high 25 points, grabbing six rebounds and adding an assist in 38 minutes played. Redshirt freshman Mary Crompton was a huge contributor down the stretch, setting career-highs in points (18) and three-pointers (six).
PROMOTIONS
Friday's game versus Bradley will serve as the annual "Pack the Arena" game at women's basketball. ISU will offer free admission to all fans, with those in attendance also receiving pom poms. 200 students will go home with a Redbird beanie as part of the student giveaway.
Girl scouts will also be-site selling cookies with the K9 Crew Disc Dog Team performing at halftime.
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.
