NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team (1-2) hits the road to face a familiar foe in UT Martin (2-2) this weekend, having faced the Skyhawks at the WNIT in Memphis in ISU's last game of the 2020-21 campaign. Tip-off at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center is set for 2 p.m. CT.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State at UT Martin
When: Saturday, Nov. 20
Tip-off: 2 p.m. CT
Location: Martin, Tenn.
Facility: Kathleen and Tom Elam Center
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 93.7 FM Nash Icon
LAST TIME OUT
Purdue (3-0) shot an efficient 52.8% from the floor and 47.4% from beyond the arc as it dealt ISU a 76-64 setback in the Redbirds' home opener on Wednesday at Redbird Arena.
Redshirt sophomore Maya Wong led the Redbirds in scoring for the second game in a row with 14 points, going 6-of-7 from the free throw line. Senior Kayel Newland was a huge spark off the bench, connecting on 4-of-5 shots and two three-pointers to finish with 12 points on the night. Newland, along with junior DeAnna Wilson and graduate student Jada Stinson each grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Redbirds continue working through their tough non-conference slate, which features five of the first six contests on the road. ISU has made trips up to Northern Illinois (DeKalb, Ill.) and St. Thomas (Saint Paul, Minn.) already this year, and now heads south to UT Martin (Martin, Tenn.) for the weekend. Following their match up with the Skyhawks, the 'Birds will make a trip to Irvine, Calif. next week to match up with UC Irvine and Sacramento State on the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving.
SCOUTING THE SKYHAWKS
UT Martin is coming off a 62-30 loss to No. 10 Louisville at the KFC Yum Center on Wednesday, in which the Skyhawks shot just 27.5% from the floor while making 2-of-16 three-point attempts. Junior guard Paige Pipken led the Skyhawks offensively, scoring 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting while adding five rebounds and a steal. Reigning Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week Holly Forbes put up six points while tallying game-highs of nine rebounds and four steals. Forbes is leading UT Martin in points (12.0 ppg) and rebounds (7.5 rpg) on the year.
The Skyhawks have lost 70% of their scoring production from last year's team which went 22-6 and won a pair of contests at the WNIT. Two-time OVC Player of the Year Chelsey Perry was drafted by the Indiana Fever, 26th overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft, UT Martin's first draft selection in program history.
Head coach Kevin McMillan is in his 13th season as the captain of the Skyhawks program, holding a 242-143 record overall.
SERIES HISTORY
UT Martin leads the overall series with the Redbirds, 4-2, and is 1-0 when playing in Martin, Tenn.
LAST MEETING
After trailing by 13 at the end of the first quarter, the ISU women's basketball team fought back to tie the game twice and lead as late as with 3:42 remaining before falling to UT Martin, 64-59, in the WNIT Memphis Region consolation final on March 22, 2021.
DeAnna Wilson led the 'Birds with 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Juliunn Redmond and Mary Crompton each finished with 11 points.
The game featured eight ties and four lead changes. UT Martin was led by senior Maddie Waldrop who had 24 points and eight rebounds. OVC Player of the Year Chelsey Perry had 18 points and six boards.
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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