NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State women's basketball (2-6) will make the trip down to Edwardsville, Illinois on Saturday, as the Redbirds face-off with SIUE (4-4) at First Community Arena. Tip-off with the Cougars is set for 1 p.m. with the game streaming on ESPN+.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State vs. SIUE
When: Saturday, Dec. 11
Tip-off: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Edwardsville, Ill.
Facility: First Community Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 93.7 FM Nash Icon
LAST TIME OUT
ISU battled back from a 15-point halftime deficit to tie the game in the final minute of the third quarter, but ultimately fell short, 78-67, to preseason Atlantic 10 Conference favorite Dayton (6-2), at Redbird Arena on Sunday.
Fifth year Juliunn Redmond recorded her second 20+ point performance in the last three games, finishing with game-highs in points (22) and rebounds (8).
Redshirt junior Mary Crompton ended with 16 points, tallying 14 of them in the second half and 11 of which came during ISU's third quarter rally.
Redshirt sophomore Maya Wong paced the Redbirds early, scoring nine of her 13 points in the first quarter. Wong also corralled a career-high seven rebounds and dished out a team-high four assists.
The Flyers were led by the duo of Erin Whalen and Makira Cook, who scored 18 and 17 points on the day, respectively.
MOVING ON UP
Redshirt junior Mary Crompton has climbed into sixth place in ISU's career three-point field goal records and is currently 9 triples away from breaking into the top-5. Crompton is at 161 career three-pointers and trails former Redbirds Maggie Krick (5th – 169), Jaci McCormack (4th – 183), Jenny Schmidt (3rd – 205), Katie Broadway (2nd – 225) and Kristi Cirone (1st – 229).
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Redshirt senior Gabby Nikitinaite hit four free throws in the final 25 seconds as SIUE took down Saint Louis, 63-57, on Thursday at home. Nikitinaite, who leads the team in scoring on the year with 13.6 points per game, put up a season-high 22 points in the winning effort.
Graduate student Allie Troeckler leads the Cougars on the boards, averaging a team-high 5.6 rebounds per game paired with 9.5 points per contest.
Juniors Makayla Kinnard and Ajulu Thatha both average double-figure scoring with 10.8 points per game on the year. Kinnard also has a team-best 24 assists on the season.
Samantha Quigley Smith was named SIUE's head women's basketball coach in April 2021 and is in her first season at the helm of the Cougars. She comes to Edwardsville after serving four years as the head coach at Lewis University, a DII institution in Romeoville, Ill.
SERIES HISTORY
The Redbirds lead the all-time series with the Cougars, 4-3, but SIUE holds a 2-1 advantage when playing on their home court in Edwardsville.
LAST MEETING
ISU defeated SIUE, 75-53, at home in front of 1,800 students for Education Day back during the 2019-20 season on Dec. 16, 2019.
Fifth year Lexi Wallen led the 'Birds with a game-high 19 points with Mary Crompton and Paige Saylor adding 16 and 13 points, respectively.
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.
