NORMAL, Ill. – After an 11-day holiday break, the Illinois State women's basketball team (4-7) will begin their Missouri Valley Conference slate at home this Saturday, hosting I-74 rival Bradley on New Year's Day. Tip-off at Redbird Arena is set for 2 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed on ESPN3.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (4-7) vs. Bradley (3-6)
When: Saturday, Jan. 1
Tip-off: 2 p.m. CT
Location: Normal, Ill.
Facility: Redbird Arena
Watch: ESPN3
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM/102.1 FM
LAST TIME OUT
The Redbirds closed out non-conference play with a 77-66 win over Saint Louis (4-8) on Monday, Dec. 20 at Redbird Arena.
Junior DeAnna Wilson scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds en route to her fifth career double-double while fifth year Juliunn Redmond netted 20 points and hauled in seven rebounds.
Grad student Jada Stinson turned in an all-around performance posting eight points, seven rebounds and five assists. Redshirt junior Mary Crompton nailed a pair of second-half three-pointers to make it nine of 11 games this year with multiple triples.
MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DeAnna Wilson was tabbed the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, as announced last Monday for her performance versus Saint Louis (Dec. 20).
Wilson is the first Redbird to score 23+ points with 13+ rebounds since Dec. 4, 2010 when Emily Hanley had 24 points and 13 boards in a 94-56 win over UIC.
ISU has had a Valley Player of the Week in two of the last three weeks (Juliunn Redmond earned the title back on Dec. 13). It is the first time the Redbirds have had multiple Players of the Week since the 2018-19 season.
REGGIE'S KIDS CLUB DAY
ISU Athletics will be hosting Reggie's Kids Club Day in conjunction with Saturday's MVC opener, and all Reggie's Kids Club members will receive free admission by presenting their membership card at the doors.
Giveaways including Reggie stickers, Redbird Rollabannas and t-shirts are available for RKC members while supplies lasts.
I-74 RIVALRY HISTORY
ISU leads Bradley, 51-29 in the all-time series and hold a 26-12 edge when playing at home. The Redbirds are on a two-game winning streak in the series, having most recently swept the Braves during their two matchups in the 2020-21 campaign.
Illinois State is 5-4 when playing on New Year's Day and 24-14 in conference openers.
SCOUTING THE BRAVES
Fifth year Gabi Haack leads the offensive effort for BU, averaging team-highs in scoring (17.2 ppg), rebounding (5.1 rpg) and assists (2.9 apg).
Freshman Caroline Waite has also made her mark during non-conference play, averaging double figures with 13.3 points per game in her seven contests played.
The Braves are coming off a 17-12 campaign last season that saw them win their first-ever MVC Tournament title and make the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Head coach Andrea Gorski is in her sixth year at the helm of the Braves program with an 87-72 record in that span.
LAST MEETING
ISU had five players score 11+ points en route to completing the I-74 rivalry sweep with a 79-59 win over Bradley on Feb. 25, 2021 inside Renaissance Coliseum.
Mary Crompton (14), Juliunn Redmond (13), Paige Saylor (13), DeAnna Wilson (12) and Maya Wong (11) were the double-digit scorers, all converting at least four field goals.
Illinois State controlled the game throughout, trailing for just 25 seconds and shooting 53.6% from the floor and 41.7% from long range.
The 20-point margin of victory was ISU's largest over Bradley since Feb. 2009 (W, 82-61) and largest in Peoria since Jan. 2008 (W, 94-61).
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.
