MOLINE, Ill. – The third-seeded Illinois State women's basketball team will face No. 6 Loyola Chicago for the third-time in the span of a week in Friday night's quarterfinal match-up at the Hoops in the Heartland Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in Moline, Ill. Tip-off for Friday's game is set for 8 p.m. CT and you can catch all the action on ESPN+.
GAME INFORMATION
No. 3 Illinois State (15-6, 12-6 MVC) vs. No. 6 Loyola Chicago (10-12, 8-12 MVC)
When: Friday, March 12
Tip-off: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Moline, Ill.
Facility: TaxSlayer Center
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: WJBC 1230 AM/93.7 FM
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
THREE IN A ROW
The 'Birds will face Loyola Chicago for the third time in seven days in the quarterfinals, the first time in program history ISU has faced an opponent in three-straight games.
ALL-MVC REDBIRDS
Five Redbirds were honored on All-MVC teams heading into the conference tournament.
Senior Juliunn Redmond headlined Illinois State's selections as an All-MVC First Team honoree. Redshirt sophomore Mary Crompton was tabbed All-MVC Honorable Mention while also being recognized as a member of the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team earlier in the week with senior Paige Saylor.
Junior Terrion Moore and sophomore DeAnna Wilson were both named to the All-Newcomer Team, as ISU was the only Valley school to have multiple student-athletes on the team. Moore was also chosen as a member of the All-Defensive Team.
NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore DeAnna Wilson was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week on Monday for her performance in ISU's pair of wins at Loyola Chicago over the weekend. Wilson averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds to sweep the Ramblers and earn her first weekly conference honor
MID-MAJOR TOP 25
ISU remained at No. 21 in this week's College Insider's Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The poll, which is in its 11th year of existence, is made up of teams outside the Power Five conferences.
In total, four MVC teams are receiving recognition in the poll. Missouri State is ranked first, with Illinois State (21) and Drake (23) both also appearing in the top-25. UNI is receiving votes.
SERIES HISTORY
After adding two more victories over the weekend, the Redbirds lead the all-time series with Loyola, 14-7. The Redbirds and Ramblers have never met in the MVC Tournament before, with their only neutral site game resulting in a 108-42 ISU win at the AIAW State Tournament back in March of 1978.
SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS
Loyola has two players averaging double figures in scoring: All-MVC First Team junior Allison Day (11.0 ppg) and All-MVC Honorable Mention senior Ellie Rice (10.0 ppg). Day also leads Loyola in rebounding with 6.6 boards per contest.
Head coach Kate Achter is in her fifth season at the helm of the Loyola Chicago program, owning a 47-95 (.331) record.
LAST WEEKEND
ISU and Loyola met just last week to finish up the regular season with a pair of games at Gentile Arena in Chicago. The Redbirds were victorious in both contests, sweeping the Ramblers for the first time since the 2013-14 season (their first year in the league).
Friday afternoon's 64-61 win over Loyola saw both teams shooting over 50% from the floor, a first in MVC play for the league this year. Led by Wilson's 14 points (all of which were scored in the second half), Maya Wong contributed 13 points off the bench with Terrion Moore adding 11 points and a career-high seven steals.
Wilson then put up a career-high 17 points in Saturday's 15-point victory, with Juliunn Redmond and Moore both joining Wilson in double figures with 12 points each.
For all the 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.
