NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team will wrap up the 2020-21 regular season this weekend with a two-game series at Loyola Chicago on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6. Tip-off at Gentile Arena is set for 3 p.m. CT for both contests and the series will be streamed on ESPN+.
GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State (13-6, 10-6 MVC) vs. Loyola Chicago (10-10, 8-8 MVC)
When: Friday, March 5 / Saturday, March 6
Tip-Off: 3 p.m. CT
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Facility: Gentile Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: WJBC AM 1230 / 93.7 FM
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
TOURNAMENT SEEDINGS
The 'Birds enter the last weekend of conference play sitting third in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, having already secured a spot in Friday's quarterfinals. ISU can still finish as high as second in the standings and are unable to finish lower than sixth.
|
TEAM |
RANGE OF SEEDS |
| 1 |
Missouri State (14-0) |
1 |
| 2 |
Drake (11-5) |
2-3 |
| 3 |
Illinois State (10-6) |
2-3-4-5-6 |
| 4 |
UNI (9-7) |
3-4-5-6-7 |
| 5 |
Bradley (8-8) |
3-4-5-6-7 |
| 6 |
Loyola Chicago (8-8) |
3-4-5-6-7 |
| 7 |
Valparaiso (7-7) |
3-4-5-6-7 |
| 8 |
Southern Illinois (5-11) |
8 |
| 9 |
Indiana State (2-10) |
9-10 |
| 10 |
Evansville (2-14) |
9-10 |
Illinois State was picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll at the beginning of the year and look to finish better than that prediction for the fourth-straight year under Coach Gillespie.
LAST TIME OUT – 'BIRDS SWEEP THE BRAVES
Illinois State had five players score 11+ points en route to completing the I-74 rivalry sweep with a 79-59 win at Bradley on Thursday, Feb. 25.
Seniors Juliunn Redmond (13) and Paige Saylor (13), redshirt sophomore Mary Crompton (14), sophomore DeAnna Wilson (12) and Maya Wong (11) were the double-digit scorers, all converting at least four field goals for ISU.
Junior Terrion Moore was the primary defender on Lasha Petree, the MVC's leading scorer, limiting her to just nine fourth quarter points on 4-of-13 (30.8%) shooting for the contest. Moore added eight points, eight rebounds, a steal and a block.
The 'Birds controlled the game throughout, trailing for just 25 seconds and shooting 30-of-56 (53.6%) from the floor and 10-of-24 (41.7%) from three.
MID-MAJOR TOP 25
The Redbirds moved up two spots to 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 second, with Illinois State (21) and Drake (23) both appearing in the top-25. UNI is receiving votes.
LOYOLA CHICAGO – SERIES HISTORY
ISU leads the all-time series with Loyola, 12-7, but only holds a 3-6 record when playing in Chicago. The last time the Redbirds bested the Ramblers on the road was a 65-54 win on Jan. 31, 2014.
SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS
The Ramblers have two players averaging double figures in scoring: junior Allison Day (11.1 ppg) and senior Ellie Rice (10.2 ppg). Day also leads Loyola Chicago in rebounding with 6.4 boards per contest.
Head coach Kate Achter is in her fifth season at the helm of the program, owning a 47-93 (.336) record in that span.
LAST MEETING
Fifth-year senior Lexi Wallen put up a career-high 35 points and seven rebounds to carry Illinois State to a 86-85 double overtime victory over Loyola Chicago last season on Feb. 14, 2020 at Redbird Arena.
Wallen was 10-of-15 (66.7%) from the floor, 2-of-2 from behind the arc and 13-of-14 (92.9%) from the charity stripe. The Champaign, Ill. native scored 10 points in the final 39 seconds of regulation, including the game-tying triple to force the first overtime period.
Juliunn Redmond recorded her second double-double in as many games, posting 19 points and 10 rebounds, while also dishing out four assists. Senior TeTe Maggett added 14 points, eight boards and four assists.
Loyola's Tiara Wallace nearly had a triple-double to lead the Ramblers, finishing with 22 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
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.
