Redbirds Head to West Lafayette to Face Boilermakers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – For the second time in the 2022-23 season, Illinois State women's basketball will do battle with an opponent from the Big Ten Conference. After defeating Wisconsin last month, ISU will look to repeat that day's success when they travel to face the Purdue Boilermakers on Sunday.  

The Redbirds and Boilermakers will get things started at 1:00 p.m. CT inside Mackey Arena Sunday. The game will be broadcasted on B1G+, which provides three viewing options for fans to view. The three B1G+ subscription options are: a "School Pass" for $9.95 a month, a "Conference Pass" for $14.95 a month, or a "Basketball Sport Pass" for $54.95 a year.

Sunday's contest will also be available on the Varsity Network or WJBC 102.1 FM & 1230 AM with Greg Halbleib on the call. 

GAME INFORMATION (Game Notes)

Illinois State at Purdue
When: Sunday, Dec. 11
Tip-off: 1:00 p.m. CT
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
Facility: Mackey Arena

TV: B1G+

Live Stats: StatBroadcast Live Stats

Radio: Illinois State Radio Network             1230 AM & 102.1 FM

LAST TIME OUT

It only comes once a year, but no matter the time of year, Education Day is always one of the biggest highlights of the Illinois State women's basketball season. The 2022 edition of Education Day on Tuesday was no different, as the Redbirds got back on the winning track with a 66-51 win over the UMSL Tritons (full recap).

The major note of Tuesday's contest came as a 12-year-old WBB home attendance record was broken as 6,363 students, faculty, administrators, and fans piled into CEFCU to watch the Redbirds in action. Prior to Tuesday, the home attendance record stood at 6,075 which was set during the 2010 WNIT for ISU when California paid Normal a visit.

The Redbirds would get on the board first, thanks to a Kate Bullman three-pointer only 16 seconds into the game. Bullman would then follow that up on the opposite side with a block and defensive rebound to keep the Tritons off the board. The first UMSL points came at 8:06 when Kiara Stewart made a jumper inside the paint.

UMSL was on fire to start the second quarter, scoring five straight points and trimming the Redbird lead down to three with 7:49 in the half. However, once again, the home team responded and scored eight out of the game's next 10 points to build their largest lead of the game at nine with 5:42 remaining in the second.

Out of the second quarter media timeout, the ISU lead would grow to as many as 12 off a Mary Crompton three-pointer at 1:14 in the quarter. UMSL would knock down a free throw to make it an 11-point game, but an and-one situation from Paige Robinson at the end of the second quarter made it a 14-point (41-27) game at the half.

At the halftime break, Paige Robinson led the Redbirds with 10 points as well as the Bethany native held four rebounds and four assists to her name. Kate Bullman would be the leading rebounder for ISU at the break, as the Grayslake native pulled in six rebounds over the first 20 minutes. Meanwhile, for UMSL, Kiara Stewart led the way with six points as both Jalysa Stokes and Olivia Mezan pulled in three rebounds to lead the Tritons.

The third quarter saw the two programs trade some early points as the ISU lead fluctuated from 15 to 13 all the way up to 17, capped off by a DeAnna Wilson jumper at the 8:20 mark in the third. UMSL's Jalysa Stokes responded immediately as she tried to keep the margin close for her side, but after her make at 7:52, the Tritons would go scoreless for nearly three minutes (4:13) as Morgan Ramthun knocked down a jumper.

In that scoreless span for UMSL, ISU would build upon their lead off a three-pointer from Maya Wong at 6:39 and another DeAnna Wilson layup at 4:28 to hold a 20-point edge over the visitors. After Ramthun's jumper to make it 51-33, the remaining 4:13 of the third quarter saw ISU nearly outscore UMSL 9-7 as the frame came to an end with ISU up 60-40.

The fourth quarter started and after the Tritons made it an 18-point game with 9:08 remaining, Robinson stepped up once more to make it 63-42 with a three-pointer of her own at the 8:11 mark. From there, ISU would be outscored 9-3 by the Tritons, coming away with the 15-point win.

SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS

Purdue come into Sunday after opening their home portion of Big Ten play against Maryland on Thursday.

Against the Terrapins, Shyanne Sellers hit a 3-pointer as time expired to lift No.20/21 Maryland to a 77-74 win over Purdue in Mackey Arena. The loss dropped Purdue to 8-2 on the year, 1-1 in Big Ten play, and snapped a three-game winning streak.

Abbey Ellis paced the Boilermakers off the bench with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Lasha Petree kept her streak of double-digit games alive with 14 points. The fifth-year senior has scored in double figures in every game this season.

So far in 2022-23, the Boilermakers have played two MVC teams (Murray State and Indiana State), as they have gone 2-0 in those matchups with an average margin of victory of 26 points.

At the helm of the program, in her second season, is Katie Gearlds. Gearlds was elevated to head coach a mere 47 days ahead of the 2021-22 season opener. During her first season at the helm, she guided the Boilermakers to the postseason for the first time since 2017-18 as well as picked up the first win over a ranked opponent in three years. Most notably, Gearlds also posted the best win improvement (10 wins) by a first-year head coach in program history.

Under Gearlds in 2021-22, the Boilermakers set the program record for 3-pointers made and attempted, going 239-of-738 on the year. Purdue knocked down seven or more triples in 19 games, with four outings of 12 three-pointers or more. To conclude the 2021-22 season, a trio of athletes under Gearlds direction (Abbey Ellis, Jeanae Terry, and Madison Layden) all received Big Ten Conference honorable mention nods.

Sunday will be the 11^th all-time meeting between Purdue and Illinois State, as the Redbirds have a 6-4 series lead, including a 3-1 mark on the road against the Boilermakers.  Purdue did take the win last season, leaving Redbird Arena as 76-64 victors from Redbird Arena in November 2021.

49 YEARS TOO LONG

As part of a record-breaking weekend in Vegas for the Redbirds, the Illinois State women's basketball program would match their best program start in 49 years after taking down the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters on Nov. 26.

With the 70-53 victory, the Redbirds would sit at 5-0 to start the 2022-23 season. This matched the best program start in 49 years, when ISU would start the 1973-74 season with the same record.

BROKEN RECORDS

It had been over 12 years on Dec. 6 since Illinois State women's basketball had seen over 6,000 fans in attendance inside CEFCU Arena. As part of the program's annual Education Day (huge shoutout to ISU Marketing's Danny Bugg and Lauren Henderson), the Redbirds saw a new home attendance record be set as 6,363 school children, staff, admin., and longtime Redbird fans piled into CEFCU to watch ISU take on UMSL.

Prior to Tuesday, the previous record stood at 6,075 which was set during the 2010 WNIT when California paid Normal a visit.

MACKEY MANIA

When Illinois State and Purdue tip off Sunday, the Redbirds will look to do something for the first time since playing in the WNIT on March 3, 2010. This was the last time a Redbirds team defeated Purdue in West Lafayette, as ISU came away as 59-57 victors thanks to a WNIT career-high 21 points from Nicolle Lewis.

The last time Illinois State took a regular season road game against the Boilermakers came on February 16, 1979, when ISU would win 60-46.

MILESTONES TO WATCH

Through eight games, Mary Crompton sits with 969 career points as a Redbird, seeking to become the 30th ISU WBB athlete to eclipse 1,000 points, and only the second (Juliunn Redmond) to do so under Kristen Gillespie.

Meanwhile, head coach Kristen Gillespie is inching closer to history of her own, sitting with 93 career wins at ISU and 198 career wins as a head coach. Gillespie is seeking to become the first ISU head coach to eclipse 100 career wins as a Redbird since current Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton, who finished her ISU career with a mark of 144-81 over seven seasons.

MAKING THEMSELVES KNOWN

As the Redbirds continue non-conference action, a multitude of Redbirds have made themselves known as part of the top-100 in various statistical categories, across both DI WBB and MVC (as of 12/09/22).

CATEGORY	VALUE	NCAA	MVC
Minutes (Paige)	35.6	52nd	1st
Blocks (Kate)	13.0	58th	5th
PPG (Paige)	20.8	12th	1st
3PT FG% (Mary)	.535	7th	1st
3PT/Game (Mary)	2.9	32nd	2nd
Free Throw Pct (Maya)	1.000	t-1st	1st

PLAYING BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL

Thanks to their efforts thus far, ISU currently ranks top-100 in four categories (as of 12/09/22) across Division I and MVC women's basketball.

CATEGORY	VALUE	NCAA	MVC
3PT Per Game	7.4	80th	5th
3PT FG%	.386	18th	1st
Blocks Per Game	4.38	59th	2nd
Turnover Margin	3.50	80th	2nd

CALM UNDER PRESSURE

Redshirt junior Maya Wong is once again one of the nation's best at the charity stripe, as she currently leads the Redbirds in the category through eight games. The Normal native is one of five athletes (through 12/9/22) to hold a perfect mark from the charity stripe in 2022-23 (min. 15 attempts).

NAME	FT-FTA	SCHOOL
Maya Wong	20-20	ISU
Erin Houpt	27-27	Mercer
Sammie Puisis	26-26	South Florida
Jalynn Gregory	19-19	Middle Tennessee
Abby Prohaska	25-25	San Diego St.

WELCOME TO THE HALL OF FAME

Illinois State women's basketball legend Cathy Boswell was selected as one of five to be inducted as the 24th Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Class this past Sunday morning. The members for the Class of 2023 are Cathy Boswell (Veteran Player), Donna Lopiano (Contributor), Lisa Mattingly (Official), Carolyn Peck (Coach), and Lindsey Whalen (Player).

Boswell (1979-83) was a two-time WBCA Kodak All-American and two-time Wade Trophy finalist during her time at ISU, finishing her collegiate career with 2,005 points and 1,054 rebounds. She led the Redbirds to 90 wins, an NCAA Tournament berth in 1983, a 15th-place finish in the AIAW National Tournament in 1981 and two WNIT bids (1980 and 1982). Boswell was a member of the 1984 women's Olympic gold medalist USA basketball team and competed internationally for 14 years, earning seven team most valuable player awards, one league MVP title, a player of the year award and five league championships.

The Class of 2023 will be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, receiving their coveted Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Trophy and Baron Championship Induction Ring on April 29th, 2023, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

DECEMBER DELIGHTS

Since head coach Kristen Gillespie took over in 2017-18, ISU is 18-9 all-time in the month of December.

GAINING NATIONAL RECOGNITION

For the week of December 6, Illinois State drops three spots and sits as no. 11 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25. Joining the 'Birds in this week's top-25 are fellow MVC members Drake (#6) and UIC (#25).

2022-23 opponents Belmont, Green Bay, and UNI are all receiving votes this week.

FILLING THE STAT SHEET

In what head coach Kristen Gillespie dubbed "probably one of the best performances in Redbird women's basketball history," graduate guard Paige Robinson played lights out on Sunday, Nov. 20, in part of ISU's 62-57 win over Big Ten foe, Wisconsin. The Bethany, Ill native went for 37 points (14-19 FG), including a perfect 7-7 from behind the arc while adding six rebounds and an assist in the five-point victory.

For context: Through games on 11/20/22, no other player in all Division I have gone 7-7 from three this season and no one has done better than that since 2018 (per Calvin Wetzel of Her Hoop Stats). Robinson is also the first player since 2018 to score 37+ points and go a perfect 7-7 from the arc, becoming only the third player to do so since at least the 2009-10 season (when Her Hoop Stats started collecting data).

The 37 points for the guard mark the first time a Redbird has scored 37 in a game since JuJu Redmond did so against Valparaiso last February. Also, as Robinson would make 14 field goals against the Badgers, she became the first Redbird to make 10+ field goals in a game since Redmond did so in last year's March Madness against Iowa.

Robinson's 37 points were second-most in all Division I women's basketball on Nov. 20, only trailing Villanova's Maddy Siegrist who totaled 41 points off 14-25 shooting. Robinson and Siegrist were two of nine DI women's basketball players with at least 30 points on Nov. 20, joined by DePaul's Darrione Rogers, North Dakota's Kacie Borowicz, Maryland's Diamond Miller, James Madison's Kiki Jefferson, Iowa State's Ashley Joens, UConn's Azzi Fudd, and Iowa's Cailtin Clark. 

GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

On August 20, 2022, Illinois State women's basketball lost one of their own as former standout Simone Goods lost a courageous battle with cancer. Goods finished her time as a Redbird with 2019 All-MVC First Team honors as well as finishing in the program's top-25 for field goals made in a season (190), rebounds in a season (238), career free-throws (227), career blocks (51) and blocks in a season (33).

This season, ISU players and staff will don an "SG" patch on their jerseys and gameday attire to honor the life and legacy of Simone Goods as ISU is dedicating the 2022-23 season in her honor.

BATTLE TESTED

Including the season opener at Dayton on Nov. 10, Illinois State has now played six overtime or double overtime games under head coach Kristen Gillespie. In those six games, the Redbirds have gone 4-2 overall, with four of the games taking place during the 2019-20 season.

NEW FACES ALL AROUND

Throughout the 2022-23 season, seven of Illinois State's opponents (or possible opponents) will be under the direction of a first-year head coach. Four of the seven new faces will come during MVC play as Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Bradley, and UIC all made coaching hires during the offseason.

B1G TIME EFFORT FOR B1G TIME RESULT

With a 62-57-win on Nov. 20, Illinois State women's basketball saw its first home victory over Wisconsin since December 1985, a 64-57 OT victory. Meanwhile, the five-point win also allowed ISU to pick up its first win over a current Big Ten program since 2012 when ISU handed Northwestern a 64-46 defeat.

The win also moved ISU head coach Kristen Gillespie to 2-2 all-time against current Big Ten schools, with her previous win coming on the road at Illinois in November 2019.

REDBIRDS SIGN FOUR TO NLI's

Earlier this season as part of National Signing Day, the Illinois State women's basketball program announced the signings of four high-level talent as part of 2022 National Signing Day. The 2023 recruiting class includes Brooke Coffey (St. Charles, Mo.), Shannon Dowell (O'Fallon, Ill.), Molly Lenz (Eden Prairie, Minn.), and Savannah McGowan (Minneapolis, Minn.).

Coffey, a 6-1 guard from St. Charles Mo., has led the Incarnate Word to 68 straight wins, including multiple state titles, as the program has now captured a total of 12 MO Class 6 Championships. Finally, Coffey will join former Redbirds Kayel Newland and Cameron Call as well as current ISU athlete, DeAnna Wilson, as athletes for ISU women's basketball under Kristen Gillespie to hail from the state of Missouri.

Dowell, a 5-10 guard from O'Fallon, Ill., comes from O'Fallon Township High where she was named First Team Southwestern All-Conference in 2021-22 along with Third Team All State for the IBCA following last year. Dowell has had the chance to learn from five-time IBCA Co-Coach of the Year in District 19 4A (Coach Knolhoff) and amassed 1,000 career points in her junior year as a Panther.

Lenz, a 5-8 guard from Eden Prairie, Minn., was awarded 2021-22 Lake Conference All-Conference and Minnesota Girls Basketball Association All-State Honorable Mention honors. As a junior, Lenz was selected as one of Eden Prairie's three Varsity captains. Lenz will join former Redbird Viria Livingston (from Minneapolis) and fellow signee Savannah McGowan as athletes to come from Minnesota and play for ISU under head coach Gillespie.

McGowan, a 6-2 forward from Minneapolis, Minn., amassed 1,000 career points during her junior season for the Armstrong High Falcons, gaining her All-State honorable mention honors. McGowans joins former Redbird Viria Livingston (also from Minneapolis) as athletes to come from Minnesota and play for ISU under head coach Gillespie.

NEW NAME, SAME ARENA

Illinois State University and CEFCU have come to terms on a naming rights and sponsorship agreement valued at approximately $3.1 million over 10 years. The agreement, which will support the funding for ongoing and ever-evolving costs associated with the student-athlete experience, was initiated by LEARFIELD's Redbird Sports Properties, the University's athletics multimedia rightsholder. The former Redbird Arena will be known as CEFCU Arena – Home of the Redbirds, with the University's Board of Trustees approving the arena name change at its October 14 meeting. The CEFCU Arena naming rights and sponsorship agreement will continue to support funding of the Redbird Student-Athlete experience. Particularly in these ever-evolving times, funding is vital to maintaining and expanding upon the current NCAA, Division I student-athlete experience.

SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are available for the 2022-23 season. Follow this link to purchase your season tickets or contact the Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 438-8000 for more information. Tickets start at just $65 for general admission to the women's season. 

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.