NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team (11-9, 7-2 MVC) closes out a four-game home stand this weekend, hosting Evansville (7-12, 1-7 MVC) and Indiana State (9-9, 4-3 MVC) to open the second half of Missouri Valley Conference play at Redbird Arena.
Tip-off on Friday versus the Purple Aces is set for 7 p.m. with Sunday's weekend finale with the Sycamores slated for a 2 p.m. start.
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Evansville / vs. Indiana State
When: Friday, Feb. 4 / Sunday, Feb. 6
Tip-off: 7 p.m. / 2 p.m.
Location: Normal, Ill.
Facility: Redbird Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: WJBC 1230 AM/102.1 FM
LAST TIME OUT
ISU held Drake scoreless for five minutes in the fourth quarter while rattling off a 10-0 run during that stretch en route to a 70-58 victory at Redbird Arena over the Bulldogs on Saturday evening.
Redshirt junior Mary Crompton was one point shy of her career high in scoring, finishing with 21 points off five three-pointers while going a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Fifth year Juliunn Redmond continued her impressive weekend, ending with her first points-assists double-double as a Redbird with 11 points, 10 assists, three rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot.
Redshirt sophomore Maya Wong recorded a career-high 17 points, shooting 50% (3-of-6) from behind the arc and adding two assists and a rebound.
BEST START IN THE VALLEY SINCE 2010
Illinois State sits second in MVC play at 7-2, marking the Redbirds' best start to Valley play since opening the 2009-10 season 15-1 in league play.
MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Juliunn Redmond was dubbed the Valley Player of the Week, following a career weekend in which she averaged 22.5 points, 8.5 assists and 3.0 steals in two games.
This is Redmond's second Player of the Week honor this year and Illinois State has now owned the title in five of the last eight weeks. ISU remains the only program in the league this year to have three different student-athletes earn MVC Player of the Week, with Redmond (Dec. 13, Jan. 31), redshirt junior Mary Crompton (Jan. 10), and junior DeAnna Wilson (Dec. 27, Jan. 17) all previously honored.
PRIDE NIGHT
ISU Athletics hosts Pride Night on Friday versus Evansville, recognizing LGBTQ+ efforts in the Bloomington-Normal community and shining a light on education, resources and events on ISU's campus. Redbird Athletics aims to foster an inclusive environment characterized by cultural understanding, respect and social injustices.
Giveaways include rainbow masks, courtesy of the Prairie Pride Coalition (while supplies last) and a Pride flag flyer with local campus and community resources. The Alamo II will be at the game with a variety of ISU Pride items and merchandise available for purchase.
ISU will also be fundraising for the LGBTQ+ Student Support Endowment, which provides support for programming, student scholarships and emergency financial assistance.
PLAY4KAY
The Redbirds hosts their 12th annual Play4Kay game on Sunday versus Indiana State, fundraising for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the fight against ALL cancers affecting women. ISU Athletics is partnering with the Carle Cancer Institute Normal, Carle Bromenn Medical Center and Mennonite College of Nursing to support the cause.
Cancer survivors can register to receive free tickets at www.goredbirds.com/play4kay. The deadline for registration is Feb. 4.
The Illinois State women's basketball team was named a Play4Kay divisional winner for the sixth year in a row last June. ISU has raised over $200,000 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund in their 11 years hosting a Play4Kay game.
The Kay Yow Cancer Fund, Illinois State Athletics and the Carle Cancer Institute Normal announced in February of 2019 the launch of a fundraising campaign benefiting the Kay Yow Cancer Fund that can result in a $150,000 grant in support of a program that will serve the underserved in the Bloomington-Normal community. All money collected during this years' event assists in our efforts to reach our campaign goal.
For questions about this weekend's events, please contact Marketing Graduate Assistant PJ McLees at at_pamclee@ilstu.edu, or by phone at (309) 438-3399.
SCOUTING THE PURPLE ACES
Evansville enters Friday's game on a six-game losing streak, with the Purple Aces' lone win in conference play coming by way of a narrow 74-73 win against Bradley on Jan. 7.
The Purple Aces are led by Normal-native Abby Feit, who averages a double-double of 16.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest on the year.
ISU leads the all-time series with Evansville, 39-19, and holds a 17-10 advantage when playing at home. The Redbirds are on a nine-game winning streak versus the Purple Aces, having won in their first match-up earlier this season in Evansville, 87-68.
SCOUTING THE SYCAMORES
Indiana State enters this weekend sitting at 4-3 in conference play coming off a pair of losses to Missouri State and most recently to Northern Iowa on Wednesday night.
The Sycamores are led by Del'Janae Williams who averages team-highs in scoring (12.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.8 rpg).
The Redbirds lead the all-time series, 56-45, with the Sycamores and have a 33-18 advantage when playing in Normal. Illinois State won their earlier meeting in Terre Haute this season, 66-58.
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.
