NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State looks to remain unbeaten on the season as the Redbirds travel to Green Bay for a Saturday matinee with the Phoenix at the Kress Center on ESPN+ and the Illinois State Basketball Radio Network. Tipoff is set for Noon CT.
LAST TIME OUT
The Redbirds opened the year with a 105-59 trouncing of Omaha Monday night in a blazing offensive performance for Illinois State.
Five Redbirds scored in double figures, led by DeAnna Wilson's 19 points in just over 19 minutes. Redshirt-senior Maya Wong tied her career-high with 17 points, which all came in the first half. She went 4-for-5 from behind the arc in the first. Wong also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win. In her Redbird debut Monday, junior Caroline Waite also poured in 17 points. She was 3-for-7 from behind the three-point line.
Freshman Savannah McGowan scored six straight points in the third quarter, finishing with 12 points and 6 rebounds in 10 minutes in her college debut. Senior guard Daijah Smith came off the bench and posted 11 points on a 5-for-7 performance from the field. She also had five rebounds and one assist.
SERIES HISTORY
The Redbirds and Phoenix meet for the second straight season after Green Bay handed Illinois State a 63-49 loss at CEFCU Arena last year. Despite the loss last season, Illinois State has won two of the last three games in the series, which came in back to back years in 2007 and 2008.
Green Bay leads the all-time series between the two programs by a 5-2 margin, including a 2-1 mark in Green Bay.
HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
Monday's performance stands as the sixth-highest scoring output in program history and just Illinois State's second 100+ scoring performance since 2000.
It is the most Illinois State has ever scored in a season opener and the most the Redbirds have ever scored in an away game. It marked just the second time the Redbirds have scored 100+ points outside of the Illinois state lines, joining a 100-point effort in a 1989 win over Northwestern State in Stanford, California.
The scoring output marked just the second time in program the Redbirds have scored 100+ in a true road game. Overall, it was the 16th performance of 100+ points in program history.
SAV'S DEBUT
McGowan's 12 points are the most by an Illinois State true freshman in a season opener since at least 2013.
She is the first Redbird to score double figures in a season opener since Mary Crompton tallied 10 points to open the 2018-2019 campaign at SIUE. McGowan and Crompton are the only true freshmen to reach double figure scoring in a season opener in Gillespie's tenure.
REDBIRD HOMECOMING
Illinois State sophomore and Wisconsinite Abbie Aalsma is set to play her first college game in her home state Saturday. Aalsma is a native of Waupun, Wisconsin, which is just over 80 miles from Green Bay.
ONE TO WATCH
Head coach Kristen Gillespie was named one of 20 coaches on the 2024 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award Preseason Watch List presented by Her Hoop Stats, as announced Nov. 1.
This year marks the inaugural season of the award, which is named after the legendary former Harvard head coach whose 630 wins rank 29th in Division I history and ninth among coaches who spent their entire career with a single team. To be eligible for the award, coaches must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be "mid-major."
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