NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State women's basketball (2-1, 0-0 MVC) hosts in-state NAIA foe Saint Francis (3-3, 0-0 CCAC) Sunday in the final pre-turkey contest of the season at CEFCU Arena on ESPN+ and the Redbird Sports Radio Network.
SERIES HISTORY
Sunday marks the first all-time meeting between the programs.
The Fighting Saints, an NAIA program based out of Joliet, Ill., are members of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
LAST TIME OUT
In front of a program-record home crowd of 7,581 fans, the Redbirds got by visiting SIUE 90-86 Wednesday on Education Day at CEFCU Arena.
DeAnna Wilson led Illinois State with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in the win. She secured Illinois State's first 20-point individual scoring outing of the year and her 12th as a Redbird. Caroline Waite also finished the day with a 20-point effort, going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc to score 20 points for the first time as a Redbird. She bookended the game with eight points and a pair of three-pointers in the first and fourth quarters. Maya Wong scored a career-high 19 points, finally surpassing her previous mark of 17 after tying it in each of the first two games of the season. Wong, who poured in 16 in the second half, added five assists and three rebounds.
RECORD-BREAKING CROWD
The Redbirds played in front of a record home crowd Wednesday as the program hosted its annual Education Day game. 7,581 fans packed into CEFCU Arena, which was the most for Illinois State in program history, surpassing the previous mark 6,363 set vs UMSL on Education Day in 2022.
It was the most-ever for the program in a season opener and the first home crowd of 7,000+ in team history. It stands as just the third home crowd of 6,000+ in program history, joining last year's Education Day crowd and a mark of 6,075 from a 2010 WNIT matchup against California.
THE REDBIRD STATE
Illinois State will take on an in-state foe for the second straight game on Sunday. The Fighting Saints are the second of six in-state opponents on the schedule for Illinois State this season.
After Wednesday's win over SIUE, the Redbirds are riding an ten-game winning streak over in-state foes, which includes a 6-0 mark from last season. Illinois State's last loss to an in-state foe came Feb. 20 of 2022 to Southern Illinois, 49-65, at CEFCU Arena.
Since the start of the 2019-2020 campaign, the Redbirds are 28-8 against in-state foes and 15-2 vs in-state foes inside CEFCU Arena. Illinois State has won 6-plus games over in-state foes in each of the last four seasons.
THREEANNA WILSON
DeAnna Wilson has added a new tool to her game in the young season with the addition of the three-ball. Coming into this year she had hit just one three pointer in her Illinois State career, which came in January of the 2020-2021 season. She was 1-for-6 from behind the arc as a Redbird heading into the season.
Wilson is 2-for-5 from deep on the year (40%), already surpassing her career total heading into this season. She has also nearly surpassed her total career three point attempts (6) heading into this year.
It won't go down in the records, but Wilson also hit a three in her lone attempt during Illinois State's exhibition win over Illinois Wesleyan Oct. 29.
HIGH SCORING OFFENSE
The Redbirds have scored 90-plus points in two of their first three games of a season for the first time in program history. Illinois State scored 105 to open the year at Omaha Nov. 6 and 90 Wednesday at Omaha. Through Nov. 15, Illinois State ranks 32nd in NCAA D1 Women's basketball, averaging 85.7 points per game. That mark ranks second in the Valley behind Murray State (100.0).
Illinois State is the only Valley team to put up 90+ points in two of their first three games this season, through Nov. 15.
BULLMAN'S BOARDS
Kate Bullman grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds to lead the game against SIUE. It is the most by a Valley player this season and is tied for the sixth-highest individual rebounding performance in all of NCAA D1 women's basketball this year. She is first player in the MVC to grab 15-plus rebounds in a single game this season. Bullman is the first Redbird since Wilson in March of 2022 to grab 15-plus rebounds in a single game. Wilson tallied 17 in a win over Bradley that day.
It was her second performance of 10-plus rebounds this season after grabbing 12 in the season opener at Omaha Nov. 6. Bullman has 29 rebounds this year (1st in MVC, 63rd in NCAA D1), and is averaging 9.7 rebounds over the first three games of the season (1st in MVC, 60th in NCAA). She also leads the MVC and ranks 12th in NCAA DI averaging 8.7 defensive rebounds per game.
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