NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State opens its 53rd season of women's basketball Monday as the Redbirds travel to take on Omaha at 5 PM CT on The Summit League Network and The Illinois State Basketball Radio Network.
LAST TIME OUT
The Redbirds hosted Illinois Wesleyan Oct. 29 in a preseason men's and women's basketball doubleheader at CEFCU Arena, presented by First Site. 6,386 fans gathered inside of CEFCU Arena to witness the contests of Bloomington-Normal's hometown teams.
Graduate student DeAnna Wilson led Illinois State with 27 points in just 18 minutes on the floor, which would have surpassed her career high of 26 from March 4 last year at Indiana State.
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois State and Omaha meet Monday for the fourth time in the history of the programs and the first time in Omaha. The Mavericks lead the all-time series by a 2-1 margin, but the Redbirds took the last meeting 69-38 in 2020 at CEFCU Arena.
Illinois State's 12 blocks in that game tied a 33-year old single-game program record. Seven different Redbirds recorded a block in the win, led by three from Kate Bullman and Wilson. Maya Wong also pitched in a block for the Redbirds. Illinois State moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2010-11 with the victory.
REDBIRDS IN SEASON OPENERS
Illinois State opens the year on the road for the second straight season and the fifth time under Kristen Gillespie. The Redbirds tipped off last year in thrilling fashion with a 74-70 OT win at Dayton, led by a 27-point effort from Mary Crompton. Illinois State opened the 2021-2022 season with a 77-60 loss at Northern Illinois.
The Redbirds are 3-3 in season openers under Gillespie but have won two of the last three.
HANNAH'S HOMECOMING
Illinois State graduate student, and Lincoln, Nebraska native, Hannah Kelle is set to play her first college game in her home state Monday. Kelle was a four-year varsity letter winner at Lincoln Southwest High School, which is 59 minutes from Baxter Arena.
ROAD WARRIORS
As the Redbirds hit the road for Monday's contest, Illinois State is coming off an impressive record on the road last season. The Redbirds finished last season with a 10-5 record on the road, which marked the most wins for the program away from home since 2009-2010.
Illinois State brought home seven straight road wins from Jan. 5 to Feb. 16, the first stretch of at least seven-straight road wins for the program since 2009-2010. That Redbird team won 11 straight on the road, finishing with a 13-3 overall mark away from home.
ONE TO WATCH
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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