NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State Redbirds, fresh off a regular season sweep over Southern Illinois, close out its four game homestand on Sunday afternoon when the team hosts Missouri State in a 1:00 p.m. tip-off inside CEFCU Arena.
Scott Sudikoff and Sean Johnson are on the mic as the game will be on ESPN+. Meanwhile, ISU fans can tune in and hear Greg Halbleib provide the radio call for Sunday, found on the Varsity Network or WJBC 102.1 FM & 1230 AM.
GAME INFORMATION
v. Missouri State (Game Notes)
When:Â Sunday, Feb. 12
Tip-off:Â 1:00 p.m. CT
Location:Â Normal, Ill.
Facility:Â CEFCU Arena
Watch:Â ESPN+
Live Stats:Â StatBroadcast
Listen:Â WJBC 1230 AM /102.1 FM
LAST TIME OUT
Mary Crompton's three-point basket on the game's final shot gave Illinois State a 73-70 win over Southern Illinois Feb. 10 at CEFCU Arena stretching the first-place Redbirds' Missouri Valley Conference winning streak to 11 games (full recap).
For Crompton, it was her third trey in the final four minutes and every one of them came with the score tied.
The Redbirds (18-5, 11-1 in the MVC) got 23 points from Paige Robinson and 20 from DeAnna Wilson in overcoming an 11-point, third-quarter Saluki lead. SIU (8-14, 5-8 in the MVC) was led by Ashley Jones' 20 points and 15 more—all on three-pointers--by Aja Holmes, who tied the score with a three-point shot twice in the final minute, requiring Compton's heroics at the end.Â
There were two seconds left when Crompton's game-winner cleared the net, but the Salukis didn't have a time out to set-up a shot.Â
The win marks Illinois State's 11th straight victory as the Redbirds maintain their hold on top of the MVC standings as they await the Missouri State Lady Bears on Sunday.
Illinois State also saw Wilson grab a team-high eight rebounds Friday night with Maya Wong dished out a team-high five assists.
The Salukis had two more athletes finish in double figures, as Promise Taylor went for 13 while Shemera Williams gathered 10 points on the night. Taylor grabbed a team-high six rebounds while Quierra Love dished out a team-leading five assists.
SCOUTING THEÂ LADY BEARS
The Lady Bears enter Sunday's much-anticipated matchup on a six-game win streak, the third-longest in the Valley, as they last lost on the road at Belmont on Jan. 20. As part of their current win streak, Missouri State has gone 3-0 in road games.
Aniya Thomas leads the program in scoring this season, going for 14.2 points per game which is 10th in the Missouri Valley. Meanwhile, Kennedy Taylor is grabbing a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game, which is 3rd in the MVC. Of her 180 total rebounds, 81 have come on the offensive end for Taylor, which leads the Valley.
Leading the Lady Bears, in her first season in Springfield, is Beth Cunningham. Cunningham, who owns an impressive 20-year collegiate coaching resume, arrives in Springfield from Duke University where she spent the last two season as an assistant coach on coach Kara Lawson's staff.
Prior to Duke, she spent eight season (2012-20) as an associate head coach at Notre Dame for Hall of Fame coach Muffett McGraw. She was part of one of the best stretches in NCAA women's history as Notre Dame compiled a 244-19 record in her time with seven straight 30-win seasons, six conference tiles, five NCAA Final Four appearances, and the 2018 National Championship.
Before returning to her alma mater, Cunningham spent 11 years on the coaching staff at VCU, including nine seasons as head coach starting in 2003-04. She is the Rams' all-time leader in women's basketball coaching wins with a 167-115 (.592) record and postseason appearances in each of her final five seasons.
SERIES HISTORY WITH MISSOURI STATE
Sunday is the 84th overall meeting between the programs as Missouri State leads the series 48-35. When playing at home, the Redbirds have gone 19-22 against the Lady Bears.
In the first meeting this season last month, Kristen Gillespie captured career win no. 200 as part of ISU's 67-63 win in Springfield. Paige Robinson led the way for the Redbirds as she went for a game-high 22 points, while grabbing five rebounds and dishing five assists as well.
Missouri State had four athletes finish in double figures, led by Kennedy Taylor's 18 points as she would also gather 14 rebounds.
TIGHT AT THE TOP
The top four teams in the Valley standings are entering this weekend only separated by two games.
Illinois State holds a game lead over UNI entering this week's action, while Belmont and Missouri State sit two games behind the Redbirds.
IN FOR THE LONG HAUL
Sunday's meeting of the Lady Bears and Redbirds will see the Valley's top three athletes in minutes played this season in action.
Missouri State's Aniya Thomas is averaging 34.6 minutes per game to lead the Valley, while ISU's Paige Robinson is right behind, averaging 34.2 minutes per contest. Finally, ISU's Mary Crompton sits third in minutes per game with her mark of 33.3 per game.
HELD BELOW AVERAGE
Illinois State have kept their Valley opponents below their team season scoring average in 11 of the 13 conference games thus far. Just Indiana State (scored 68; averaging 62) and Murray State (scored 73; averaging 67) beat their average against the Redbirds.
Five of the other 11 teams (Belmont, UIC, Evansville, Southern Illinois, and Valparaiso) have been held at least 10 points below their season's average by ISU.
BUILDING A WINNING CULTURE
Head coach Kristen Gillespie achieved her 200th career win with a 67-63 road win over Missouri State on Jan. 5. The Redbird head ball coach soon followed that up as she collected win no. 100 at Illinois State on Jan. 22, as part of a 32-point win over Evansville for the 'Birds.
Gillespie becomes 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.
The 32-point wins over Evansville (Jan. 22), Valparaiso (Jan. 27), and Bradley (Feb. 2) sees the largest regular season margin of victory over an MVC foe under Gillespie for ISU.
JOURNEY WOMAN
Graduate guard Mary Crompton crossed yet another Illinois State milestone off her list on Jan. 22, as she started her 100th career game as a Redbird. With her 100 career starts, Crompton becomes the ninth Redbird WBB athlete to cross this plateau, and first since former Redbird star and now head coach at UIC, Ashleen Bracey.
With her now 105 career starts, Crompton currently sits sixth all-time in Redbird women's basketball history for the category. She is seven starts away from tying Jenny Schmidt (1995-99) for fifth all-time with 112 career starts.
DEFENSE SHOWING UP
For only the second time in the shot clock era (1982-present), Illinois State held opponents to score fewer than 50 points in three straight games.
As the Redbirds held Evansville (Jan. 22), Valparaiso (Jan. 27), and UIC (Jan. 29) to fewer than 50 points, it is the first time since the 2008-09 season that this feat has been done. In that season, the Redbirds defeated Western Illinois (80-49), Eastern Michigan (83-47), and UW-Green Bay (60-49).
IOWA CITY'S OWN
As of Feb. 11, graduate guard Mary Crompton sees herself rank among the top-20 in active career leaders for three-pointers made and three-point field goal percentage.
Through this point of the season, Crompton is 15th among active players with 281 three-pointers made while having the 16th-best three-point percentage with a mark of 40.7-percent.
CLIMBING IN THE MVC RANKS
In a massive road win for the Redbirds at Belmont on Jan. 15, Mary Crompton went for 26 points including 7-13 from three-point range, tying her career high for single-game three-pointers made set back in the season opener at Dayton on Nov. 10.
Crompton continues her move up the Valley career three-point field goal list. The graduate student sits solely in 3rd on the Valley's all-time list with 281 makes. Crompton now is only 14 triples away from becoming 2nd all-time in Valley history.
GETTING OFF TO A HOT START
As Illinois State held Bradley to four points in the first quarter on Feb. 2, it marks the 35th time since 2017-18 that ISU has held an opponent to single digits in the fourth quarter. Of the previous 35 instances, 22 have come against MVC opponents.
The four points allowed at Belmont on Jan. 15 and at home versus Bradley on Feb. 2 is the fewest first quarter points allowed by ISU since last year's Hoops in the Heartlands Quarterfinals against Loyola (Chicago), where the 'Birds also allowed four points.
KEEPING A WIDE MARGIN
For the first time since the 2008-09 season, Illinois State defeated back-to-back opponents by a margin of at least 30 points, thanks to 32-point wins over Evansville and Valparaiso.
This was the first time for ISU to defeat back-to-back opponents by 30+ points since taking wins over Western Michigan (82-51) and UNC Greensboro (95-51) in the 2008-09 season.
According to ISU women's basketball record books, the back-to-back 32-point wins for the Redbirds is the first time this has occurred in conference play since the 2007-08 season. In that season, ISU defeated Bradley (79-46) and Indiana State (91-56) in consecutive games.
RISING IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Junior forward Kate Bullman is slowly but surely moving her way up the all-time ranks in ISU history for career blocks. With four blocks at UIC on Jan. 29, Bullman eclipsed 100 career rejections.
The junior presently sits solely in four all-time with 106 career blocks. The Grayslake native is the first Redbird WBB athlete to reach 100 career blocks since August Green, who played from 2016-18.
CALM, COOL, COLLECTED
So far this season, redshirt junior Maya Wong has cemented herself as one of the nation's best from the free-throw line.
As of 2/11/23, the Normal native is leading the Valley with her mark of 91.9-percent from the line.
WELCOME TO THE 1K CLUB
With her three-pointer at 3:08 in the third quarter versus Drake (12/30/22), graduate student Mary Crompton officially joined ISU's 1,000-point club. This made the Iowa City native the 30th member and only the second player (Juliunn Redmond) to reach the milestone under head coach Kristen Gillespie.
As her career continues, Crompton currently sits in 23rd all-time for ISU scoring leaders with 1,156 points and counting.
MAKING THEMSELVES KNOWN
As they have done all season, the Redbirds see four athletes making their mark across the top-100 in various statistical categories, in both DI WBB and the MVC (as of 2/11/23). Â
|
CATEGORY
|
VALUE
|
NCAA
|
MVC
|
|
PPG (Paige)
|
18.5
|
31st
|
2nd
|
|
3PT FG% (Mary)
|
.463
|
7th
|
1st
|
|
3PT/Game (Mary)
|
2.9
|
20th
|
1st
|
|
FT Pct (Maya)
|
.930
|
-
|
1st
|
|
Asst./TO ratio (Paige)
|
1.9
|
81st
|
6th
|
|
Blocks (Kate)
|
33.0
|
t-66th
|
5th
|
PLAYING BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL
Thanks to their efforts thus far, ISU currently ranks top-100 in nine categories (as of 2/11/23) across Division I WBB while being top five in the MVC for each category, respectively.
|
CATEGORY
|
VALUE
|
NCAA
|
MVC
|
|
3PT FG%
|
.380
|
8th
|
1st
|
|
3PT FG/Game
|
7.6
|
59th
|
4th
|
|
Free Throw Pct
|
.735
|
94th
|
2nd
|
|
Blocks Per Game
|
4.5
|
t-36th
|
3rd
|
|
Turnover Margin
|
2.82
|
76th
|
3rd
|
|
Assist/TO ratio
|
1.02
|
75th
|
4th
|
|
FG Pct Defense
|
.375
|
63rd
|
2nd
|
|
Scoring Defense
|
60.3
|
74th
|
2nd
|
|
Scoring Margin
|
8.5
|
79th
|
3rd
|
SHOOTING IS KEY
When dissecting the win-loss total for Illinois State in 2022-23, the way the Redbirds shoot has been a valid indicator for the overall result.
In their 18 wins this season, Illinois State is shooting 45.1% from the field and 40.0% from three-point range. Meanwhile, in their five losses, the shooting drops to 34.4% from the field and 29.7% from three-point range.
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. As her time as a Redbird, both on and off the court, is forever remembered, Goods remains ranked in the top-25 in ISU women's basketball history for the following: 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). Goods also remains in the top-10 for the following categories: career rebounds per game (6.9), career blocks per game (0.9), and career double-doubles (12).
As the program continues to honor Simone, the Redbirds dedicated the 2022-23 season to her life and legacy at ISU. Every game this season, ISU players have worn an "SG" patch on their jerseys as the ISU coaching staff wears a similar patch on their respective game day attire.
GAINING NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Illinois State comes in as the highest ranked MVC program, for the second straight week, in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major top-25. The Redbirds (#9) are joined in the rankings by fellow MVC member UNI (#12).
MVC members Drake, Missouri State, and Belmont are receiving votes. Â
RISE OF THE VALLEY
The NCAA NET Report (Feb. 7) has four Valley teams that rank in the top-100, including six of the 12 sitting in the top-130. Drake leads the way at no. 53 with UNI (62), Illinois State (85), and Belmont (92) rounding out the schools in the top-100. Missouri State (103) and Murray State (126) rank in the top 130.
Only eight leagues have six or more teams in the top 130 of the NET (ACC, American, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, MVC, Pac-12, and SEC).
49 YEARS IN THE MAKING
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
As part of the program's annual Education Day on Dec. 6, 2022, 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 Dec. 6, the previous record stood at 6,075 which was set during the 2010 WNIT when California paid Normal a visit.
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. 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.
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.
REDBIRDS SIGN FOUR TO NLI's
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.
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.
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.
SINGLE-GAME TICKETS
Single-game tickets are available for the 2022-23 season. Follow this link to purchase your single-game tickets or contact the Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 438-8000 for more information. Tickets start at just $10 for Illinois State women's basketball home games.Â
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:Â Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
