NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State heads west on I-74 to battle Bradley (6-19, 2-12 MVC) Thursday night at 6 p.m. inside Renaissance Coliseum on before hosting Evansville (4-21, 2-12 MVC) Sunday at 2 p.m. in the program's 14th annual Play4Kay game. Both contests are set to air on ESPN+ and the Redbird Sports Radio Network.
SERIES HISTORY
Two of Illinois State's longest active win streaks against active MVC foes are against their two foes this week. The Redbirds have won seven straight over Bradley and 12 straight over Evansville, which is Illinois State's longest-active win streak against an active MVC foe.
Illinois State's run against Bradley includes a 78-74 win at CEFCU Arena back in December. DeAnna Wilson tied her career-high with 26 points and tallied 6 rebounds to lead Illinois State to a comeback win over the Braves, who led 39-33 at halftime. The Redbirds lead the all-time series with Bradley 56-29.
Evansville is the final MVC opponent that Illinois State has yet to play this season. The two sides last met in the final week of the 2022-2023 regular season, where the Redbirds took a 73-56 road win over the Purple Aces behind 20-point efforts from Paige Robinson and DeAnna Wilson. Robinson led the game with 26 points while Wilson tallied 23 points. All-time, Illinois State leads the series with Evansville by a 42-19 margin.
FOR A BIGGER CAUSE
Sunday's contest at CEFCU Arena is Illinois State's 14th annual Play4Kay game, which benefits the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the fight against all cancers affecting women. Fans are encouraged to wear pink, and the first 1,000 fans will receive a pink t-shirt. At halftime, there will be an on-court recognition of all cancer survivors and those currently battling the disease.
Last year the Illinois State women's basketball program was recognized as a 2023 Play4Kay National Award Winner, as for only the second time in the history of Play4Kay awards, and for the second year in a row, Illinois State won both the Division I BCS and Non BCS national awards. The Redbirds were named a Play4Kay divisional winner for the eighth consecutive year.
Illinois State raised a program-record $66,701 for the Kay Yow Fund in its 2023 edition of the Play4Kay game. The Redbirds have fundraised close to $300,000 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the fight against all women's cancers in their 14 years hosting a Play4Kay game.
LAST TIME OUT
For the second straight game Illinois State used a late fourth-quarter surge to secure a home win. The Redbirds scored 20 unanswered points to rally for a 78-64 win over Valparaiso at CEFCU Arena. Illinois State trailed 59-54 with 6:17 to go in the game, before putting up 20 unanswered points in just under five minutes. Overall, the Redbirds closed the game on a 24-5 run that included 18-straight makes at the free throw line.
Wilson led Illinois State with her sixth double-double of the season, totaling 19 points and 12 rebounds. She put up 11 points and 8 rebounds in the second half alone. Wilson was 11-for-14 at the free throw line in the line. Maya Wong finished with 17 points Saturday, which included an 11-for-11 mark from the free throw line. She went on a 7-0 personal run for Illinois State in the fourth quarter where all seven points came at the free throw line. Kate Bullman and Daijah Smith both finished with 11 points to bring Illinois State to four double-figure scorers on the night. Bullman tallied 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks while Smith recorded 11 points and 4 rebounds.
DEE'S DOUBLE DOUBLES
DeAnna Wilson finished with her sixth double-double of the season in the win over Valparaiso. It was her 24th career double-double, which inches her closer to the top three in Illinois State's all-time double-doubles list.
CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES (PROGRAM HISTORY)
1. Cathy Boswell (1979-1983) - 48
2. Caryn Brune (1989-1993) - 33
3. Marla Maupin (1981-1985) - 26
4. DeAnna Wilson (2020-Present) - 24
REDBIRD RALLIES
Illinois State overcame fourth-quarter deficits in both home wins last week, outscoring UIC and Valparaiso by a combined 37-7 over the last five minutes of the two contests. The two victories marked the first times this season that Illinois State has overcome a deficit in the final five minutes of regulation to win a game.
In the win over the Flames, Illinois State outscored UIC 15-2 over the final five minutes. The Redbirds used a 20-0 run to outscore the Beacons 22-5 in the final five minutes Saturday.
GOOD AT THE LINE
The Redbirds have continued to make good use of the free throw line this season as Illinois State ranks 25th in NCAA DI with 21.38 free throw attempts per game. Meanwhile, the Redbirds are making 16.62 free throws per game, which ranks 7th in NCAA DI.
Illinois State hit 18 consecutive free throws to close the game against Valparaiso, finishing with 30-for-36 (83.3%) at the line. It was the fourth time over the last five games Illinois State has shot better than 80 percent from the free throw line. The performance also marked the second time Illinois State has made 30-plus free throws in a single game this season. (31 vs Missouri State Jan. 14)
For the season, Illinois State is shooting 77.4 percent from the free throw line, which ranks 23rd in NCAA DI.
THE REDBIRD STATE
On Thursday, Illinois State will take on an in-state foe for the eighth time this season. Illinois State is 6-1 against in-state foes this year, with the lone loss coming at UIC in January. The Redbirds have won 10 straight games against in-state foes at CEFCU Arena.
Illinois State is 12-1 against Land of Lincoln foes over the last two seasons. Since the start of the 2019-2020 campaign, the Redbirds are 33-9 against in-state foes and 19-2 vs in-state foes inside CEFCU Arena. Illinois State has won 6-plus games over in-state foes in each of the last five seasons.
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