NORMAL, Ill. -Â No.5 seed Illinois State (20-10, 13-7 MVC) opens play at 2024 Hoops In the Heartland with a Thursday matchup against No.12 Evansville (4-27, 2-18 MVC) at 2:30 PM inside Vibrant Arena at The Mark on ESPN+ and the Redbird Sports Radio Network.
SERIES HISTORY
The Redbirds are set to meet the Purple Aces for just the second time this season, after blowing past Evansville 78-50 at CEFCU Arena Feb. 25. Savannah McGowan led Illinois State in that win over the Purple Aces, scoring a season-high 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field. She was one of three Redbirds in double-figures, as DeAnna Wilson and Kate Bullman both scored 14 points.
All-time, Illinois State leads the series with Evansville by a 43-19 margin. Illinois State's 13-game win streak against the Purple Aces is their longest-active win streak over a current Valley foe. However, the Redbirds are 0-3 all-time against Evansville at the MVC Tournament.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois State put five-plus players into double figures for just the fourth time this season but fell short Saturday on Senior Day against Belmont. The Redbirds fought back from a 54-46 second-half deficit to lead 63-61 with 2:36 to play. The two sides traded blows and Belmont led 69-64 at the 1-minute mark. Abbie Aalsma netted a three-ball to cut the deficit before DeAnna Wilson stepped to the line with a chance to give Illinois State the lead. She split the trip to the line and the score was tied at 69 with 15 seconds left. Belmont guard Tuti Jones connected from deep for a go-ahead bucket that sealed a win for the Bruins.
Wilson led Illinois State with 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Daijah Smith tallied 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Aalsma went 3-for-7 from deep and finished with 11 points. Kate Bullman put up 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks while Maya Wong tallied 10 points and 4 assists for the Redbirds.
Illinois State built as high as a 12-point first-half lead, before Belmont responded to trim Illinois State's advantage down to 35-33 at the break. The Bruins outscored Illinois State 18-8 and took a 51-43 lead at the 4:36 mark of the third. Trailing 56-50 heading into the fourth, Smith scored five of Illinois State's first 7 points and the deficit was down to 58-57. The two sides traded blows for the final stretch before Belmont pulled out the late-game heroics. The Redbirds put 4+ players in double-figure scoring for the 13th time this season. The Redbirds are 11-2 when doing so this year.
HISTORY AS THE 5 SEED
Illinois State is slotted as the No.5 seed at this week's Hoops in the Heartland, which is just the third time in the history of the program that Illinois State has been a five seed at the MVC Tournament* All-time Illinois State is 2-2 as a No.5 seed at Hoops in the Heartland. Most recently, the Redbirds topped No.4 Bradley, 61-55, before falling to No.1 Drake, 65-54, at the 2019 tournament.
The Redbirds were also a No.5 seed in 2004, when Illinois State beat No.4 Indiana State, 77-63, and fell to No.1 seeded Missouri State, 93-72.
*The conference expanded from a four-team tournament starting in 1993.
DAIJAH DOWN THE STRETCH
For the first time in her Illinois State career senior Daijah Smith has scored 15+ points in consecutive games. She averaged 15.5 points per game for the Redbirds last week and made her second start of the season on Senior Day against Belmont March 9. In the win over Murray State March 7, Smith tallied 16 points, which marked a high for her Illinois State career, pairing it with 6 rebounds and two assists. Smith then played a season-high 26 minutes against Belmont, scoring 15 points after making her second start as a Redbird. She was 3-for-3 from deep in the contest, with her 3 three-pointers marking her season-high.
BALANCED EFFORT
For just the fourth time this season Illinois State put five-plus players into double-figures in the regular season finale against Belmont. It was the 13th time this season • Illinois State has finished with four-plus double-figure scorers in a single game. The Redbirds are 11-2 in those games. That includes an historic performance against Chicago State Nov. 30, where seven Redbirds reached double figure scoring in a single game for the first time in program history.
The Redbirds also put 5 players into double figures in the season opener Nov. 6 at Omaha (5) and Dec. 19 vs Saint Louis.
BULLMAN NAMED SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
Kate Bullman earned MVC Scholar Athlete Second Team honors, as announced by the league office on Tuesday. It's the second straight year Bullman has earned an MVC Scholar Athlete team nod, after she took home an Honorable Mention selection last season. She has started every game for the Redbirds this year, averaging career bests of 7.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.13 blocks per game. Bullman, who has 187 career blocks, recently climbed to second in program history for career blocks. She also maintains a 3.89 grade point average while pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology.
Bullman's honor marks the fifth straight season Illinois State has earned an All-MVC Scholar Athlete team selection. She is one of four Redbirds to land on the Valley Scholar Athlete team in that time.
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