NORMAL, Ill. -Â Illinois State Womens Basketball (22-11) heads to Madison for a WNIT Super 16 matchup with Wisconsin (14-16) Thursday at 7 p.m. inside Kohl Center on B1G+ and the Redbird Sports Radio Network.
The winner advances to the WNIT Great 8 March 30-April 1. Game time, date and host site will be announced following the completion of Third Round contests. The winner will meet the winner of Saint Louis and Purdue Fort Wayne which is set to be played Friday night.
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday marks the 20th all-time meeting between the two sides and the second all-time meeting in the WNIT. It is the third straight year the two teams have matched up, after Illinois State won 62-57 in Normal last season, and the Badgers earned a win in Madison during the 2021-2022 campaign.
Most recently, the Redbirds pulled out a 62-57 win over Wisconsin last season at CEFCU Arena. Paige Robinson tied her career-high with 37 points, going 7-for-7 from behind the arc. Her seven threes were tied for the second-most in program history. Robinson was 14-for-19 from the field overall, and also grabbed 6 rebounds with 1 assist.
Illinois State leads the all-time series by an 11-8 margin, while the series is tied 4-4 all-time in Madison. The Redbirds took a 62-59 win over the Badgers in Madison in the Second Round of the 2011 WNIT, advancing to the WNIT Third Round for the third consecutive season.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois State put five players in double figures en route to a 74-67 win over Charleston in the Second Round of the 2024 WNIT at CEFCU Arena Sunday.
Illinois State ran out to as high as a 13-point lead in the first half, but Charleston stayed within reach, before tying the score at 60 with 4:02 to play. Illinois State used a 5-0 run to regain an advantage at 65-60, before hitting five of six free throws in the closing moments to hold off the Cougars.
DeAnna Wilson led Illinois State with 17 points and 8 rebounds. She had 10 points and 8 rebounds in the first half alone Sunday, helping Illinois State mount a 34-28 lead at halftime. Caroline Waite finished in double-figures for the first time since Jan. 19, going 4-of-5 from behind the arc in a critical shooting performance. Waite stepped up in the third quarter, scoring 9 points all from behind the arc. She hit another three in the early moments of the fourth quarter to give Illinois State a 56-49 lead with 6:56 to play. Shannon Dowell tallied 13 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds, her 16th double-figure scoring performance of her rookie campaign. Dowell scored 9 of her 13 points in the second half Sunday, including a bucket that put Illinois State ahead 47-37 in the third quarter. Maya Wong finished with 11 points and a team-high 8 assists. It was her fourth performance of the season with 8+ assists. She hit the last four free throws of the game for Illinois State to secure a win.  Daijah Smith scored in double-figures for the fourth time in five games. She hit a crucial three-pointer from the corner three that put Illinois State up 65-60 after the Cougars had tied the game.
WNIT HISTORY
Illinois State earned a WNIT bid for the 15th time in the history of the program and third time under head coach Kristen Gillespie. The Redbirds are 16-9 in the WNIT since 2000 and 13-3 at home in the WNIT over that stretch. This year marks the first time since 2013 that the program has hosted postseason basketball at CEFCU.
Illinois State made three consecutive trips to the WNIT Semifinals from 2009 to 2011, earning six wins over Power 5 foes across the three runs. Under Gillespie the Redbirds are 2-3 in the WNIT.
POWER(5)ING UP
Illinois State will go for its second Power 5 win in as many seasons as the Redbirds take on the Badgers. Thursday marks the second time this season that Illinois State will take on a Power 5 opponent on the road, after battling fifth-ranked NC State in Raleigh Dec. 3.
Thursday will be Illinois State's 8th Power 5 opponent in the Kristen Gillespie era, three of which have been the Badgers. The Redbirds have a pair of Power 5 wins in Gillespie's tenure, once over the Badgers last season, and once at Illinois 74-58 in 2019. Since 2000, the Redbirds are 6-5 against Power 5 foes in the WNIT, which includes wins at Purdue (2010) and Wisconsin (2011).
DAIJAH DOWN THE STRETCH
Senior Daijah Smith is riding a strong scoring stretch for the Redbirds, as she is averaging 12.0 points over the last five games. That is well above her season average of 7.2 points per game. She has finished in double-figures in four of the last five games for Illinois State, which includes a mark of 16 points March 7 that is a high for her Illinois State career. She averaged 15.5 points per game for the Redbirds in the final week of the regular season, scoring 15+ points in consecutive games for the first time in her Illinois State career.
In the win over Murray State March 7, Smith tallied her Illinois State career high of 16 points, 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. To open the MVC Tournament against Evansville, Smith scored 11 points to reach double-figures for the third straight game. She scored 10 points off the bench in the win over Charleston, hitting three pointers for just the second time this season.
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