NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State women's will officially open the 2025-26 season on Monday night inside CEFCU Arena, as the Redbirds host Dayton for a 6:30 p.m. tip on Doug Collins Court.
REDBIRDS IN SEASON OPENERS
Illinois State opens the year at home against Dayton, whom the Redbirds opened the 2022 season with on the road. The Redbirds are 5-3 in season openers under head coach Kristen Gillespie and have won three season openers in a row. In all, the Redbirs have won five of the last six overall. Last year, ISU opened the season with an 81-77 win on the road against Power 4 oppoenent Northwestern.
MID-MAJOR LOVE
Illinois State was ranked No. 12 in the preseason CollegeInsiders.com women's basketball Mid-Major Top 25 poll. The Redbirds were one of three Missouri Valley Conference teams listed, including Murray State (No. 8) and Belmont (No. 14).
CROSSTOWN LID LIFTER
For the third-straight season, Illinois State and crosstown foe Illinois Wesleyan met in exhibition action. Five Illinois State players scored in a double figures and two recorded double-doubles, as the Redbirds defeated the Titans by a final of 89-46 in their lone preseason test at CEFCU Arena. Transfer Bella Finnegan finished with a game-high 20 points, including a 5-for-11 effort from three-point range, while Trysta Fata (17 points, 10 assists) and Nevaeh Thomas (12 points,10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles for the Redbirds against the Titans.
ABOUT LAST YEAR
Illinois State advanced to the WNIT Semifinal for the fourth time in program history and for the first time since 2011. The Redbirds made three consecutive WNIT semifinal runs from 2009 to 2011, earning six wins over Power 5 foes across the three runs. The Redbirds made their 16th appearance all-time in the WNIT and their fourth trip to the WNIT in Kristen Gillespie's tenure.
The Redbirds were 24-13 overall last season, including a 14-6 mark in MVC play and a 14-4 record at home at CEFCU Arena. Illinois State secured a 20-win campaign for the third-straight season, a streak that leads all DI women's teams in the state of Illinois.
BIRD BITS
Illinois State returns seven players from last season's squad that advanced to the WNIT Fab 4, including MVC All-Freshman team selection Doneelah Washington and All-MVC Newcomer team member Addison Martin.
Martin and Nevaeh Thomas were listed among several Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball "Players to Watch" for the upcoming 2025-26 season. Martin started all 37 games for Illinois State and was one of six Redbirds to break the program's single-season record for games played. The Shreveport, Louisiana, native reached double figures in 18 games, including two 20+ point performances, with a season-high of 23 points scored against Southern Illinois.
Thomas averaged 12.1 points per game, a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game while ranking fifth in the MVC shooting 54.5 percent from the field. Thomas scored in double figures in 29 games, including the first 15 outings of the season, and tallied ten double-doubles, becoming just the sixth player in program history to tally 10+ double-doubles in a single season.
SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton finished the 2024-25 season with a 18-13 mark overall and 11-7 A-10 conference record. The Flyers averaged 63.8 points per game and held opponents to 62.5 points each outing. Dayton shot 41.3 percent overall, 30.9 percent from three point range, and 70.4 percent from the free throw line and UD benefited from a +3.0 rebounding margin as well. Dayton looks to replace a couple of key starters from last year's squad, but the Flyers return graduate student and preseason All-Atlantic 10 honoree Nicole Stephens, who made 25 starts and averaged 28.7 minutes per game at the helm. Senior Nayo Lear will also move into a bigger role after averaging 4.7 points per game and nine starts in 24-25.
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