Redbirds Pull Away In Third Quarter To Defeat Dayton, 87-76, In Season Opener

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State outscored Dayton by 11 points in the third quarter to pull away for an 87-76 win on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena on Monday in the 2025-26 season opener. The Redbirds shot 51 percent from the field and had four players in doubles figures as ISU won its fourth-straight season opener and its sixth in the last seven overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED 
•    Illinois State jumped out to a 9-1 lead over the first three minutes of the contest, before Dayton went on an 12-2 run to take a 13-11 lead with 3:08 left in the first before a running jumper by Trista Fayta knotted the contest at 13-13. The Redbirds would finish the first quarter on a 5-0 run to take an 18-15 lead after 10 minutes of play.
•    Dayton would use a 7-0 run over a near two-minute stretch to take a 26-24 lead with 6:13 before halftime but a three-pointer by freshman Jaeden Pratt with 5:26 on the clock would give the Redbirds the lead back at 27-26.
•    That kickstarted a 13-2 run for the Redbirds as they used a 6-0 run to widen the lead to the largest of the game at the time of 37-28 with 2:27 left before the break. Dayton would close the half on a 10-4 run to trim the Illinois State lead to 41-38 at halftime
•    The Redbirds would hit eight-straight field goals and used a 15-2 run to take a 63-49 lead with 2:32 left to play in the third quarter, before the Flyers hit a pair of free throws to end a two-plus minute scoring drought. Dayton would not connect from the field over the final four minutes of the third quarter as the Redbirds led by a score of 67-53 headed to the final 10 minutes of action.
•    Illinois State's lead would grow to as many as 22 points at 83-61 with 3:35 left in the game, but Dayton would go on an 8-0 run late in the contest to cut the ISU lead to 85-74 with 48.3 seconds left before the game would go final at 87-76.

HIGHLIGHTS 
•    The Redbirds are now 6-3 in season openers under head coach Kristen Gillespie, have won four-straight openers and six out of last seven season openers overall.
•    ISU had 24 assists on 35 made field goals, and out-rebounded Dayton 40-27 thanks to 18 offensive boards.
•    Four Redbirds scored in double figures, led by Doneelah Washington's career-high 21 points on a perfect 8-for-8 night from the field which also included a 2-for-2 effort from behind the three-point line … she would finish with nine rebounds to just miss out on a double-double in the season opener.
•    Fayta did achieve the season-opening double-double as she scored a career-high 19 points and dished out a career-best 10 assists to record the first double-double of her career at ISU. 
•    Addison Martin also scored 20 points for the Redbirds while grabbing five rebounds, and Pratt was the final Redbird to score in double figures with 10 points, six rebounds and four assists in her first career starting assignment.

UP NEXT 
Illinois State heads East on I-74 to take on Illinois on Sunday, November 9, with tipoff set for noon in Champaign at the State Farm Center.

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:  Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.