Redbirds Head To Lincoln To Take On Undefeated Cornhuskers

SETTING THE SCENE
Illinois State has a big challenge ahead of it following the completion of final exams, as the Redbirds (5-5) head to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on undefeated and No. 24 ranked Nebraska (10-0) in a non-conference matchup on Sunday. Sunday's game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and Nebraska will meet for just the second time in program history on Sunday afternoon inside Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers lead the all-time series, 1-0, with a 79-70 win over the Redbirds on Nov. 22, 1996. Sunday's matchup will mark Illinois State's second game this season against a Big Ten foe (L vs. Illinois, 75-65), and Nebraska's second contest this season versus a Missouri Valley Conference team (W vs. Bradley, 92-53). 

THE FASTBREAK
• ISU snapped a four-game losing streak with a 64-46 victory over Eastern Illinois on Sunday, improving to 25-2 versus in-state foes at CEFCU Arena since 2019-2020.
• Jaeden Pratt had the best game of her young career against the Panthers, recording a career-high 15 points and nine rebounds while going 6-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
• Doneelah Washington notched a career-high seven steals against Eastern Illinois, the most in a single game for a Redbird since Terrion Moore had seven at Loyola Chicago on March 5, 2021. She also added 10 points and nine rebounds in the win.
• Trista Fayta produced an all-around performance against UNI, scoring a game-high 19 points while adding seven assists and six boards.
• Washington recorded a new-career high with three triples against UNI.
• Madison Austin pulled down a career-high six boards in just under 11 minutes of play against UNI.
• ISU went 0-3 against Rice, East Carolina and Wake Forest at the Puerto Rico Shootout.
 •Addison Martin led the offense during the tournament, scoring a season-high 22 points and grabbing eight boards against Rice.
•Martin recorded her first double-double of the season versus East Carolina with 11 points and 10 rebounds while adding three assists and a steal.
• Washington earned her third double-double of the season, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 boards while matching a career-high with two three-pointers against Wake Forest.
• Bella Finnegan finished with a season-best 16 points, going 4-for-6 from behind the arc against Saint Louis.
• Kya Hurt scored a career-high 16 points against the Billikens, including a 6-for-7 effort at the charity stripe.
• The 100-point output for the Redbirds against Chicago State was their first since scoring 110 against St. Francis last December.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• No. 24 Nebraska holds an unblemished 10-0 record on the season, tied for the third-longest winning streak in school history.
•Nebraska has scored 80 or more points in all 10 games this season, which is a program record.
• Head coach Amy Williams has led the Huskers to four NCAA Tournament bids in her 10 seasons at the helm, including back-to-back appearances in 2024-25.
• Britt Prince leads the Husker offense with 19.9 points per game, which ranks fifth in the Big Ten and top 25 in the NCAA.
• Nebraska has two other players who average double figures, including Jessica Petrie (12.2) and Amiah Hargrove (12.3). Petrie and Hargrove also lead the team with 5.5 and 6.6 boards per game, both ranking in the top 30 in the conference.
• Nebraska has the highest field goal percentage in the Big Ten and second in the NCAA at .530.
• The Huskers rank second in the Big Ten and sixth in the NCAA with 21.9 assists per game. Calin Hake leads the team in that category, dishing out 5.1 assists per contest.
• Nebraska's talent runs deep, as the Huskers average 35.8 points off the bench, good for fourth in the NCAA.

GEM FROM JAEDEN
• Freshman Jaeden Pratt, a starter in the first nine games, came off the bench and had the best game of her young career against Eastern Illinois. She recorded a career-high 15 points and nine rebounds while going 6-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
• Pratt headed a 9-0 run for the Redbirds in the second quarter, scoring a layup and a triple to force the Panthers to call a timeout with 2:15 left in the first half.
• The guard from Ankeny, Iowa, posted a seven-point third quarter to help the Redbirds take a 13-point advantage into the final period.

AGAINST BIG TEN & RANKED FOES
• ISU is 0-1 against Big Ten opponents this season, falling to in-state foe Illinois, 75-65. • The Redbirds hold a 6-14 record against Big Ten opponents since the 2010-11 season.
• ISU is 1-7 against AP top-25 teams during head coach Kristen Gillespie's tenure (2017-Pres.).
• ISU's last win against an AP top-25 opponent came in a 78-66 victory over No. 21 Missouri State on Feb. 27, 2020.

FIERCE FRESHMEN
• Kya Hurt is leading all MVC freshmen in assists (26, 2.9 per game) and is second in points (79, 8.8 per game)
•Jaeden Pratt is leading all MVC freshmen in rebounds (44, 4.4 per game) and is fourth in points (63, 6.3 per game).

DONEELAH DOWN LOW
• Doneelah Washington recorded her third double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Wake Forest.
• The sophomore forward scored 15 points and grabbed a career-high 14 boards while also adding five steals and a blocked shot versus Saint Louis.
• Washington's career-high seven steals against Eastern Illinois are the most in a single game for a Redbird since Terrion Moore had seven at Loyola Chicago on March 5, 2021.
• Washington ranks third in the MVC in rebounds (9.3), third in blocked shots (1.5) and second in steals (2.4) per game.
• Washington is one of four DI players with 15+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ steals and 4+ assists in a single game this season, joining UConn's Sarah Strong, Saint Joseph's Aleah Snead and Madison Booker of Texas.
• Washington is currently the only MVC player ranked in the top-10 in the league in points, rebounds, offensive rebounds, blocks and steals.

THE REDBIRD STATE
• The Redbirds improved to 3-1 against in-state foes this season and 2-0 at home after a 64-46 win over Eastern Illinois on Dec. 7.
• Since the start of the 2019-2020 campaign, the Redbirds are 47-12 against in-state foes and 25-2 vs in-state foes inside CEFCU Arena.
• The Redbirds have won 16 straight games against in-state foes inside CEFCU Arena. 

FAYTA TAKES OVER
• Fayta produced an all-around performance against UNI on Wednesday, scoring a game-high 19 points while adding seven assists and six boards.
• Fayta has led the Redbirds in assists in eight of nine contests, including six straight games.
• In her first career start, Fayta tallied the first double-double of her career with 19 points and 10 assists against Dayton.
• Her complete performance turned out to be a unique one, as Fayta become just the second MVC player in the last 14 seasons to put up 19 points, 10 assists and 4 or more steals in a game.
• With her 10 assists, she became the first Redbirds to post double digit assists since JuJu Redmond in 2022.
• She currently leads the MVC and is tied for 26th in the NCAA with 5.6 assists per game.

MONEY MARTIN
• Addison Martin currently leads the MVC in minutes played per game (36.0).
• She ranks fourth in the conference in scoring with 14.2 points per contest. She is one of two players ranked in the top 10 in scoring without a made three-pointer.
• The redshirt senior has scored in double figures in all 10 games this season and leads the team with two 20-point outings.
• Martin led the MVC shooting 58.7% from the field in Valley play last season. She shot north of 50% in 16 MVC games, more than any player in the Valley. 
• She had two 20+ outings in MVC play last season. That included a season-high performance of 23 points vs Southern Illinois Jan. 31, her first 20-point performance as a Redbird. She finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds at Drake Feb. 7. 

MVC HONORS
• After helping the Redbirds to a pair of wins, Illinois State's Doneelah Washington and Kya Hurt both earned weekly player honors from the Missouri Valley Conference on Nov. 24. Washington was named the MVC Player of the Week, while Hurt was tabbed as the MVC Freshman of the Week by the league office.
• Washington delivered a dominant two-game stretch against Loyola and Saint Louis, averaging a double-double with 13.0 points and 13.5 rebounds
• Hurt made a major impact off the bench, averaging 11.5 points while shooting 50 percent from the field in the two victories.

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
• Illinois State's final basket of the game with just 33 seconds left put the Redbirds over the century mark with 101 points, much to the delight of the thousands of kids in the stands chanting for 100 against Chicago State.
• It marked the first 100-point output for the Redbirds was since scoring 110 against St. Francis last December, and it was the fourth time under head coach Kristen Gillespie that ISU eclipsed the century mark.

THREEBAY UNLOCKED
• The first basket for Illinois State against Dayton was a three-pointer, but it came from an unexpected shooter in Doneelah Washington who made her first two career shots from beyond the arch against the Flyers.
• She became the first Redbird since the 2009-10 season with 20+ points in a game on a perfect night shooting from the field.
• Washington recorded a new-career high with three triples against UNI.

BALANCED EFFORT
• The Redbirds finished with 4+ double-figure scorers in 25 games last season and did so again in the 2025-26 opener against Dayton. Illinois State is 35-10 when putting 4+ in double-figures since the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
• Over the last three seasons, Illinois State has finished with 4+ double-figure scorers in 45 games, and 5+ double-figure scorers in 14.