SETTING THE SCENE
Illinois State's Missouri Valley Conference slate will continue on Monday night, when the Redbirds (6-6, 0-1) host the Indiana State Sycamores (4-7, 0-1) at 6:30 p.m. at CEFCU Arena.
THE SERIES
Illinois State and Indiana State will meet for the 108th time in program history on Monday night to kick off a stretch of MVC games to close out the rest of the regular season. Both sqauds hold a 0-1 mark in MVC play so far this season. The Redbirds lead the all-time series, 62-45, and have won the last 12 contests against the Sycamores. Illinois State's last loss against Indiana State came in a 59-44 defeat on the road on Jan. 11, 2019. The Redbirds hold a 36-15 mark at home and a 47-34 record in conference play against the Sycamores.
THE FASTBREAK
• Illinois State closed out non-conference play with a 89-66 victory over Oakland on Dec. 19.
• ISU shot .636 from the field against the Golden Grizzlies, the sixth-highest field goal percentage in program history and the highest in the MVC this season.
• Five Redbirds scored in double figures against Oakland. Doneelah Washington led all scorers with 21 points, while Addison Martin scored in double figures for the 12th straight game with 19 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter.
• Kya Hurt set a new career high with 18 points against Nebraska, topping her previous high of 16 points set earlier this season against Saint Louis.
• Jaeden Pratt had the best game of her young career in ISU's win over Eastern Illinois, 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.
• 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.
• 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
SCOUTING THE SYCAMORES
• Marc Mitchell is in his second season at the helm of the Sycamores.
• Three Indiana State players average double figures in scoring, including Tierney Kelsey (16.9), Jayci Allen (10.9) and Samiyah Briggs (10.0). Kelsey ranks third in the MVC in scoring. Allen poses a threat behind the arc with 1.7 three-pointers made per game.
• Indiana State ranks second in the conference scoring 72.8 points per game but sits in last defensively, giving up 78.8 points per contest.
• Clemisha Prackett and Amerie Flowers lead the Sycamores down low with 7.5 and 7.3 rebounds per game, both top-10 marks in the MVC.
• The Sycamores rank second in the conference in combined team rebounds (39.9) and team offensive rebounds (13.9)
CLOSING OUT NON-CON
• ISU closed out its 2025-26 non-conference slate with an 89-66 win over Oakland on Dec. 19.
• The Redbirds ended with a 6-5 record in non-conference play this season and are 65-48 overall in those games during Kristen Gillespie's tenure (2017-Pres.)
SHOOT FOR THE STARS
• In ISU's win over Oakland, the Redbirds shot .636 from the field, the sixth-highest single-game mark in program history and the best since shooting .638 at the University of Northern Iowa on Jan. 8, 1987. It also stands as the highest field goal percentage in the MVC this season.
• ISU shot .688 from the field in the first quarter and .654 from the field in the second half, marking the Redbirds' highest field goal percentage in a single quarter and half this season.
• Five Redbirds scored in double figures against the Grizzlies, including Grace Nelson, who came off the bench and went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and scored 11 total points, setting new career-highs in both categories.
• The Redbirds currently lead the MVC in team field goal percentage at .418.
MVC PLAY
• Monday night's contest against Indiana State will kick off a stretch of MVC games to close out the rest of the regular season.
• ISU is 0-1 in conference play this year, falling to UNI, 68-54, on Dec. 4, which marked the Redbirds' earliest game ever against an MVC foe.
• ISU is 461-435 all-time in MVC games and 95-53 in conference play under head coach Kristen Gillespie (2017-Pres.).
REUNION FOR FINNEGAN
• Senior Bella Finnegan will reunite with her former team when the Redbirds face the Sycamores on Monday night.
• Finnegan posted a successful three-year career at Indiana State before transferring to the Redbirds in the offseason.
• The guard averaged 12.8 points per game for the Sycamores and tallied a team-high 55 three-pointers in 2024-25. She was also named to the All-MVC Freshman Team in 2022-23.
