NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Women's Basketball has unveiled its 2025 non-conference schedule, a slate that includes six contests inside CEFCU Arena.
"We have built a non-conference schedule that will test our team. This is most challenging schedule we have had in my tenure at Illinois State. These games will give us valuable opportunities to grow, measure ourselves against great competition and set the tone the season," Illinois State head coach Kristen Gillespie said.
For the third-consecutive season, Illinois State will take on cross-town foe Illinois Wesleyan in exhibition play in preparation for the regular season on October 26 at CEFCU Arena.
The Redbirds then open the regular season at home on November 3 against Dayton, before travelling East on I-74 to take on Illinois in Champaign on November 9. Illinois State will host its annual Education Day game on November 12 when it takes on Chicago State, before heading to Chicago on November 18 to compete against former MVC foe Loyola. A contest on November 21 against Saint Louis at CEFCU Arena will then wrap up the home slate in November for the Redbirds.
ISU will then head to San Juan for the 2025 Discover Puerto Rico Shootout, where it will face off against Rice (November 26), East Carolina (November 27) and Wake Forest (November 28) during the tournament to be held at Coliseo Roberto Clemente.
Following the shootout in Puerto Rico, the Redbirds will return home to host in-state foe Eastern Illinois on December 6, before squaring off against another Big Ten Conference foe in Nebraska on the road in Lincoln on December 14. Illinois State will wrap up the non-conference portion of its schedule at CEFCU Arena on December 19 against Oakland, before starting Missouri Valley Conference play.
The Redbirds return 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. 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.
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