ST. LOUIS – Dominant efforts in the first and fourth quarters by Illinois State and a dominant 19-point effort by Nevaeh Thomas propelled the Redbirds (5-0) to a 72-55 road win at Saint Louis (2-2) on Saturday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena. The win kept the Redbirds undefeated on the season, matching the best start in the Kristen Gillespie era.

HOW IT HAPPENED 
•    The two teams traded baskets to a 5-5 tie a minute and a half into the contest, before a three-pointer by the Billikens took an 8-5 advantage. That's when the Redbirds went on an 11-0 run over the next three-plus minutes Nevaeh Thomas scoring the first seven points of the game for ISU and a three-pointer from Danyella Mporokoso gave the Birds a 16-8 lead at the under-five media timeout.
•    A three-pointer from Chloe Spreen with just over a minute left would give the Redbirds their biggest lead of the opening quarter at 23-12, and ISU would hold that advantage heading into the second quarter … ISU shot 40 percent from the field and 43 percent from three-point range in the first 10 minutes while scoring 13 second-chance points.
•    Five-straight points from Thomas three minutes into the second quarter would push the Redbird lead to 28-14 with 6:51 left in the quarter. SLU would answer with a 6-0 run to cut the ISU lead back to single digits at 28-20 and held that eight-point advantage until Grace Nelson drilled a three-pointer from the corner with 32 seconds left before the break to give ISU and 11-points lead at halftime, 33-22. 
•    A 6-1 start to the third quarter by Saint Louis would cut the ISU lead to six points at 34-28, before a three-pointer by Chloe Spreen got the Redbirds their first basket of the quarter to extend the lead back to nine points for ISU at 37-28 with just over five minutes left in the stanza.
•    A fastbreak layup by Spreen would push the Redbird lead to 10 at 39-29 with 3:29 left in the third, before the Billikens went on a quick 5-0 run to cut the deficit to five points at 39-34 with just under three minutes left. The Bills would later cut it back to five points, before Madison Austin connected from long range to push the ISU lead back to eight points at 44-36 a minute later. I
•    ISU would hold on the rest of the way and would take a nine-point lead at 47-38 into the fourth quarter after a layup by Trista Fayta with 27 seconds left. 
•    Two free throws each from Austin and Mporokoso extended the Redbird lead to 11 points at 51-40 three minutes into the fourth quarter, and a personal 8-0 run over 75 seconds by Hannah Chicken would give the ISU its biggest lead of the game at 59-42 with 5:39 left in the contest.
•    The run would grow to 16-2 after back-to-back layups by Thomas and Fayta pushed the lead to 21 at 63-42 with under five to play. An 11-0 run by the Billikens would cut the Redbird lead back to 15 points at 70-55 with 91 seconds remaining in the contest, but ISU would hold on for a 72-55 win to move to 5-0 on the year.

HIGHLIGHTS 
•    With the win, the Redbirds improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2022-25 and matched the best start in program history.
•    It marks the fifth-straight game with at least four players scoring in double figures for the Redbirds (they had five score 10 or more in the season opener against Chicago State).
•    The Redbird defense held the Billikens to just 25 percent shooting from the field (7-for-28) in the first half and just 20 percent from three-point range (2-for-10) … ISU also outrebounded SLU by a margin of 25-18, with 12 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points in the first 20 minutes of play.
•    ISU would end the game with a rebounding margin of 50-36 and 21 offensive rebounds would translate into 21 second-chance points. 
•    Thomas was a force for the Redbird in the first half, leading the team with 14 points and five rebounds in 15 minutes of action … she would finish with a game-high 19 points to go with eight rebounds to lead the way for ISU.
•    Austin, Spreen and Chicken would each chip in 10 points for ISU to round out the quartet of scorers in double figures … Fayta just missed making it five in double figures, as she scored nine points while dishing out a team-leading six assists.
•    Austin and Pratt both posted season-highs in rebounds in the contest.

UP NEXT 
The Redbirds will hold their annual Education Day game on Tuesday, Nov. 17, when they host Loyola Chicago (2-2) for an 11 a.m. tip on Doug Collins Court at CEFCU Arena. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and hear on the Illinois State Radio Network flagship WJBC AM 1230, on 98.9 FM WJEZ and on the Varsity Network App with Greg Halbleib on the call.

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