NORMAL, Ill. – What is projected to be a potent offensive attack for Illinois State proved to be just that in the 2026-27 season opener on Monday night, as five Redbirds scored in double figures in a dominant 106-69 victory for ISU (1-0) over Chicago State (0-1) on Doug Collins Court at CEFCU Arena. The Birds were led by a pair of 20-point scorers in Nevaeh Thomas (23) and Grace Nelson (21), as 11 different players scored points for ISU.

HOW IT HAPPENED 
•    The Redbirds jumped out to a 28-20 lead after the first quarter of play, shooting 50 percent from the field during the first 10 minutes of action while scoring eight points from the line.
•    ISU extended its lead to 53-32 in the second quarter thanks to a 7-0 run at the start, and got some strong play by a pair of freshmen in Danyella Mporokoso (9 points) and Kennedy Stowers (6 points, 5 rebounds) … Mporokoso scored six-straight at one point for the Redbirds to extend their lead to 16 points at the time.
•    Chicago State started the third quarter on a 5-0 run to cut into the Redbird lead at 53-37, but the Redbirds answered with a 19-2 run to take a 72-39 lead with 4:22 left in the quarter before the Cougars hit a three-pointer to quell the ISU run.
•    The Redbirds would finish the half on a 11-2 run, including a pair of three pointers by Grace Nelson and five points from Chloe Spreen, to take an 87-48 lead to the fourth quarter.
•    Back-to-back three-pointers by Nelson two minutes into the fourth quarter would widen the ISU lead to 98-53, before the Cougars answered with a 7-0 run to make the score 98-60.
•    The Redbirds would hold on the rest of the way and moved over the 100 point mark for the third straight time against the Cougars at CEFCU Arena to come away with the 37-point victory.

HIGHLIGHTS 
•    Illinois State scored 100-plus points against Chicago State for the third-straight time at CEFCU Arena … the 106 points scored are the most ever for ISU against Chicago State.
•    The Redbirds scored nearly half of their points (50) in the paint and had 16 second-chance points … the Redbirds also got 51 points off the bench in the contest, led by the 21 from Nelson.
•    For the second-straight season, the Redbirds had a pair of 20-plus point scorers in the season opener, with Thomas (23) and Nelson (21) both finishing with 20 or more against the Cougars … last year, Doneelah Washington and Addison Martin each had 20 or more in the season opener vs. Dayton.
•    The 23 points by Thomas are the most since Shannon Dowell also scored 23 in the 2024-25 season opener against Northwestern … Thomas also added eight rebounds in the contest to go along with three assists and two steals.
•    Nelson finished just two points shy of her career high with the 21 points on a career-best 8-for-10 shooting from the field … she tied a career-high with five made three-pointers in just 18 minutes of action.
•    Mporokoso had 16 points in her collegiate debut to go along with five assists, and fellow freshman Kennedy Stowers tallied a double-double in her debut with 13 points and 10 boards against the Cougars. 
•    Newcomer Chloe Spreen rounded out the five Redbirds in double figures with 11 points, including a 2-for-3 effort from long distance, in her first game as a Redbird after transferring from Indiana.

UP NEXT 
The Redbirds (1-0) return to action on Thursday night, when they travel to Ohio to take on the Dayton Flyers with tipoff set for 6 p.m. CT at the UD Arena.  

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