Redbirds and Thundering Herd Square Off For WNIT Championship Saturday

SETTING THE SCENE
A postseason championship is on the line Saturday night, as Illinois State (24-13) travels to Huntington, W.Va., to take on Marshall (27-9) in the WNIT Championship game. Both teams are looking to win their first WNIT title, and tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT live on ESPN+ from the Cam Henderson Center.

THE SERIES
Illinois State and Marshall will meet for the third in program history in Saturday's WNIT Championship contest in Huntington. The Redbirds are 2-0 all-time against the Thundering Herd, winning a pair of games at home in Normal during the 1975 season. The last matchup resulted in an 86 - 66 victory for ISU at home on March 6, 1975.

THE FASTBREAK
• For the sixth-straight season, Illinois State is playing in the postseason for the fourth-straight year they are playing in the Postseason WNIT. The Redbirds have advanced to the WNIT Championship game for the first time in program history
• Doneelah Washington has been on a tear of late, recording five 20 plus point efforts in her last six games for the Redbirds. In the postseason, she is averaging 20.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
• ISU punched its ticket to the WNIT Championship game thanks to a 67-60 road win at South Dakota. The Redbirds were led by Washington, who recorded her second-straight double-double with 21 points and 11 boards.
• For the second-straight season, Illinois State punched its ticket to WNIT Fab 4 following its 61-53 victory over George Washington in the tournament quarterfinals. The Redbirds had four players in double figures and were led by senior Addison Martin who scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the ISU victory.
• Down 10 points with six and a half minutes to play, ISU got a spark from Washington, who scored 15 points in the final quarter of play, including the final 13 for the Redbirds, in a 59-55 come from behind win over Abilene Christian in the WNIT Super 16.
• After receiving a first-round bye in the WNIT, the Redbirds had five players score in double figures in an 81-52 win over the UTRGV Vaqueros.
• Washington was selected to the All-MVC First Team and was named the MVC Most Improved Player of the Year, along with earning a spot on the MVC All-Defensive Team.
• Freshman Kya Hurt was honored as a member of the MVC All-Freshman team, following a stellar inaugural season in a Redbird uniform.
• Sophomore guard Trista Fayta, along with Washington, earned MVC All-Academic honors. Fayta finished the regular season as the MVC leader in assists (184) and assists per game (5.9)
• Fayta recorded the first triple-double for the Redbirds since 1991, when she scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists against Valparaiso. She has 204 assists on the year, which is a new school single-season record.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
• Marshall (27-9, 13-5 SBC) has taken down UMBC, Youngstown State, Army and Arkansas State in this year's WNIT to advance to the championship game and host the Redbirds.
•  Timaya Lewis Eutsey scored 31 points and Marshall led from start to finish in a 69-62 victory in the WNIT semifinals on Wednesday night against Arkansas State. With the win, Marshall set a single-season record for wins with 27.
•  Lewis-Eutsey was named the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year, and also earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team, the third-consecutive season the Herd has landed a member on the league's highest squad. The senior transfer from VCU additionally was named to the All-Sun Belt Defensive Team, a new award as voted on by the league's coaches. 
• Lewis-Eutsey is the team's leading scorer, averaging 19.8 PPG. She has had seven 30+ point games, 16 20+ point games, and 31 double figures games this season.
• Meredith Maier has scored 978 points for her career with the Herd. Her 89 3-pointers this season is second all-time behind Shayna Gore's 96 in 2018-19. Maier and Gore are the only two players in Herd history with 200+ triples made.

REDBIRDS IN THE WNIT
• The Redbirds are making their 17th appearance all-time in the WNIT and their fifth trip to the WNIT in Gillespie's tenure. 
• The trip to the WNIT Championship is the first for the Redbirds, after having advanced to the WNIT Fab 4 the past two years.
• ISU earned a WNIT bid for the fourth-consecutive season. The Birds are 23-11 overall in the WNIT since 2000.

CLIMBING IN THE RECORD BOOKS
• A pair of Redbirds are climbing in key categories in the Illinois State record book this season with their performances throughout the postseason.
• Trista Fayta has dished out 216 assists this year, which put her at No. 1 on the single-season list ahead of Kristi Cirone's previous single-season record of 203 set during the 2008-09 season.
• With 321 rebounds on the season Doneelah Washington sits at No. 3 on the single-season list. She is just the fourth player in school history to record 300 or more rebounds in a single season (Cathy Boswell did it twice).
• With 64 blocks on the year, Washington sits at No. 6 the single season list. She is just the fifth player in program history to have 60 or more blocks in a season. She also upped her career total to 98, which puts her in fifth place all time.
• Washington has also scored 634 points on the season, making her just the 5th player in program history to score 600 points or more in a year. She is just 24 points away from setting the school single-season record, passing Kristi Cirone's 657 during the 2008-09 season.

PROTECTING HOME COURT
• Illinois State is 17-1 at home this season, which is one of the better single-season performances at home in program history. 
• The Redbirds 17 home victories are the most home wins by Illinois State in the Kristen Gillespie era. The team has won 14 or more home games in each of the past two seasons.
• This season marks the 9th time in program history that Illinois State has won 13 or more home games in a single season. 
• This year's squad is just the third team in program history to win 13-plus home games in the regular season, joining the 2010-11 team that holds the school record with 17 home wins and the 2023-24 squad.
• The Redbirds have protected home court well over the last four years, posting a 55-10 record since the start of the 2022-23 season. Overall, the Redbirds are 103-30 at home under the leadership of head coach Kristen Gillespie.

FAYTA FINDS THEM ALL
• Trista Fayta led the MVC in assists and assists per game this season, becoming the only Redbird since 2009-10 to have multiple games of 10+ assists in a single season.
• She dished out 12 dimes in a road win at Valparaiso, which tied her career-high of 12 against Evansville.
• She currently ranks No. 9 in the NCAA in assists (214) and No. 16 in assists per game (5.8), and has five games this season with 10 or more assists, which ranks ninth in Division I and leads all MVC players. 

PROBLEMS IN THE POST
• Doneelah Washington and Addison Martin are one of the best post combinations in the MVC, and they showed that with their peformances in an overtime win over Belmont.
• Washington scored a career high 31-points, thanks to a 9-for-9 effort from the free throw line, and grabbed 12 rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season.
• Not to be outdone, Martin scored a season-best 24 points (1 point shy of her career high) and was 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. 
• ISU has now had two players score 20 points or more in the same game six times this season with Washington doing it five times.

NELSON GOES NUTS
• Redshirt freshman Grace Nelson came off the bench at Evansville and sparked a Redbird second-half comeback with a career-best tying five three-pointers.
• She would go on to finish the game with a career-high 23 points to lead the way for the Redbirds and was 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. She also dished out a career-high four assists in the win for the Redbirds.

GILLESPIE CLIMBS THE RANKS
• With her 77-70 win over Drake on Feb. 7, ISU head coach Kristen Gillespie picked up win No. 171 at Illinois State, which moved her into the Top 10 all-time among league coaches.
• She joins former ISU head coach Jill Hutchison (277) on the list and ISU is the only school with two coaches in the Top 10 all-time in wins.
• With ISU's 75-61 win over UIC on Jan. 8, Gillespie notched her 100th career Missouri Valley Conference victory.
• Ahead of ISU's matchup with Evansville, Gillespie received a commemorative ball in recognition of becoming the 10th coach in MVC history to reach triple-digit wins.

ANOTHER TRIPLE DOUBLE SOON?
• Trista Fayta nearly recorded her second triple-double of the season against Drake, as she scored a career-high 23 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds.
• It marked the first time this season that a Redbird has led the team in points, rebounds and assists in the same game (she has now done it twice on the season)
• Earlier in the season, Fayta became the first Redbird since the 1990-91 season to record a triple double with a 14-point, 10-rebound and 10-assist outing against Valparaiso. It was just the seventh in the last five seasons.

IT JUST MEANS MORE
• The Feb. 1 game against Bradley was ISU's 16th-annual Play4Kay game, where ISU raised over $36,000 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund during the game, and have now fundraised over $380,000 for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the fight against all women's cancers in their previous 16 years hosting a Play4Kay game. 
• The Illinois State women's basketball program was recognized as a Play4Kay National Award Winner for the fourth year in a row in 2025. 
For only the fourth time in Play4Kay's history, and for the fourth year in a row, ISU won the Division I BCS and Non-BCS national awards. 
• Illinois State head coach Kristen Gillespie played for and coached alongside the legendary Kay Yow at NC State.

CONVERTING FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
• The Redbirds were busy at the free throw line in their win at Indiana State. ISU was 37-of-43 from the charity stripe in the victory, with six players attempting at least five shots each.
• The 37 free throws made by the Redbirds set a new school record, topping the previous mark of 32 made against Missouri in 1996. 
• ISU attempted 43 free throws, which was one shy of the school record of 44 set against UNI in 2004 and overall shot 86 percent from the stripe on the day.

WASHINGTON WOWS
• Doneelah Washington has been on a tear in 2026, leading the Redbirds in scoring with 14 games of 20 points or more, including a career-high 31 points in a win against Belmont.
• With a 31-point, 12-rebound performance in the overtime win over Belmont, Washington notched her ninth double-double of the season.
• With 26 points and 10 boards against Evansville, she recorded her second 20-point, 10-rebound game as a Redbird. 
• She is the fifth Redbird in the Gillespie era to record multiple 20-point, 10-rebound games in their career, joining Nevaeh Thomas, DeAnna Wilson, JuJu Redmond and Simone Goods.

MVC HONORS
• Doneelah Washington continues to dominate on the floor for the Redbirds and for her efforts, she was named the MVC Player of the Week for the third time this season on Jan. 26.
• She continues to do it all for the Redbirds and put together another strong week where she nearly averaged a double-double on the road against UIC and Indiana State. 
• Washington averaged 22.5 points per contest and 8.5 rebounds per game while playing nearly 30 minutes per contest against the Flames and the Sycamores, with 28 points against the Trees.

DONEELAH DOES IT ALL
• Doneelah Washington put together a strong all-around effort with 26 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks against Evansville.
• She is one of only five MVC players since 2009-10 with 25+ points, 10+ rebounds, 4+ steals and 2+ blocks in a game against an MVC opponent. Washington is also the only ISU player since 2009-10 with that same stat line.

BALANCED EFFORT
• The Redbirds finished with 4+ double-figure scorers in 25 games last season and have done so in 11 games so far in the 2025-26 season.
• Illinois State is 41-11 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 52 games, and 5+ double-figure scorers in 16 including the road game at Valparaiso.

MONEY MARTIN
• Redshirt senior Addison Martin scored in double figures in 14 straight games to start the season and has done so in 24 of the Birds' 30 contests during the 2025-26 campaign.
• Martin has recorded three double-doubles this season, with her most recent coming against Murray State (13 points, 10 rebounds).

DISHING DIMES
• In her first career start, Trista 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.
• Fayta and Addison Martin have both tallied double-digit assists efforts this season, with Fayta now having five.

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
• The Redbirds scored a season-high 105 points against Indiana State on Dec. 29, marking the fifth time under head coach Kristen Gillespie that Illinois State has eclipsed the century mark.
• The Redbirds' 105 points are tied for the fifth-most in a single game in program history.
• It marked the first 100-point output for the Redbirds since scoring 110 against St. Francis last December.

20+ WIN SEASON
• Illinois State secured a 20-win campaign for the fourth-consecutive season under head coach Kristen Gillespie in 2025-26, marking the first time since 2007-08 to 2010-11 that the program has earned four consecutive seasons with 20+ wins. 
• Illinois State's 24 wins last season tie the 2022-23 squad for the most in a single season under head coach Kristen Gillespie.