Redbirds Host Braves to Open Four Game Homestand

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State women’s basketball (15-5, 9-1 MVC), riding an eight-game win streak, return home to begin a four game homestand as their I-74 rival, Bradley (3-18, 0-10 MVC), comes to town Thursday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from CEFCU Arena – Home of the Redbirds.

Thursday will be an ESPN+ broadcast as Scott Sudikoff and Sean Johnson are on the call while Greg Halbleib provides the radio call for ISU fans, which can be found on the Varsity Network or WJBC 102.1 FM & 1230 AM.

GAME INFORMATION

v. Bradley (Game Notes (PDF))

When: Thursday, Feb. 2

Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. CT

Location: Normal, Ill.

Facility: CEFCU Arena

Watch: ESPN+

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Listen: WJBC 1230 AM /102.1 FM

LAST TIME OUT

In a battle of the top-two scoring defenses in the MVC, it was the Redbirds of Illinois State women’s basketball (15-5, 9-1 MVC) handling business over the UIC Flames (12-9, 4-6 MVC) by a final of 55-42 Sunday night (full recap).

The Redbirds saw junior Kate Bullman gather four blocks Sunday, moving her career total to 101 as the Grayslake native continues to move up the ranks in ISU women’s basketball history in the category.

Sunday night saw four Redbirds finish in double figures, a feat that last happened at home against UNI earlier in January. DeAnna Wilson led the way with 15 points, as Paige Robinson, Kate Bullman, and Mary Crompton all gathered 12 points on the night in the victory.

Wilson would gather a team-leading seven rebounds Sunday while Robinson dished out a team-leading five assists on the night. Finally, the four blocks by Bullman led the team in the category as the ‘Birds finished with five blocks on the evening. The five blocks by ISU are the first time the Redbirds have had as many rejections since their win at Belmont on Jan. 15.

The Flames saw a pair of athletes finish in double figures, as Josie Filer and Jaida McCloud gathered 10 points apiece. Filer added 10 rebounds on the night, finishing with the first double-double against ISU since Chelsea Cain of Indiana State on Jan. 20. Both Danyel Middleton and McCloud dished out two assists as part of seven total assists for the home team.

SCOUTING THE BRAVES

The Bradley Braves remain as the lone winless team in Missouri Valley play in 2022-23, dropping their first 10 MVC games this season. When playing away from Peoria, the Braves are 1-10 this season, as they picked up a win over Eastern Illinois in Charleston on Dec. 6.

Bradley sees Caroline Waite lead the way with her 12.3 points per game while Isis Fitch is the team’s leading rebounder with an average of 6.2 rebounds per contest.

Leading the charge for the Braves is first-year head coach, Kate Popovec-Goss. She comes to Peoria after spending time as the former Northwestern Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. A former student-athlete at Pittsburgh and Northwestern, Popovec quickly rose through the Wildcats coaching staff after returning to her alma mater as an assistant coach in 2017.

In the spring of 2018, she was named Northwestern’s Recruiting Coordinator and Defensive Coordinator, as she was named Associate Head Coach in August 2021. In the last five seasons with Popovec on staff, Northwestern sported a 92-60 (.605) overall record, including a 48-38 (.558) Big Ten Conference mark.

After finishing as runner-up in the 2019 WNIT, the Wildcats clinched their first Big Ten regular-season in 30 years in 2020 with a Senior Day win against Illinois, then followed that up during the 2020-21 season with their first NCAA Tournament victory in 28 years by downing UCF in the first round. On the court, Popovec primarily worked with the Wildcat forwards and centers.

SERIES HISTORY WITH BRADLEY

Thursday is the 84^th all-time meeting for the I-74 rivals. In the series, ISU leads 54-29 as the Redbirds have won the last five, including the first meeting this season back on Jan. 12 in Peoria.

Last month, in the 83^rd installment of the I-74 rivalry, it was Illinois State defeating Bradley 60-50 from the Renaissance Coliseum. Paige Robinson led the ‘Birds with 15 points while DeAnna Wilson added 12 points and 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of 2022-23.

Bradley was led by the efforts of Caroline Waite, who finished with a game-high 19 points. Waite was joined in double figures for the home team by Isis Fitch, who gathered 10 points on the night.

HALFWAY HOME

Following Sunday’s games, the Valley women’s basketball schedule is halfway home as 10 of the 20 league games are complete.

Illinois State sits at the top of the standings at 9-1, marking the best start for ISU in Valley play since opening the 2009-10 season 15-1. UNI sits one game back of first place at 8-2 in MVC play.

Belmont, Drake, and Missouri State all sit two games behind the Redbirds at 7-3 at the midway point.

BUILDING A WINNING CULTURE

Head coach Kristen Gillespie achieved her 200^th career win with a 67-63 road win over Missouri State on Jan. 5. The Redbird head ball coach soon followed that up as she collected win no. 100 at Illinois State on Jan. 22, as part of a 32-point win over Evansville for the ‘Birds.

Gillespie becomes the first ISU head coach to eclipse 100 career wins as a Redbird since current Missouri head coach Robin Pingeton, who finished her ISU career with a mark of 144-81 over seven seasons.

Also, the back-to-back 32-point wins over Evansville on Jan. 22 and Valparaiso on Jan. 27 match the largest regular season margin of victory over an MVC foe under Gillespie for ISU.

JOURNEY WOMAN

Graduate guard Mary Crompton crossed yet another Illinois State milestone off her list on Jan. 22, as she started her 100^th career game as a Redbird. With her 100 career starts, Crompton becomes the ninth Redbird WBB athlete to cross this plateau, and first since former Redbird star and now head coach at UIC, Ashleen Bracey.

With her now 102+ career starts, Crompton currently sits sixth all-time in Redbird women’s basketball history for the category. She is 10 starts away from tying Jenny Schmidt (1995-99) for fifth all-time with 112 career starts.

DEFENSE SHOWING UP

For only the second time in the shot clock era (1982-present), Illinois State has held opponents to score fewer than 50 points in three straight games.

As the Redbirds held Evansville, Valparaiso, and UIC to fewer than 50, it is the first time since the 2008-09 season that this feat has been done. In that season, the Redbirds defeated Western Illinois (80-49), Eastern Michigan (83-47), and UW-Green Bay (60-49).

CLIMBING IN THE MVC RANKS

Mary Crompton would have a big night for the Redbirds at Belmont on Jan. 15. The Iowa City native went for 26 points including 7-13 from three-point range, tying her career high for single-game three-pointers made set back in the season opener at Dayton on Nov. 10.

Thanks to her overall career efforts from deep, Crompton currently sits sixth overall in MVC career three-pointers made with 270. Crompton is one triple away from MSU’s Kari Koch for 5th on The Valley list (271) and is eight away from moving all alone into third position. 

GETTING OFF TO A HOT START

As Illinois State held UIC to six points in the first quarter on Jan. 29, it marks the 34^th time since 2017-18 that ISU has held an opponent to single digits in the fourth quarter. Of the previous 34 instances, 21 have come against MVC opponents, including in three straight Sunday contests for the Redbirds (Jan. 15 at Belmont; Jan. 22 v. Evansville; Jan. 29 at UIC).

The four points allowed at Belmont on Jan. 15 is the fewest first quarter points allowed by ISU since last year’s Hoops in the Heartlands Quarterfinals against Loyola (Chicago).

KEEPING A WIDE MARGIN

For the first time since the 2008-09 season, Illinois State defeated back-to-back opponents by a margin of at least 30 points, thanks to 32-point wins over Evansville and Valparaiso.

This was the first time for ISU to defeat back-to-back opponents by 30+ points since taking wins over Western Michigan (82-51) and UNC Greensboro (95-51) in the 2008-09 season.

According to ISU women’s basketball record books, the back-to-back 32-point wins for the Redbirds is the first time this has occurred in conference play since the 2007-08 season. In that season, ISU defeated Bradley (79-46) and Indiana State (91-56) in consecutive games.

RISING IN THE RECORD BOOKS

Junior forward Kate Bullman is slowly but surely moving her way up the all-time ranks in ISU history for career blocks. With four blocks at UIC on Jan. 29, Bullman eclipsed 100 career rejections as she sits solely in four all-time with 101 career blocks.

The Grayslake native becomes the first Redbird WBB athlete to reach 100 career blocks since August Green, who played from 2016-18.

CALM, COOL, COLLECTED

So far this season, redshirt junior Maya Wong has cemented herself as one of the nation’s best from the free-throw line.

As of 2/1/23, the Normal native is tied for fifth nationally for free throw percentage (92.6) alongside UC Irvine’s Diaba Konate.

WELCOME TO THE 1K CLUB

With her three-pointer at 3:08 in the third quarter versus Drake (12/30/22), graduate student Mary Crompton officially joined ISU’s 1,000-point club. This made the Iowa City native the 30^th member and only the second player (Juliunn Redmond) to reach the milestone under head coach Kristen Gillespie.

As her career continues, Crompton currently sits in 25^th all-time for ISU scoring leaders. 

MAKING THEMSELVES KNOWN

As they have done all season, the Redbirds see four athletes making their mark across the top-100 in various statistical categories, in both DI WBB and the MVC (as of 2/1/23).  

PLAYING BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL

Thanks to their efforts thus far, ISU currently ranks top-100 in nine categories (as of 2/1/23) across Division I WBB while being top five in the MVC for each category, respectively.

REBOUND MACHINE

As part of Illinois State’s hard-fought 59-56 win in Carbondale on January 7, junior Kate Bullman would set a new career-high in rebounds.

The Grayslake native grabbed 14 rebounds (9 defensive boards) against the Salukis to surpass her previous career high of 13, set versus Valparaiso on January 13, 2022. 

SHOOTING IS KEY

When dissecting the win-loss total for Illinois State in 2022-23, the way the Redbirds shoot has been a valid indicator for the overall result.

In their 15 wins this season, Illinois State is shooting 44.5% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range. Meanwhile, in their five losses, the shooting drops to 34.4% from the field and 29.7% from three-point range.

GAINING NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Illinois State comes in as the highest ranked MVC program, thanks to another successful road trip, in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major top-25. The Redbirds (#9) are joined in the rankings by fellow MVC members UNI (#12) and Drake (#22).

MVC members Missouri State and Belmont are receiving votes.  

RISE OF THE VALLEY

The NCAA NET Report (Jan. 30) has four Valley teams that rank in the top-100, including six of the 12 sitting in the top-130. Drake leads the way at no. 54 with UNI (65), Illinois State (84), and Belmont (92) rounding out the schools in the top-100. Missouri State (102) and Murray State (129) rank in the top 130.

Only eight leagues have six or more teams in the top 130 of the NET (ACC, American, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, MVC, Pac-12, and SEC).

49 YEARS IN THE MAKING

As part of a record-breaking weekend in Vegas for the Redbirds, the Illinois State women’s basketball program would match their best program start in 49 years after taking down the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters on Nov. 26.

With the 70-53 victory, the Redbirds would sit at 5-0 to start the 2022-23 season. This matched the best program start in 49 years, when ISU would start the 1973-74 season with the same record.

BROKEN RECORDS

As part of the program’s annual Education Day on Dec. 6, 2022, the Redbirds saw a new home attendance record be set as 6,363 school children, staff, admin., and longtime Redbird fans piled into CEFCU to watch ISU take on UMSL.

Prior to Dec. 6, the previous record stood at 6,075 which was set during the 2010 WNIT when California paid Normal a visit.

WELCOME TO THE HALL OF FAME

Illinois State women’s basketball legend Cathy Boswell was selected as one of five to be inducted as the 24th Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Class this past Sunday morning. The members for the Class of 2023 are Cathy Boswell (Veteran Player), Donna Lopiano (Contributor), Lisa Mattingly (Official), Carolyn Peck (Coach), and Lindsey Whalen (Player).

Boswell (1979-83) was a two-time WBCA Kodak All-American and two-time Wade Trophy finalist during her time at ISU, finishing her collegiate career with 2,005 points and 1,054 rebounds. She led the Redbirds to 90 wins, an NCAA Tournament berth in 1983, a 15th-place finish in the AIAW National Tournament in 1981 and two WNIT bids (1980 and 1982). Boswell was a member of the 1984 women’s Olympic gold medalist USA basketball team and competed internationally for 14 years, earning seven team most valuable player awards, one league MVP title, a player of the year award and five league championships.

The Class of 2023 will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, receiving their coveted Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Trophy and Baron Championship Induction Ring on April 29th, 2023, in Knoxville, Tennessee.

GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

On August 20, 2022, Illinois State women’s basketball lost one of their own as former standout Simone Goods lost a courageous battle with cancer. Goods finished her time as a Redbird with 2019 All-MVC First Team honors as well as finishing in the program’s top-25 for field goals made in a season (190), rebounds in a season (238), career free-throws (227), career blocks (51) and blocks in a season (33).

This season, ISU players and staff will don an “SG” patch on their jerseys and gameday attire to honor the life and legacy of Simone Goods as ISU is dedicating the 2022-23 season in her honor.

NEW FACES ALL AROUND

Throughout the 2022-23 season, seven of Illinois State’s opponents (or possible opponents) will be under the direction of a first-year head coach. Four of the seven new faces will come during MVC play as Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Bradley, and UIC all made coaching hires during the offseason.

NEW NAME, SAME ARENA

Illinois State University and CEFCU have come to terms on a naming rights and sponsorship agreement valued at approximately $3.1 million over 10 years. The agreement, which will support the funding for ongoing and ever-evolving costs associated with the student-athlete experience, was initiated by LEARFIELD’s Redbird Sports Properties, the University’s athletics multimedia rightsholder. The former Redbird Arena will be known as CEFCU Arena – Home of the Redbirds, with the University’s Board of Trustees approving the arena name change at its October 14 meeting. The CEFCU Arena naming rights and sponsorship agreement will continue to support funding of the Redbird Student-Athlete experience. Particularly in these ever-evolving times, funding is vital to maintaining and expanding upon the current NCAA, Division I student-athlete experience.

REDBIRDS SIGN FOUR TO NLI’s

The Illinois State women’s basketball program announced the signings of four high-level talent as part of 2022 National Signing Day. The 2023 recruiting class includes Brooke Coffey (St. Charles, Mo.), Shannon Dowell (O’Fallon, Ill.), Molly Lenz (Eden Prairie, Minn.), and Savannah McGowan (Minneapolis, Minn.).

Coffey, a 6-1 guard from St. Charles Mo., has led the Incarnate Word to 68 straight wins, including multiple state titles, as the program has now captured a total of 12 MO Class 6 Championships.

Dowell, a 5-10 guard from O’Fallon, Ill., comes from O’Fallon Township High where she was named First Team Southwestern All-Conference in 2021-22 along with Third Team All State for the IBCA following last year. Dowell has had the chance to learn from five-time IBCA Co-Coach of the Year in District 19 4A (Coach Knolhoff) and amassed 1,000 career points in her junior year as a Panther.

Lenz, a 5-8 guard from Eden Prairie, Minn., was awarded 2021-22 Lake Conference All-Conference and Minnesota Girls Basketball Association All-State Honorable Mention honors. As a junior, Lenz was selected as one of Eden Prairie’s three Varsity captains.

McGowan, a 6-2 forward from Minneapolis, Minn., amassed 1,000 career points during her junior season for the Armstrong High Falcons, gaining her All-State honorable mention honors.

SINGLE-GAME TICKETS

Single-game tickets are available for the 2022-23 season. Follow this link to purchase your single-game tickets or contact the Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 438-8000 for more information. Tickets start at just $10 for Illinois State women’s basketball home games. 

For all latest on Illinois State women’s basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:  Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.