Illinois State and Bradley will face off in Peoria on Sunday to close out the regular season, with both teams vying for the No. 3 seed at the upcoming Credit Union 1 MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament. The game, set at Renaissance Coliseum, marks the 90th meeting between the two programs. Illinois State leads the all-time series 59-30 and has won ten of the last eleven matchups.
The Redbirds enter this contest with an 18-12 overall record and a 12-7 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play. They have won eight of their last eleven games and finished their home schedule with a 14-1 record, their best since the 2010-11 season. Bradley holds a 20-10 overall record and is currently third in the conference standings after defeating Evansville.
Doneelah Washington has been a standout for Illinois State this season, recently setting a career-high with six blocks against Drake and surpassing 500 points scored for the year—becoming only the 17th player in program history to reach that milestone. She was named MVC Player of the Week after averaging 22.5 points and 11 rebounds per game against Belmont and Murray State.
Trista Fayta also continues to make an impact, recording her second double-double of the season at Valparaiso with eleven points and twelve assists. Earlier this year, she posted Illinois State’s first triple-double since 1991 with fourteen points, ten rebounds, and ten assists against Valparaiso.
Illinois State’s head coach Kristen Gillespie reached several milestones this season, including her 171st win at ISU which placed her among the top ten all-time league coaches. She also achieved her hundredth career MVC victory earlier in January.
Bradley boasts one of the strongest defenses in the conference, leading in points allowed per game (63.8) while holding opponents to low shooting percentages from both inside and beyond the arc. Offensively, they lead in three-point percentage (.348). In their recent win over Evansville, Tamia Perryman tied for team-high honors with sixteen points while Maya Foz contributed sixteen points as well.
The Redbirds have had balanced scoring throughout their roster; four or more players have scored double figures in eleven games this season. Addison Martin has consistently contributed as well, reaching double digits in twenty-four contests during this campaign.
This year’s Play4Kay game on February 1 saw Illinois State raise over $36,000 for cancer research efforts through donations to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund—a tradition that has raised more than $380,000 over sixteen years.
Illinois State is associated with Illinois State University and competes across NCAA Division I events nationally (source). The athletic department benefits from resources such as news updates, schedules, rosters for fans (source), as well as support from initiatives like the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund aimed at enhancing competitiveness (source). Student-athletes prepare using facilities like OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center (source).
As both teams prepare for Sunday’s rivalry matchup—which will determine tournament seeding—the Redbirds look to continue their strong form heading into postseason play.
