Illinois State secured a 66-65 win over Bradley in Peoria on Sunday, clinching the No. 3 seed for the upcoming Credit Union 1 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Women’s Basketball Tournament. The game was decided by a free throw from Jaeden Pratt with less than one second remaining.
Trista Fayta led Illinois State with a career-high 26 points and contributed 10 rebounds, marking her third double-double of the season. Fayta shot 9-for-12 from the field and added five assists, two steals, and a block. Grace Nelson added 16 points, hitting four three-pointers, while Doneelah Washington scored 11 points and collected six rebounds.
The Redbirds started strong with a 10-0 run but saw Bradley respond with their own streak to take an early lead. The first quarter ended tied at 15 after Fayta converted a three-point play in the final second. Both teams traded leads throughout the game, which featured ten lead changes and nine ties.
In the third quarter, Illinois State used defensive plays to create offense and built up a ten-point advantage before Bradley narrowed the gap again. In the fourth quarter, Bradley rallied to take a seven-point lead at 65-58 before Illinois State closed regulation on an eight-point run. With under a minute left, Nelson’s three-pointer cut into Bradley’s lead before Fayta tied it at 65 with another layup.
With two seconds left, Pratt was fouled on a last-second attempt. She missed her first free throw but made the second to put Illinois State ahead by one point as time expired.
This victory gave Illinois State its first season sweep of Bradley since the 2023-24 campaign.
According to official sources, Illinois State Redbirds is affiliated with Illinois State University and competes in NCAA Division I events across various regions. The athletic program uses facilities such as the OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for student-athlete preparation and benefits from resources like the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund to support competitiveness and recruitment efforts (source). Fans can find news, schedules, rosters, tickets, and more through the official website.
Illinois State will face either Drake or Valparaiso in Friday’s MVC tournament quarterfinals at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
