As the holidays are quickly approaching, Illinois State women's basketball return home to CEFCU Arena to wrap up their 2022-23 non-conference schedule on Sunday. After suffering a tough loss to Purdue last Sunday, the Redbirds look to get back to their winning ways as they host the Horizon League's Green Bay Phoenix for a Sunday matinee.
The Redbirds and Phoenix tip off at 2:00 p.m. CT from CEFCU Arena. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+, with Kurt Pegler and Sean Johnson on the call. Sunday's contest will also be available on the Varsity Network or WJBC 102.1 FM & 1230 AM with Greg Halbleib on the call.
GAME INFORMATION (Game Notes (PDF))
Illinois State v. Green BayWhen: Sunday, Dec. 18Tip-off: 2:00 p.m. CTLocation: Normal, Ill.Facility: CEFCU Arena
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast Live Stats
Radio: Illinois State Radio Network 1230 AM & 102.1 FM
LAST TIME OUT
As Illinois State fought tooth-and-nail to garner their second Big 10 win of the season Sunday, it would be the home Purdue Boilermakers holding strong to take a 64-51 win over ISU inside Mackey Arena.
The Redbirds fell to 6-3 on the season with one more non-conference game on their slate while Purdue moved to 9-2 as the 2022-23 season rolls on for both programs.
Illinois State would score the game's first four points off a pair of field goals by DeAnna Wilson and Paige Robinson. Purdue would respond to get their first points thanks to a Caitlyn Harper layup with 8:34 on the clock.
From there, Purdue would score five straight points to build out a 7-4 lead before Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor responded to make it 7-6 as the first quarter media timeout would be called. Both sides would score on a couple more occasions as it was the home team who took a two-point lead after the first 10 minutes (13-11).
The Redbirds would once again be the first on the board in the second quarter, thanks to a Paige Robinson jumper only 11 seconds into the frame. After Robinson's jumper, both programs would be held scoreless until the 7:29 mark when Purdue retook a lead off a Jeanae Terry layup (15-13).
Out of the second quarter media timeout, the Redbirds retook the lead as a Robinson driving layup made it 20-19 in favor of ISU. The Redbirds would hold the lead until the clock was under a minute in the quarter, as Purdue kept it close and tied it with 56 seconds remaining off a Terry driving layup. Then, Purdue would see another layup with mere seconds remaining in the half as the home team took a 25-23 halftime lead.
As the third quarter media timeout came, it was Purdue holding a slight lead. For the next two minutes of game time, neither side could get on the board until DeAnna Wilson knocked down a free throw at the 5:27 mark to tie the game at 29. However, Lashae Petree knocked down a triple on the next possession before another Boilermaker three built the Purdue lead out to six before another media timeout.
For the remaining 4:04 of the third quarter, Purdue would maintain the lead as they would see themselves ahead by as many as six at one moment (2:40 remaining). The Redbirds did not give up, though, as they fought to trim the lead to two with 26 seconds left.
After Paige Robinson knocked down a pair of free throws to start the fourth and trim the deficit to two, it was yet another triple by the Boilermakers as the lead was back to five with 9:08 remaining. Purdue would expand the lead to eight with 6:38 remaining before Mary Crompton sunk a couple free throws 14 seconds later as ISU trailed by six.
Over the final 4:54 of the fourth quarter, ISU would not get any closer than nine points as Purdue took firm control of the game and started pulling away while keeping the Redbirds offense stagnant. The Redbirds would miss four shots and have another two blocked before Robinson netted a pull-up jumper at 1:22 to make it a 13-point game at that moment, which ended as the final game margin.
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
Green Bay visits Normal after going head-to-head with Big Ten's Wisconsin on Wednesday, a team ISU defeated in Normal on 11/20/22. Against the Badgers, Green Bay received a career-high 19 points from Maddy Schreiber and defeated the Badgers 70-60 at the Kress Events Center Wednesday night. The Phoenix win is now the fourth in a row over the Badgers.
The Phoenix had three players score in double figures. Bailey Butler added 15 points and six rebounds, while Sydney Levy had 13 points.
So far in 2022-23, when playing on the road, Green Bay has gone 2-2 overall, including a loss to MVC member Drake on Nov. 7. However, the Phoenix do hold road wins over both Saint Louis and Horizon foe IUPUI this season as they look to get above .500 on Sunday.
At the helm of the program, in his 20th season with Green Bay and 36th overall, is Kevin Borseth. He owns one of the best records in all of college basketball at 766-303. Borseth currently ranks 22nd all-time among NCAA women's basketball coaches in total wins and eighth among active coaches. In 22 seasons as a Division I head coach with stops at Green Bay and the University of Michigan, Borseth is 541-203.
Borseth returned to Green Bay in the spring of 2012 after spending five seasons as the head coach at the University of Michigan, where he compiled an 87-73 record in five seasons. While at Michigan, Borseth took over a program that had won just 21 games in the prior three seasons combined, as he led the Wolverines to 19 wins and a postseason berth in his first season (2007-08).
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE PHOENIX
Sunday will be the seventh all-time meeting, first since 2008, between Green Bay and Illinois State. In the series history, the Phoenix hold the 4-2 series lead but ISU has claimed two consecutive victories after dropping the first four meetings.
In the last meeting on December 13, 2008, a remarkable defensive effort in the second half led Illinois State to a 60-49 win over Green Bay. Nicolle Lewis recorded her first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Wisconsin native also recorded a game-high three blocks.
The Illinois State defense was stifling in the second half, holding Green Bay to just three field goals (3-28). The Phoenix had spans of 8:36 and 5:05 without making a shot from the field. After shooting 46 percent from the field in the first half, Green Bay shot just 10 percent in the second half, dropping its overall game percentage to 27.8 percent.
ON PACE FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL
With her current season average of 20.8 points per game in 2022-23, graduate guard Paige Robinson is on pace to become only the third athlete in Redbird history to average 20 points a season. This is a feat which Redbird WBB has not seen since Caryn Brune did so during the 1992-93 season.
49 YEARS TOO LONG
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
It had been over 12 years on Dec. 6 since Illinois State women's basketball had seen over 6,000 fans in attendance inside CEFCU Arena. As part of the program's annual Education Day (huge shoutout to ISU Marketing's Danny Bugg and Lauren Henderson), 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, 2022, the previous record stood at 6,075 which was set during the 2010 WNIT when California paid Normal a visit.
CASTING A WIDE NET (RANKING) FOR THE VALLEY
The NCAA NET Report (Dec. 12) has five Valley teams that rank in the top-100, including seven of the 12 sitting in the top 150. Drake leads the way at no. 46 with UNI (78), Murray State (88), Belmont (96), and Illinois State (97) rounding out the schools in the top 100. As a league, the MVC ranks 12th currently.
| TEAM | NET |
| Drake | 46 |
| UNI | 78 |
| Murray State | 88 |
| Belmont | 96 |
| Illinois State | 97 |
| Missouri State | 140 |
| UIC | 143 |
| Southern Illinois | 197 |
| Evansville | 197 |
| Indiana State | 242 |
| Valparaiso | 303 |
| Bradley | 327 |
Illinois State has already surpassed their 2021-22 non-conference win total. As the Redbirds finished 2021-22 with a 4-7 non-conference record, their 6-3 mark in 2022-23 allows ISU to hold its most non-conference wins to start a season under Kristen Gillespie since 2019-20.
During the 2019-20 season, the Redbirds would go 8-3 against non-MVC foes, including a span of five straight wins over Illinois, Northern Illinois, North Dakota, UT-Martin, and Western Illinois.
HOME SWEET HOME
Since head coach Kristen Gillespie took over in 2017-18, the Redbirds hold a 22-4 record against non-conference opponents at home, including their 3-0 start in 2022-23.
Illinois State will look to start 4-0 at home in a season come Sunday for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign. In 2019-20, ISU would start 8-0 at home before suffering their first home loss on Jan. 24 to MVC foe Drake.
REDBIRDS SPREADING THEIR HORIZON
As the Phoenix and Redbirds square off for the seventh time on Sunday, Green Bay is just one of seven Horizon programs which have seen ISU in action. When playing current Horizon programs, ISU has gone 16-23 overall in program history, including 3-0 against IUPUI and a .500 record against both Milwaukee and Northern Kentucky.
The last home win for Illinois State against a current Horizon League program came back on 11/29/2018 when the Redbirds defeated Oakland by a final of 62-56.
The last win overall for ISU against the Horizon League came a few weeks later, on 12/7/18, in Highland Heights, Ky. when Illinois State handled Northern Kentucky 58-53.
MILESTONES TO WATCH
Through nine games, Mary Crompton sits with 977 career points as a Redbird, seeking to become the 30th ISU WBB athlete to eclipse 1,000 points, and only the second (Juliunn Redmond) to do so under Kristen Gillespie.
Meanwhile, head coach Kristen Gillespie is inching closer to history of her own, sitting with 93 career wins at ISU and 198 career wins as a head coach. Gillespie is seeking to become 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.
MAKING THEMSELVES KNOWN
As the Redbirds continue non-conference action, a multitude of Redbirds have made themselves known as part of the top-100 in various statistical categories, across both DI WBB and MVC (as of 12/16/22).
| CATEGORY | VALUE | NCAA | MVC |
| Minutes (Paige) | 35.6 | 42nd | 1st |
| Blocks (Kate) | 14.0 | t-81st | 5th |
| PPG (Paige) | 20.8 | 14th | 1st |
| 3PT FG% (Mary) | .481 | 26th | 2nd |
| 3PT/Game (Mary) | 2.8 | t-37th | 2nd |
| Free Throw Pct (Paige) | .850 | 86th | 5th |
Thanks to their efforts thus far, ISU currently ranks top-100 in three categories (as of 12/16/22) across Division I WBB while being top five in the MVC for each category, respectively.
| CATEGORY | VALUE | NCAA | MVC |
| 3PT FG% | .356 | 51st | 1st |
| Blocks Per Game | 4.2 | 68th | 2nd |
| Turnover Margin | 3.56 | 81st | 2nd |
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.
DECEMBER DELIGHTS
Since head coach Kristen Gillespie took over in 2017-18, ISU is 18-10 all-time in the month of December.
GAINING NATIONAL RECOGNITION
For the week of December 13, Illinois State claims another spot in the top 15 (five straight weeks) as they sit at no. 12 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major top-25.
Joining the 'Birds in this week's top-25 are 2022-23 opponents Drake (#7), UIC (#24), and Sunday's opponent, Green Bay, at no. 25. Meanwhile, fellow MVC members UNI, Belmont, and Murray State are all receiving votes.
FILLING THE STAT SHEET
In what head coach Kristen Gillespie dubbed "probably one of the best performances in Redbird women's basketball history," graduate guard Paige Robinson played lights out on Sunday, Nov. 20, in part of ISU's 62-57 win over Big Ten foe, Wisconsin. The Bethany, Ill native went for 37 points (14-19 FG), including a perfect 7-7 from behind the arc while adding six rebounds and an assist in the five-point victory.
For context: Through games on 11/20/22, no other player in all Division I have gone 7-7 from three this season and no one has done better than that since 2018 (per Calvin Wetzel of Her Hoop Stats). Robinson is also the first player since 2018 to score 37+ points and go a perfect 7-7 from the arc, becoming only the third player to do so since at least the 2009-10 season (when Her Hoop Stats started collecting data).
The 37 points for the guard mark the first time a Redbird has scored 37 in a game since JuJu Redmond did so against Valparaiso last February. Also, as Robinson would make 14 field goals against the Badgers, she became the first Redbird to make 10+ field goals in a game since Redmond did so in last year's March Madness against Iowa.
Robinson's 37 points were second-most in all Division I women's basketball on Nov. 20, only trailing Villanova's Maddy Siegrist who totaled 41 points off 14-25 shooting. Robinson and Siegrist were two of nine DI women's basketball players with at least 30 points on Nov. 20, joined by DePaul's Darrione Rogers, North Dakota's Kacie Borowicz, Maryland's Diamond Miller, James Madison's Kiki Jefferson, Iowa State's Ashley Joens, UConn's Azzi Fudd, and Iowa's Cailtin Clark.
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.
BATTLE TESTED
Including the season opener at Dayton on Nov. 10, Illinois State has now played six overtime or double overtime games under head coach Kristen Gillespie. In those six games, the Redbirds have gone 4-2 overall, with four of the games taking place during the 2019-20 season.
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.
B1G TIME EFFORT FOR B1G TIME RESULT
With a 62-57-win on Nov. 20, Illinois State women's basketball saw its first home victory over Wisconsin since December 1985, a 64-57 OT victory. Meanwhile, the five-point win also allowed ISU to pick up its first win over a current Big Ten program since 2012 when ISU handed Northwestern a 64-46 defeat.
The win also moved ISU head coach Kristen Gillespie to 2-2 all-time against current Big Ten schools, with her previous win coming on the road at Illinois in November 2019.
REDBIRDS SIGN FOUR TO NLI's
Earlier this season as part of National Signing Day, 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. Finally, Coffey will join former Redbirds Kayel Newland and Cameron Call as well as current ISU athlete, DeAnna Wilson, as athletes for ISU women's basketball under Kristen Gillespie to hail from the state of Missouri.
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. Lenz will join former Redbird Viria Livingston (from Minneapolis) and fellow signee Savannah McGowan as athletes to come from Minnesota and play for ISU under head coach Gillespie.
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. McGowans joins former Redbird Viria Livingston (also from Minneapolis) as athletes to come from Minnesota and play for ISU under head coach Gillespie.
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.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are available for the 2022-23 season. Follow this link to purchase your season tickets or contact the Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 438-8000 for more information. Tickets start at just $65 for general admission to the women's season.
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