McLean County Times

Illinois State women's basketball team is set to begin their Missouri Valley Conference play against Murray State on Sunday. The game will take place at the CFSB Center and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with a tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m.

The two teams have met seven times before, with Illinois State leading the series 5-2. Since Murray State joined the conference in 2022, Illinois State has won three out of four matchups. Last season, they split their games, including an 85-75 victory for Illinois State at CEFCU Arena where Shannon Dowell scored 23 points.

Under head coach Kristen Gillespie, Illinois State has a record of 5-2 in MVC openers and has won their last three league openers against Bradley and Drake. This Sunday's game marks only the second time they will start Valley play on the road under Gillespie's leadership.

Neveah Thomas has achieved double-doubles in her last two games for Illinois State. She scored 13 points with 10 rebounds against Chicago State and followed it up with 11 points and 12 rebounds versus UAB. Over these games, she averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds while shooting at a rate of 60% from the field.

Thomas leads her team this season with three double-doubles, including a performance of 21 points and ten rebounds against Saint Louis on November 12.

Shannon Dowell and Elyce Knudsen have formed a strong backcourt duo for Illinois State this season. They are leading scorers for their team, averaging over 14 points per game each while maintaining shooting percentages above 45%. Knudsen is third in MVC shooting percentage at nearly fifty percent while Dowell follows closely behind.

Dowell and Knudsen have both reached double figures in five games together this season, notably scoring high against New Mexico State earlier this month.

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