McLean County Times

The Illinois State women's basketball team is set to face the University of Illinois in a non-conference matchup at the State Farm Center in Champaign on Sunday. The game marks the Redbirds' first contest against a Power 4 opponent this season, with tipoff scheduled for noon and live coverage available on B1G+.

This meeting will be the 43rd between Illinois State and Illinois, with the series currently tied at 21 wins each. The Redbirds have won four of the last five matchups, including their most recent meeting in 2019 when they secured a 74-58 victory in Champaign. Historically, Illinois State has an 8-9 record on the road against the Illini.

Illinois State opened its season with an 87-76 win over Dayton, pulling away after outscoring their opponent by 11 points in the third quarter. Four Redbird players scored in double figures during that game. In exhibition play, they defeated Illinois Wesleyan with five players reaching double digits and two recording double-doubles.

Last season, Illinois State advanced to the WNIT Semifinal for only the fourth time in program history and achieved its third consecutive 20-win campaign—a feat unmatched by any other Division I women's basketball team in Illinois. The Redbirds finished last year with a record of 24-13 overall and a strong home record at CEFCU Arena.

Seven players return from last year's squad, including Doneelah Washington (MVC All-Freshman) and Addison Martin (All-MVC Newcomer). Both Martin and Nevaeh Thomas were named among Missouri Valley Conference "Players to Watch" for this season. Martin started all games last year, reaching double figures 18 times; Thomas averaged 12.1 points per game and led her team with ten double-doubles.

On Tuesday night, Illinois opened its own season with a decisive win over Southeast Missouri State, never trailing en route to a 91-67 victory. Berry Wallace led the Illini with career-highs of 27 points and 11 rebounds. This year’s roster features eight newcomers alongside seven returning players who accounted for just under a quarter of last year's scoring output.

Under head coach Shauna Green's leadership over three seasons, Illinois has matched its program record for wins during that span (63), while also achieving three straight seasons of double-digit victories—another program first.

Sophomore Doneelah Washington made an impact for ISU against Dayton by becoming the first Redbird since the 2009-10 season to score more than twenty points without missing a shot from the field; she also added nine rebounds. Trista Fayta posted her first career start and double-double (19 points, ten assists), becoming only the second MVC player in fourteen years to reach those stats plus four or more steals in one game.

Illinois State was ranked No.12 in CollegeInsiders.com’s preseason Mid-Major Top 25 poll—one of three MVC teams included—and continues its run as one of Illinois’ top-performing women’s basketball programs since the start of the decade. Since 2020-21, ISU leads all DI women's programs statewide with both total wins (105) and winning percentage (66%), maintaining dominance against other state teams with an overall mark of 43-10 since late 2019.