By Eric Stock

NORMAL – Illinois State will be the visiting team when it takes the floor against Indiana State in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at iWireless Center in Moline on Thursday, but the Redbirds are hoping the neutral floor will help them overcome the road doldrums which have contributed to a 1-13 mark away from Redbird Arena this season.

“I think that will be a great environment for us because we are going to have a similar system of support that we’ve been having here,” sophomore forward Millie Stevens said, referring to ISU’s more favorable 6-9 home record. “I think we would have able to have the same kind of wins we’ve been having here.”

Stevens added the Redbirds are coming into the weekend with nothing to lose.

“It’s just one of those moments where this is the last stride,” Stevens said. “I think all of us agree we want to leave everything out there.”

ISU coach Barb Smith said the tournament will be a new experience for much of her team that she hopes will be a learning tool for next season.

“This is going to be new for seven of them and the people that have been here have to step up a little bit,” Smith said. “Any win at this point in the game is a win that’s going to help us.”

WJBC will carry Thursday’s game starting with pregame at 3:45 p.m.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].