(Photo courtesy GoRedbirds.com)
By Greg Halbleib
NORMAL – Illinois State women’s basketball tries to continue its rise in the Missouri Valley Conference by hosting Indiana State on Friday in the first contest of the final two-game home weekend of the season.
The Redbirds (11-13, 5-8 Missouri Valley) lost 52-49 to the Sycamores in the first meeting on Jan. 21. Illinois State is tied with Bradley for sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with five games remaining, and coach Kristen Gillespie said her Redbirds have a great shot to avoid the Thursday play-in games at the conference tournament.
“It could get really interesting down the stretch, and the great thing is that it’s in our hands,” Gillespie said. “We’re trying to use that excitement to fight the fatigue or the February grind to say you have a chance to do something that hasn’t been done in a really long time.”
PODCAST: Listen here to Kristen Gillespie’s interview with Scott Laughlin about Sunday’s Play 4 Kay activities.
Gillespie pointed to her team’s steady improvement, as evidenced by a 3-1 mark so far in the second time through the league after a 2-7 record in the first half.
“Drake is the benchmark of our league and we were winning for 37 1/2 minutes,” Gillespie said. “So there’s no reason we can’t do this. That’s all we tell our kids every single day. It’s because they’ve proven time and time again that okay, maybe the outcomes haven’t been what we wanted, but the outcomes are little different this second half of the season than they were in the first half.”
Gillespie says the Redbirds must maintain their standing as one of the best defenses in the nation.
“Our measuring stick is our defense,” Gillespie said. “In years to come, we’ll match that with our offense, but right now we’re a defensive team.”
Friday’s game against the Sycamores begins at 7 p.m. on Doug Collins Court at Redbird Arena.
Sunday’s 2 p.m. home game against Evansville is the annual Play 4 Kay Game to raise awareness and funds to fight cancer. Several events will take place before and during the game, including people on stationary bicycles and treadmills and a cancer survivors’ recognition. Pink apparel will be worn by players, coaches and fans to signify the battle against cancer.
Both games can be heard on WJBC-AM 1230 and WJBC.com. Friday’s pregame begins at 6:50 p.m. and Sunday’s broadcast starts at 1:50.
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
