Redbirds Roll Past Chicago State 101–52 on Education Day

NORMAL, Ill. –Illinois State women’s basketball hosted Chicago State on Wednesday morning for Education Day at CEFCU Arena. With more than 5,000 local middle school and junior high students in attendance, the Redbirds fed off that energy from the start, jumping out to a 20-4 lead in the first quarter and never looking back in a 101-52 win.

ISU had five players finish in double figures, with junior forward Nevaeh Thomas leading the way off the bench with 15 points and finishing just one rebound shy of a double-double.

Head coach Kristen Gillespie shared her thoughts on her team’s dominant performance, praising the Redbirds’ energy but also noting there is still room for improvement as the season moves forward.

“I thought we played all right. I think there were some things we could’ve done better, but I’m never going to complain about a win,” Gillespie said.

The story of the game was the play of ISU’s young guards. Freshman guard Jaeden Pratt finished with 10 points, redshirt sophomore Zanyra Adams added 11, and freshman guard Kya Hurt scored 13. Adams and Hurt both came off the bench, while Pratt earned the start.

Gillespie also spoke about the play of her young players, emphasizing how valuable these early-season minutes are for their development.

“We’re so young and we’re so new. I say this all the time — every rep in practice is critical for our team, and every minute on the floor is like gold. We have three freshmen, and this is all new to them. I don’t care who we’re playing or what the score is — it’s college basketball, and getting those reps is all about becoming the team we want to be,” Gillespie said.

Illinois State improves to 2-1 on the season and will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 18, to face Loyola.

For all things Redbird women’s basketball, stay tuned to WZND.com.