Illinois State women’s basketball prepares for road battle against Southern Illinois

Image courtesy of Illinois State women’s basketball.

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State women’s basketball starts their two-game road campaign Friday night in a 6 p.m. battle against Southern Illinois at the Banterra Center. ISU is coming off a home win against Drake, increasing its win streak to four games, one of only two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference to have the accomplishment.

The Redbirds lead the all-time series 73-50 and have won the last eight matchups against the Salukis.

The Redbirds come into the match 14-9 overall and 8-4 in conference play, making them fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference. ISU has the third best scoring offense in the MVC, averaging 73.3 points per game compared to SIU’s 67.3. The flock has the best field goal percentage in the entire conference with 43.9% and are led by the duo of Doneelah Washington and Trista Fayta.

Washington leads the team in four different categories, PPG, blocks, steals and rebounds. The sophomore is averaging 16.4 PPG, 1.6 blocks, 2.2 steals and 8.9 rebounds. The Nebraska native is coming off her eighth 20 or more point game of the season. Fayta has been her go-to girl and leads the Redbirds in assists, tallying 128 on the season, and the next closest to the triple-digit number is Addison Martin with 75. Fayta was the leading scorer for ISU in Saturday’s win against Drake, earning a season-high of 23 points.

SIU enters the matchup off a 82-73 win against Valparaiso, improving to 8-13 overall and 5-7 in the MVC.

Indya Green has been a force for the Salukis, picking up a career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds to earn herself a double-double against the Beacons. Green averaged 8.5 rebounds a game, making her fourth in the conference in the category, right behind Washington. Alayna Krause had eight assists and 10 points. The sophomore is ninth in the MVC in scoring, averaging 15.2 PPG.

It will be a battle in the paint between Washington and Green. Both teams rely heavy on their centers and second-chance opportunities will be crucial on both ends of the ball. ISU will need to capitalize on a team that has struggled offensively and SIU’s key will be to break down a defense that has struggled at various points throughout the season.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. in Carbondale.

For all things ISU women’s basketball, stay tuned on wznd.com.