Illinois State women’s basketball returns to CEFCU Arena to face Northern Iowa

Image courtesy of Redbird Women’s Basketball.

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State women’s basketball returns home from a two-game away trip to take on Northern Iowa at 6 p.m. on Thursday at CEFCU Arena.

The Redbirds are coming off a strong 85-69 win against Indiana State on the road where Doneelah Washington earned a career high of 30 points. ISU is yet to beat a top-5 opponent in the conference after suffering losses to Murray State and Belmont, but has another opportunity against the Panthers.

Washington has been a leader for the Redbirds this season, but she would be so successful if she did not have players like Addison Martin and Trista Fayta. Fayta leads the MVC in assists, averaging 5.6 per game. She is not alone in the rankings, Martin checks into the Thursday game ranked tenth in the conference for assists per game and Kya Hurt is 12th.

In the Indiana State game, ISU shot 43 free throws and knocked down 37 of them, earning a new school record.  The Redbirds are use to dominating inside the arc and scored 42 points in the paint against the Sycamores.

ISU is second in the MVC in PPG, averaging 74.6 compared to the Panthers’ 65.8 PPG. Defense has been the main area of concern for the Redbirds as of late, but had 23 defensive rebounds against the Sycamores and forced 17 turnovers, leading the way for 23 points off turnovers in the campaign. UNI is tied for first in the conference for PPG allowed, coming in at just 63.9. ISU is ranked fifth in point allowed per game with 69.2.

The Redbirds will need to be on their best defensive performance to remain undefeated at home.

UNI comes into the game 10-9 overall and 6-3 in conference. They are coming off a rough 68-65 loss to Evansville and had two players in double-digits. Jenna Twedt had a 30 piece of her own and shot 50% from beyond the arc. The junior is 16th in the conference in PPG with 12.7 and Ryley Goebel is just above her in 15th with 13.1 PPG.

Elise Jaeger only picked up four points against the Aces, but is averaging 10.1 rebounds per game, making her second in the MVC and Goebel is sixth with 8.1 per game. Goebel has been a star for the Panthers this season and has a field goal percentage of .541, making her number one in the conference. Twedt has dominance of her own, specifically from 22-feet out. She is second in the conference in 3-pointers with a total of 47.

UNI will need to capitalize on its shooting abilities against an ISU defense that has been struggling. Washington and Goebel have just a one-inch height difference and it will be nothing short of a dual in the paint.

A top offense versus a top defense makes way for a classic MVC matchup as ISU looks to defends its home court successfully for the tenth time this season.

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and the Redbirds look to start a win streak. If you are unable to make it to CEFCU Arena, tune into wznd.com for Redzone 5-6, followed by the broadcast at 6 p.m. with Riley Ward and Nick Thompson.

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