Illinois State Women’s Basketball Rolls Past Chicago State in Season Opener

Image courtesy of Illinois State athletics

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State women’s basketball opened up its regular season last night, hosting Chicago State from CEFCU Arena. The Redbirds dominated the Cougars by a score of 106-69, moving their overall record to 1-0.

The Redbirds had five different double-digit scorers in their high-powered offensive attack against the Cougars. Naveah Thomas proved to be the focal point of the offense all night long, finishing with 23 points and eight rebounds.

Chicago State faired well in the first quarter but the Redbirds eventually ran away with the game. In the second quarter, ISU went on a 7-0 run and never looked back. They went into half with a 53-32 lead following six straight points from true freshman Danyella Mporokoso.

The Redbirds put on a show in the second half. They went on a 19-2 run in the third quarter to take a 72-39 lead. Head coach Kristen Gillespie emptied the bench and showed the true depth of this season’s roster. The bench combined for 50 points in the game.

Grace Nelson finished the game with 21 points in only 18 minutes of play. She was 5-6 from beyond the arc and was just two points shy of her career high.

Chloe Spreen and Danyella Mporokoso both had impressive Redbird debuts. Spreen went 2-3 from three-point range and finished with 11 points. Mporokoso had 16 points and five assists.

The Redbirds continued to roll in the fourth quarter and won by a final score of 106-69. They start the year with a win and will travel to Dayton, Ohio on Thursday night to face off against the Dayton Flyers at 6 p.m. at UD Arena.

For more updates on ISU women’s basketball, follow along on wznd.com