Illinois State Women’s Basketball Set to Host Horizon League Champion Green Bay

Image courtesy of Illinois State athletics

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State Women’s Basketball looks to stay hot as they take on Green Bay at CEFCU Arena on Wednesday night aiming for its fourth consecutive win to start the season.

The Redbirds have opened up the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2022-23 season. Their most recent win came in a dominant 96-54 victory over Augustana on Nov. 7.

Redbird’s to Look Out For

Transfer Hannah Chicken has made an immediate impact in her first three games with the Redbirds, averaging a double-double with 16.0 points and 10.3 rebounds.

Chicken shot 51.4% from the field over the first week, finishing with 48 points, 31 rebounds, six assists, three steals and three blocks. She was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 9.

Trista Fayta came up big in the Redbirds overtime win at Dayton. Fayta scored a career-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field while adding eight assist and eight rebounds.

She is the only player in the country this season to have at least 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a single game. Since the 2009-10 season, only three Missouri Valley Conference players have posted that stat line.

Nevaeh Thomas recorded her second 20-point performance of the season for Illinois State. Thomas scored 20 points and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds in the win over Dayton.

She is the first Redbird to score at least 20 points in each of the first two games of a season since Jamie Russell during the 2012-13 season.

Two additional Redbirds to watch who were named Missouri Valley Conference Players to Watch, alongside Fayta and Thomas, are Chloe Spreen and Danyella Mporokoso. Spreen comes to Illinois State after spending the previous two seasons at Alabama and Indiana, while Mporokoso begins her collegiate career after being named the 2025-26 Gatorade Illinois Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

New Look for the Green Bay Phoenix

The Phoenix came into the season as the top ranked team in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll. They are coming off a season in which they went 25-9 overall, won the Horizon League Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Green Bay enters the matchup with a 1-1 record after opening the season with a 76-60 loss to No. 4 Duke before defeating Loyola Chicago 82-48 on Saturday night.

The Phoenix have a new look after losing five seniors who accounted for 48.5% of the team’s points last season. Green Bay’s new roster features three transfers and four freshmen, the program’s largest incoming freshman class since 2021.

The Phoenix have three players averaging double figures to start the season, led by Madd Skorupski at 15 points per game.

Wednesday’s matchup will mark the ninth meeting between Illinois State and Green Bay. Green Bay leads the all-time series 6-2. The teams last met on Nov. 11, 2023, in Green Bay, where the Phoenix earned an 88-62 victory.

Illinois State’s last victories over Green Bay came in back-to-back seasons in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

A victory would give Illinois State a major nonconference win, improve its all-time record against Green Bay and keep its undefeated start intact.

The Redbirds will face Green Bay at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at CEFCU Arena in Normal.

For all things Redbird Basketball, stay tuned to WZND.com.