’Birds blow by Braves in battle of I-74

Illinois State men’s basketball set the standard in defeating the Braves 71-56 at home. A few days later, the volleyball team made short work of the in-state rival, defeating them in just three sets in Redbird Arena.

Head women’s basketball coach Kristen Gillespie was not about to break the winning streak.

The Redbird women’s basketball team played an aggressive game on both ends of the court in defeating I-74 rival Bradley at home 66-54.

“I think everyone in our program expected this outcome,” asserted Gillespie. “It started after the forfeit win last Friday… I asked the players if they could come back in three hours for practice… We walked onto the court and they were locked in. Our players wanted to win this game.”

I want to thank our men’s basketball team and volleyball for kind of setting the table—we didn’t want to let those guys down and have a full week of a sweep,” Gillespie chuckled.

The Redbirds surely did not disappoint, as the team stepped on the gas early and did not let off.

It was all JuJu Redmond in the opening minutes of play at Redbird Arena, as the senior guard quickly made the first two 3-point field goals of the night to get the ball rolling for the Redbirds. Redmond’s impressive game did not end there—she went on to score 14 of the Redbirds’ 31 points at halftime, and a total of 18 points in the game. Redmond also picked up 13 rebounds for yet another career double-double.

“When we came out of the huddle, I told them that we should just step on the gas,” said Redmond. “We came out ready and they trusted me to make some big shots and I was ready.”

Defensively, the Redbirds put up a strong front, holding the Braves leading scorers Lasha Petree and Gabi Haack to just two and four points apiece. Terrion Moore and Paige Saylor each had strong roles in the defensive attack against Bradley.

In the second half, the Braves ramped up their defensive efforts on the ‘Birds but could not stop Moore and DeAnna Wilson. Moore switched gears from the defensive to the offensive, putting up 17 of her 19 points of the game in the third and fourth, while Wilson brought her total to 14—her career-high.

“We are no longer a one man, two man show—and that’s the fun thing about this team, “ Gillespie said. “It’s fun when you see other people step up. I thought Terrion was outstanding. She took some quick early shots but then she just let the game come to her.”

“DeAnna Wilson was another player, and it’s not secret we’ve been really challenging [DeAnna]. I think she’s slowly putting it together and becoming the player we know she can become.”

After getting swept by the Braves in Missouri Valley play last season, the Redbirds take the hard-fought win in stride, knowing tonight’s game was a step in the right direction in the face of many upcoming challenges in the schedule.

“We don’t have an easy game if you look at our schedule. It’s really easy to get overwhelmed but our focus is just one day at a time.”

“This was a good win. This was a win we needed to kind of prove to this team that we’re on track.”

The Redbirds get to enjoy an off weekend before traveling to Southern Illinois Feb. 5 and 6 for the next two-game series in the regular season conference play.