Women’s Basketball Travels to Normal for Thursday Match with Redbirds

Thursday, February 26

Normal, IL

6:30 p.m.

Southern Illinois University

Illinois State

Alayna Kraus

Women’s Basketball Travels to Normal for Thursday Match with Redbirds

02/25/2026 | 12:00:00 | Women's Basketball

By: Peter Borkowski

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The end of the 2025-26 women's basketball season is in sight. With just four more regular season games to go, Southern Illinois (9-16, 6-10) visits Illinois State (16-11, 10-6) on Thursday night for a 6:30 p.m. game.

Details
-What: Women's Basketball at Illinois State
-Date: February 26
-Time: 6:30 p.m.
-Location: CEFCU Arena, Normal, Illinois
-Opponent: Illinois State Redbirds
-Live Results: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=629306&vislive=silu
-Watch: ESPN+
-Listen: The Varsity Network

Last Time Out
The Salukis last played on Sunday when they fell to Indiana State, 81-73. The game was tied going into the fourth quarter, but a 25-17 fourth by the Sycamores ultimately sank the Salukis. Four Southern players did hit double-digit points: Alayna Kraus with 19, Kayla Cooper with 16, Indya Green with 15, and Tkiyah Nelson with 10. Cooper was also one rebound short of a double-double. Defensively though, SIU could do little to slow Indiana State down as the Sycamores shot 42.4% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc.

The Matchup
The Redbirds lead the all-time series with SIU 73-51. However, Southern dominated their last matchup, winning 84-60 in Carbondale on February 13. This win snapped Illinois State's eight-game winning streak over Southern. This matchup, Southern will also be looking to snap Illinois State's home win streak versus the Salukis, as SIU has not defeated the Redbirds in Normal, Illinois, since 2022.

Illinois State enters this game with a 16-11 overall record while sitting 10-6 within Missouri Valley Conference play. After winning two straight following their February 13 loss in Carbondale, Illinois State fell to Murray State 73-62 on Sunday, their most recent game. That loss to Murray State was Illinois State's first loss at home of the season, as they boast an impressive 13-1 record when playing at CEFCU Arena.

Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_WBasketball, on Instagram at @SIU_WBasketball, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiAthletics. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.