The Power of Consistency

The illinois State Redbirds women’s basketball team (24-12) has reached the Fab 4 of the 2025 Postseason WNIT, a testament to the team’s reliance on a consistent starting lineup. Head coach Kristen Gillespie has leaned heavily on a core group of five players throughout the season, a strategy that has clearly paid dividends. The Redbirds are set to host Troy (23-13) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Gillespie, now in her eighth year at Illinois State Univ.,has secured three consecutive 20-plus win seasons. She acknowledges the importance of the team’s chemistry and the individual skill sets each player brings to the court.

Once you get into conference play, the bench can shorten, so to speak, and we wanted to get that good rhythm early on. We found that those five play so well off each other … we do a grate job of sharing the ball. we can score in a lot of different ways and each one of those five has their own skill set. It’s a puzzle, and they all fit together. It just made the most sense.
Kristen Gillespie, Illinois State Head Coach

Gillespie emphasized the value she places on every player, adding, We love all our players, but those five are doing a great job.

Meet the Core Five

The success of the redbirds hinges on the performance and reliability of these key players:

Shannon dowell

Sophomore, leads the team with 17.1 points per game.

elyce Knudsen

Graduate transfer, set a program record with 90 3-pointers, shooting 44 percent from long range. Knudsen previously was the Division III national player of the year.

Nevaeh Thomas

Transfer from Evansville,averages 12 points and seven rebounds per game.

Addison Martin

Played two seasons at Abilene Christian, shoots 58 percent from the field and averages 11.4 points per game.

maya Wong

Five-year player, started 134 of 135 games in the past four years, known for outstanding 3-point shooting.

Team Dynamics and Strategy

Illinois State’s notable assist-to-turnover ratio of 580 to 475 reflects the team’s unselfish play and understanding of the offensive system.The team’s ability to adapt and share the ball has been crucial to their success.

It starts with them buying into our system; each year the offense looks a little different because of personnel and what our strengths are, and if players didn’t buy into it those assist and turnover numbers would look different. They revel in sharing the ball, whoever is feeling it, and it can be someone else every night.We can score inside or outside, if the 3’s aren’t falling we don’t panic. But they love to play for each other.
Kristen Gillespie, Illinois State Head Coach

Building a Cohesive Roster

With seven new faces on the 14-player roster, including freshmen Doneelah washington and Trista Fayta, who each get about 14 minutes per game, Gillespie emphasized the importance of intentional recruiting and team bonding to integrate the new players.

Of the 14 players on the roster, we had seven new faces.In today’s college landscape, that probably going to be the norm. We were very intentional through the recruiting process with our transfers … they had to fit an athletic need for how we play, but a lot had to do with character and their fit in our culture. We knew we had some many new faces; this summer with our leadership training and team bonding, we did more than we ever have before. We’ve got high character individuals who just want to win.We had some ups-and-downs this season,nothing to do with our identity,but just trying to figure each other out. One thing has been so consistent, they are about one another, having fun.
Kristen Gillespie, Illinois State Head Coach

WNIT Possibility and Future Goals

After a disappointing loss to Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, the Redbirds embraced the opportunity to compete in the WNIT. Illinois State has a strong history in the WNIT, with a 19-10 overall record since 2000 and a 16-3 record at home.

Our expectation is, we want to win our league, we want to get a bid to the NCAA Tournament, and if it doesn’t happen it is a disappointment. That’s what you start working on in June.I give credit to our four seniors who wanted to keep playing, extend the season. No one loved how we lost to Drake, where we played so well but couldn’t make a shot in the last two minutes. It was crushing. But we said, let’s make somthing magical happen for our seniors, and we also have a great core returning for next year, so let’s get some momentum. Let’s use this as a springboard.
Kristen Gillespie, Illinois State Head Coach

The Road Ahead: Facing Troy

Illinois State faces a tough challenge against Troy, which leads all of Division I in total rebounds.The Redbirds will need to play with toughness and maintain their offensive pace and ball movement to succeed.

I don’t know if we’ve played a team that rebounds it and also Troy. We’ll have to play with some toughness. And on offense,we need to play with great pace and share the ball.
Kristen Gillespie, Illinois State Head Coach

Gillespie’s Perspective on the WNIT

Coach Gillespie emphasizes the privilege of participating in the WNIT and the team’s determination to win.

It’s a privilege to be playing. A lot of teams and players who would have loved another opportunity to put on the uniform. That has been our message.We get to be here. We’re so grateful, to be honest.It’s tough for mid-majors as a lot of us are in a one-bid league (to get into the NCAA tournament), and no matter what you do in conference you have to be near perfect in a three-game period for (your league tournament). Some really great teams are in the WNIT, and we feel privileged to be in the field. Our goal is to win the dang thing.
Kristen Gillespie, Illinois State Head Coach