How to Watch No. 24 Nebraska Women's Basketball vs. Illinois State with Preview, Breakdown and TV Channel

Despite being decimated by injuries and publicly holding an open tryout to Omaha students, the Mavericks came out firing against the Nebraska women's basketball team, who were 62.5-point favorites against their in-state opponents.

A 10-3 advantage for Omaha was the bright spot of a night that turned ugly shortly after. The Huskers still managed an 87-35 blowout led by the game-high 17 points from Callin Hake, whose five three-pointers accounted for the bulk of her impact. Jessica Petrie joined Hake in double figures with 14 points while Amiah Hargrove added 11 with a team-leading nine rebounds. The NU defense forced 31 Maverick turnovers in holding short-handed Omaha to a 33.3 field goal percentage.

A friendly rest period awaits Nebraska, which plays only two games in the 20 days, starting with Illinois State Sunday morning.

Here's all you need to know before the Huskers' battle with the Redbirds at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

How to Follow Along

Matchup: No. 24 Nebraska (10-0, 1-0 B1G) vs. Illinois State (5-5, 0-1 MVC)
When: Sunday, December 14.
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
Time: 11 a.m. CST
Watch: B1G+
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

Illinois State Scout

Head Coach

Kristen Gillespie | 9th season at Illinois State; 15th as HC.
162-100 (.618) at ISU; 267-165 (.618) Career Record.
1x NCAA Tournament App. (2022), 4x WNIT Apps.
1x MVC Regular Season & Tournament title.
1x MVC Coach OTY (2023).
Previous head coach at Lewis (Division II) and Benedictine (Division II).
Previous assistant at UIC, NC State, UCF and UC Santa Barbara.

2024 Record & Awards

24-13 (14-6 MVC, T-5th)
All-MVC: 1x Second Team, 2x All-Newcomer, 1x All-Freshman.

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 1-0.
Nov. 22, 1996, last matchup, 79-70 NU.

A member of last year's MVC All-Newcomer team, Abilene Christian transfer Addison Martin leads Illinois State in scoring. | Illinois State Athletics

Key Returners

Nevaeh Thomas | F | Jr. | Leading forward who averaged 12 points and seven rebounds per game last season, but has been limited to only four games as a junior.
Addison Martin | F | R-Sr. | Second-year transfer from Abilene Christian that made the MVC All-Newcomer team last year and now leads the Redbirds in scoring in 2025-2026 with 14.2 PPG and adding 6.4 rebounds per contest.
Doneelah Washington | F | Soph. | After playing in all 37 games last year off the bench, the Lincoln Northeast graduate has excelled as a first-year starter with 12.9 points (2nd on team) and 9.3 rebounds (1st) per contest.
Trista Fayta | G | Soph. | Averaged just short of 15 minutes per game as a true freshman, but now scores more than 11 points per game as a sophomore starter.
Grace Nelson | G | Soph. | Limited minutes with just under eight per game, but she's seen action in all 10 games this season for the Redbirds off the bench.

Key Departures

Shannon Dowell | G | Transfer | Transferred up to Missouri after finishing fifth in the conference in scoring (17.6 PPG) and getting named All-MVC second team as a sophomore.
Elyce Knudsen | G | Graduated | Second on the team in scoring with 14.1 PPG while shooting 43.4% from three and hitting a team-high 92 treys.
Maya Wong | G | Graduated | Started that averaged over 30 minutes and eight points per game in her final college season.

Shannon Dowell transferred to Missouri after making the All-MVC second team for Illinois State in 2024-2025. | Missouri Athletics

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

Kya Hurt | G |. Fr. | Indianapolis native who's dropping in almost nine points per game as a key bench contributor, including one start in her nine appearances.
Bella Finnegan | G | Sr. | Tall guard transfer from Indiana State, who's the most lethal shooting threat for the Redbirds, going 16-for-64 from three to lead the team in both makes and attempts.
Jaeden Pratt | G | Fr. | True freshman who has started in nine of her first 10 career college games with 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.

Outlook

Nearly a winner from day one, head coach Kristen Gillespie has established one of the most stable and successful runs of Illinois State women's basketball history. An author of a 2022 NCAA Tournament appearance and four WNIT berths, Gilliespie brings back a team with a strong nucleus that should compete in the MVC — as evidenced by a third-place voting rank in the preseason poll.

Star sophomore Shannon Dowell leveraged her breakout campaign (17.6 PGG, All-MVC Second Team) in the transfer portal, where she moved up to Missouri. In her first and only season with the Redbirds, Elyce Knudsen was a star in her own right with over 14 points per game and nailing 92 three-pointers. Maya Wong marks the third and final starter to move on during the offseason, graduating after collecting nearly nine points per game.

Lincoln native Doneelah Washington averages 12.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game for ISU as a breakout sophomore. | Illinois State Athletics

A member of the All-MVC Newcomer team last season, two-year Abilene Christian transfer Addison Martin leads ISU with 14.2 PPG while also adding over six rebounds. Returning forward Doneelah Washington has enjoyed a tremendous start to her sophomore campaign, totaling 12.9 points per game and over nine rebounds. She makes a hometown return as a Lincoln native and graduate of Lincoln Northeast. Trista Fayta was a key reserve last season before filling a starter role this year with over 11 points per game. Nevaeh Thomas's 12 points and seven points per game last year were massive for the Redbirds, but she's been held to four of 10 games this season in what has been a hurtful absence.

Welcoming two newcomers to the starting lineup, Indiana State transfer Bella Finnegan takes over as the team's sharpshooter, going 16-for-64 from three-point land. She's first on the team in both categories with no other Redbird in double-digit makes while combining for 64 of ISU's 207 treys. A true freshman starter, Jaeden Pratt adds six points and four rebounds.

Another solid team under Gilliespie, the Redbirds should be in the MVC conversation for most of the season, especially with the experience they bring. However, Thomas, missing from the lineup (hasn't played since Nov. 18), will cap the ceiling of this team. Nebraska should breeze by Illinois State, but look out for the Redbirds to compete for the MVC's automatic bid.

More From Nebraska On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.