SIUE Cougars (16-16 in 2025-26)
at Illinois State Redbirds (24-14 in 2025-26)
October 26, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.
Normal, Ill. | CEFCU Arena
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE women's basketball travels to Normal, Illinois, Monday for their final exhibition contest of the preseason, taking on the in-state rival Illinois State Redbirds. The matchup will act as the Cougars' final tune-up opportunity before opening the regular season against Judson University at home on Nov. 3.
ABOUT THE COUGARS: SIUE enters the 2026-27 campaign after posting a 16-16 overall record a season ago. Head coach
Samantha Quigley Smith returns six players from last year's squad, including All-Ohio Valley Conference selections
Kiyoko Proctor and
Lauren Miller, as well as OVC "Preseason Players to Watch"
Ava Gugliuzza and
Adriana Blazquez.
The 2026-27 SIUE women's basketball team was picked to finish second overall in the 2026-27 OVC Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information personnel.
ABOUT THE REDBIRDS: Illinois State is coming off a strong 2025-26 season, recording a 24-14 overall record and an impressive postseason run that saw the Redbirds advance to the WNIT Championship game. The run capped the program's fourth consecutive 20-win season.
The Redbirds were also projected to finish second in their conference's preseason poll, earning second in the Missouri Valley Conference rankings, just behind Murray State, a team the Cougars will face later this year. Illinois State returns seven players from last year's team and will look to build on their postseason success.
