It’s a great time to be a sports fan in Normal, Illinois. The Illinois State University Redbirds Women’s Basketball team advanced to the Final Four of the Women’s National Invitational Basketball tournament after defeating the University of Illinois Fighting Illini 53-51 in front of a capacity crowd of 4,400. Talk about exciting!

After losing to the Fighting Illini in the preseason, almost nobody viewed the Redbirds as a threat in the postseason, but the critics were silenced after this historic victory over their cross state rivals. What’s next for the Redbirds? They will host a semi-final showdown against the talented University of California Golden Bears, and if they win, they will face either the University of Miami or the University of Michigan. In tournaments like these, home team advantage provides a major upper hand, so get out their and support your Lady Redbirds as they continue to chase the National Invitational Tournament championship!

If they can pull off two victories, it will truly be a Cinderella story, because the other three universities which round out the Final Four are much bigger and more prominent programs. ISU students can purchase tickets to the game for the great price of $5! See you there!