NORMAL -- Following a pair of competitive games at the Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa, the Illinois State women's basketball team returns home Thursday to meet a team that advanced to the second round of last season's NCAA Tournament.

Clearly, ISU coach Robin Pingeton isn't interested in easing into the season.

"We knew what we were getting into when we set the schedule," said Pingeton, whose team meets South Dakota State in a 7:05 p.m. game at Redbird Arena. "These teams are going to help us in the (Missouri Valley) conference. Our girls really enjoy this kind of competition."

ISU is 1-1 after defeating UCLA and losing to Iowa last weekend.

"There were a lot of highs and some lows in a short 48-hour period," Pingeton said. "We had a great win against a very athletic and talented Pac 10 team. With Iowa, we felt like we let one slip away. They've got some very good players, but we're at that level now. We've proven we can play with teams like that."

Senior guard Maggie Krick scored 39 points and senior center Nicolle Lewis 32 in the first two games.

"Every single minute we showed a lot of effort," said Lewis. "We worked hard no matter what. We had a couple breakdowns here and there, but we never wavered as a team. I think that's the most critical part of being a team."

Picked to repeat as Summit League champion, South Dakota State is 1-1. The Jackrabbits defeated Gonzaga, 75-71 in overtime, and lost to No. 11 Arizona State, 73-64.

"They are every bit (as good) if not better than last year," Pingeton said. "They are a fundamentally sound team that is very skilled. They've got tremendous 3-point shooters and a blue-collar mentality inside with their post players."

SDSU lost leading scorer and rebounder Jennifer Warkenthein from last season's 32-3 team but the other four primary starters return.

In the early going, 6-1 senior Maria Boever is scoring a team-leading 14.5 points and grabbing 10.0 rebounds. Jill Young, a 5-8 sophomore, and 6-0 junior Kristin Rotert are each scoring 11.0.

ISU and SDSU last played in 2007 when the Jackrabbits claimed a 61-48 victory in the WNIT.

"It's nice to meet another opponent a couple years down the road and see how things end up," said Lewis. "The Iowa Tournament was great. We had a lot of fun, learned a lot and played really well. But we're definitely excited to get another home game in."

Return home

South Dakota State at ISU

Time: 7:05 p.m. Thursday

Broadcast: WJBC-AM (1230)