Picture this: a women’s basketball game held in Bloomington-Normal with Miranda Fox and Elyce Knudsen, two staple members of the Big Blue women’s basketball program, competing. Only this time, Fox and Knudsen were on opposing sidelines. 

After graduating from Millikin in 2024, Knudsen transferred to Illinois State University, an NCAA Division I program located in Normal, Ill. The all-time leading scorer in Millikin women’s basketball history with 2,310 points in her four years had a seamless transition from the Division III level, being named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team as the second-leading scorer for the Redbirds this season with 493 points. 

“My time at Millikin gave me the opportunity to transition to this level with some ease,” Knudsen said. “At Millikin, I learned a lot about balancing working out on my own outside of team practice. I also got pushed to another level at Millikin because my teammates and coaches knew what I wanted to accomplish while I was there. This translated very well to Illinois State.”

Knudsen went 92-for-212 on the year from behind the arc, setting a new ISU school record for three-pointers made in a season. She added 118 rebounds, 67 assists, 23 steals, and 11 blocks to complete her season stat line.

One of those teammates who helped push Knudsen in practice at Millikin was Fox. Fox left a reputation of being a floor general and tenacious defender, with her playing career wrapping up in 2023. The Effingham, Ill. native totaled 277 assists, 165 steals, 275 rebounds, and 403 points in her playing career at Millikin. 

In her post-Millikin career, Fox serves as a graduate assistant coach with Western Illinois University, a Division I school in Macomb, Ill. Her role focuses on team operations, including coordinating team meals and putting the student-athletes through individual workouts.

The Leathernecks finished the season 17-17, earning an invitation to the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, or WNIT, where they met Lipscomb in the first round. After defeating Lipscomb 89-74, they advanced to face – you guessed it – Illinois State.

“It is different to go against a coach who played with you, and Miranda definitely knows the kind of player I am. She said she tried to warn her team with a scouting report of me,” Knudsen said of playing against her former teammate. “Such a full circle moment for the both of us with Coach Lett in the crowd as well as a lot of our former teammates.”

Fox echoed the sentiment of the awkwardness of being on the opposite bench as Knudsen.

“It was extremely weird to be on the other side of the ball as Elyce, especially after playing with her for three years, then watching almost all of her games the last two,” Fox said. “There was a part of me that wanted her to play amazing against us because I have seen the amount of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears she had put into getting where she was, but the other part of me obviously wanted to win because I absolutely hate losing!”

In preparation for the game, Fox did warn her squad of what happens when Knudsen starts making shots.

“My scouting report on Elyce was to not let her get hot on the three-point line because I knew if she hit five or six of them, we would be in a lot of trouble,” she said. “After guarding her almost every day for three years, I knew to watch for her baseline spin around drive, which she successfully did on us, and for her left-handed pull-up.”

Knudsen scored 23 points in Illinois State’s 90-80 victory over Western, hitting five three-pointers in the contest.

“During the game, I found myself smiling when Elyce would make one of her wild shots or drain it from two feet behind the three-point line because she truly is an incredible player,” Fox said. “But I definitely didn’t like losing to her.”

The Redbirds went on to defeat Louisiana Tech on their home court in a 78-70 game where Knudsen was the leading scorer with 21 points with three steals defensively, advancing to the Fab Four in the tournament.

They saw their postseason run come to an end a game short in a 96-99 loss to Troy. 

“Walking into the arena and looking up to see hundreds of Big Blue fans supporting us took my breath away,” Fox said. “It showed the level of support and love our families and the Millikin community had for us.”

The Griswold Center seldom felt empty during that season, and a six-hour drive to Holland, Mich. was just a short jaunt for the Big Blue faithful.

“It showed me how sports can bring people together and that life is a lot bigger than basketball,” Fox said. “I was able to look around the court and see all my best friends ready to fight together to get a win, but also love each other unconditionally no matter what the outcome was. Not every player or team is blessed to be in such a situation.”

The Big Blue advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times in Knudsen’s career at Millikin, only not going four-for-four due to the Covid-19 pandemic causing a cancellation of her freshman year’s postseason. Those experiences helped prepare her for the mental and physical aspects of making a run to the Fab Four in the WNIT this year. Fox was a part of two of those runs. 

“At Millikin, I wanted to extend our season as long as possible because I loved to compete and win,” Knudsen said. “The couple days of preparation during our postseason runs also prepared me for the WNIT run. With quick turnarounds you have to do your best to stay prepared and ready for the next game, and my postseason runs at Millikin helped me understand that.”

Their former teammates supported both Fox and Knudsen by watching their games, sharing social media posts, and being in attendance when their teams clashed in the WNIT. Though distance is a factor, they still remain in contact via joint FaceTime calls and reuniting at special events.

“Being friends with my teammates from Millikin has never been so easy,” Knudsen said. “We stay in touch all the time, support one another in all that we do, and now we are getting to experience one another’s weddings. We always pick up right where we left off.”

While the number after “Division” was different for Knudsen this year, she was able to use her Division III experience to help her find success at a higher level.

“It feels like Division III, just on a bigger scale at ISU,” she said. “I truly believe I made the decision that was best for me and the one that I truly believed I could transition well into. I believe at Millikin I was given all of the right tools to find success at the next level, and I can thank my coaches and teammates for that.”

Fox, as many former athletes do, realized that the lessons she learned in her career are transferrable to other aspects of life. 

“One of the biggest lessons I took away from my time as an athlete at Millikin was that you have to control what you can control,” she said. “As a basketball player, there are days you are not going to shoot well and that’s something you can’t control, but what you can control is your effort, energy, and attitude. I have applied this mindset in my role as a coach through the positive attitude and energy I bring to every practice and game despite if I’m having an off day.”

Knudsen will wrap up her master’s degree next spring, and although she won’t be playing basketball anymore, she plans to stay involved with the team in her free time. As the final buzzer sounded on Knudsen’s collegiate playing career, she reflected on what basketball has meant to her.

“I am very grateful for everything that basketball has given me,” she said. “It has truly provided me lifelong friendships as well as the platform and opportunity to give back to the communities that gave to me.”

Fox and Knudsen share a large amount of respect for each other and the impact they had on their respective teams post-Millikin.

“I’m so incredibly proud of Elyce and how successful she was this season and throughout her career,” Fox said. “She truly is such a special person who deserves all the success and praise she has seen.”

Knudsen offered words of encouragement for Fox as she continues on in her coaching career.

“Miranda is truly one of the greatest competitors, teammates, leaders, and friend that I have gotten to share the basketball court with,” Knudsen said. “I know she will continue to do great things for the sport we both love!”

Both student-athletes made their mark on Millikin, leaving a lasting legacy. 

The friendships born from collegiate athletics can sometimes find friends on opposite sidelines, much like Miranda Fox and Elyce Knudsen in the WNIT this season in Bloomington-Normal. But hey, at least neither of them were wearing green.