TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State women's basketball will wrap up the weekend Sunday afternoon as the team welcomes Illinois State to the Hulman Center. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. and can be heard live on WIBQ 1230 AM with Luke Martin on the call or on The Valley On ESPN3. Any college student with a valid ID receives free admission to the game.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Sycamores trail in the all-time series with Illinois State, 48-41. Indiana State has made up ground though over the last two years, winning three out of the last four meetings between the programs. The two teams split last season's meetings with each squad winning on their home court. Indiana State is 22-16 all-time versus the Redbirds in Terre Haute and 17-30 against ILS on the road.
 
LOOKING AT ILLINOIS STATE
Illinois State comes into the game with a 4-9 overall record, and a 1-1 mark in MVC play. The Redbirds have two players that score in double-digits, led by Taylor Stewart with 12.6 points per game while Brechelle Breachum who adds 11.8 points and 3.3 rebounds a contest. Hannah Green sits just below the 10-point mark at 8.0 points a game while leading the Redbirds in rebounding with six a game.
 
PUTTING ON THE CLAMPS
The Sycamores currently rank first in the Missouri Valley Conference, holding opponents just 59.6 points per game this season. The Sycamores are also leading the conference field goal percent defense, allowing the opposition to shoot just 35.8 percent from the floor.
 
SWAT TEAM
Indiana State as a whole has recorded 60 blocks as a team this year to lead the Missouri Valley. Their 4.3 blocks per game are tied with Illinois State for best in the league and 67th-best in the country. The Sycamores top paint protector is Wendi Bibbins who has 15 blocks while her counterpart Rhagen Smith has swatted away 12 shots. A total of 11 players have recorded blocks this year for the Sycamores.
 
STARTING STRONG
Sycamore junior Ashley Taia put together a strong opening weekend in Missouri Valley Conference. The forward is averaging a team best 17 points, four rebounds to go along with two steals a game. Against SIU, Taia put up a career high 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds in route to a 68-53 victory in Carbondale. She hit 20+ points for the second consecutive contest after scoring 21 points against Bradley during an overtime win in Terre Haute.
 
REBOUND AND WIN
The Sycamores are a perfect 5-1 when cleaning up on the glass this season and just 3-5 when getting outrebounded. As a team ISU sits in sixth place in the conference with 38.7 rebounds per contest while leading the MVC with 27.1 defensive rebounds per game. Junior forward Wendi Bibbins leads the squad with 8.1 rebounds per contest.
 
CONSISTENCY
Ashley Taia, the Sycamores' leading scorer has been the most consistent offense for ISU this season. In 14 games, Taia has scored in double-figures 10 times including a career high 26 points at Southern Illinois on New Year's Day. The Brisbane, Australia ranks seventh in the MVC in scoring at 13.5 points per game.
 
MAKING AN IMPACT
Slowly but surely, redshirt freshman McKenzy Telfair has continued to show ability to impact the game in several different areas. The Indianapolis native has seen her minutes per game climb throughout the season and with that her stats have climbed with that. The forward recorded a career high 26 minutes in the Sycamores 58-51 overtime win against Bradley. In the game, Telfair also set a career high in steals with four while assisting on three buckets and scoring five points. Telfair has also scored at least five points in three of the last four games.
 
PULLIN THEM DOWN
From day one junior Wendi Bibbins has made her presence known in the paint on the boards. The junior has recorded a pair of double-doubles this season and has snagged double-digit rebounds in five games, including a season-best 14 boards at Florida Atlantic. She ranks second in the MVC in rebounding (8.1), fourth in blocked shots per game (1.1), ninth in field goal percent (45.6) and 23rd in scoring (9.2).
 
FREE BASKETBALL
The Sycamores improved to 26-23 all-time in overtime games and 9-9 in overtime games against Missouri Valley Conference opponents after completing the comeback against Bradley (1/6/17) inside the Hulman Center. It was the fourth overtime in the last three seasons. Head coach Joey Wells has not lost an overtime contest in his time with Indiana State. As a team, Indiana State has not lost an overtime game since 2008 when ISU fell to Arkansas State.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Women's Basketball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.