CANCUN, Mexico – Indiana State opens play in the Cancun Challenge Thanksgiving evening when the Sycamores face Montana at 9 p.m. at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya.
Both ISU and Montana are looking for their first win just two weeks into the young season's start, bringing identical 0-3 marks into the game. The Sycamores will turn around and face South Dakota (2-1) on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Both games will be broadcast on CBS All-Access with links available at GoSycamores.com.
LOOKING AT MONTANA
Montana joins Indiana State in looking for its first win of the year as the Griz have faced a challenging schedule to start the season with games against Wyoming, Kentucky and Gonzaga. McKenzie Johnston is one of three players averaging double-digit points to date with 11.7 ppg while adding 5.3 rebounds per game. Jace Henderson is averaging 7.0 boards per game with 9.3 ppg as well.
LOOKING AT SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota enters the week with a 2-1 mark after a 62-48 domination of Wichita State on Nov. 18 which followed a 73-68 win against Creighton. The 'Yotes opened the year with a close 81-76 loss at Iowa State. South Dakota is led by Kate Liveringhouse's 14.3 points per game while Allison Arens is averaging 13.7 ppg and a team-leading 6.0 rebounds per game.
SERIES HISTORY
This week's games will mark a pair of firsts for Indiana State. The Sycamores have never played Montana or South Dakota before in the program's history.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR SEASON
Sycamore senior
Wendi Bibbins earned the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year award for her play in 2016-17. The Harvey, Louisiana product averaged 10.2 points and 8.3 rebounds, leading the Sycamores in scoring in 10 games this season including a career high 23 points at Illinois State (2/3).
Along with her scoring output, the forward grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 10 games last season with a season best 14 rebounds coming against Florida Atlantic. She scored in double-figures in 13 games last season for the Sycamores.
Bibbins ranked second in the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding and had a team high five double-doubles. Bibbins took home the Valley's Newcomer of the Week honor two times this season, en route to becoming the fourth Sycamore to win Newcomer of the Year honors, joining Amy Amstutz (1997), Ashley Clark (2005) and Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir (2014).
SCORING LEADER
Senior guard
Ashley Taia was named to the Missouri Valley Conference honorable mention team to close out 2016-17. Taia put together a stellar junior campaign, leading the Sycamores with 12.1 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds and a team-high 60 steals. She shot nearly 30 percent from 3-point range and scored her 500th point during conference play. Taia started in all 30 games last season, reaching double-figure scoring in 20 of those games while ranking 10th in the league in scoring. She scored 20 or more points in three games including career-high 26 in the win at Southern Illinois on New Year's Day.
Taia scored a game-high 22 points against the Billikens on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 from downtown. The Brisbane, Australia native was aggressive throughout, getting to the free throw line eight times and converting seven for the Sycamores. She added two rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal to her stat line in 36 minutes of action.
THREE FOR 54
The trio of
Ashley Taia,
Wendi Bibbins and
Tierra Webb accounted for over half of the program's offensive production from a year ago. The three players combined for 30 point or 54.4 percent of the teams' offense.
DEFENSE AS USUAL
Indiana State started where they left off as the team opened against SLU Friday night. ISU held the Billikens who were tabbed second in the A10 to just 37.7 percent from the field and just 4-for-16 from behind the arc. ISU also recorded a pair of blocks and six steals as they turned SLU over 16 times in the game.
LAST TIME OUT
Wendi Bibbins notched a career-high 17 rebounds and two Sycamores posted double-digit points but Indiana State could not overcome a hot-shooting Florida Atlantic squad in a 66-58 loss at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute.
Alexis Delgado (16) and Kierra Isaiah (14) each posted career-high marks in scoring for Indiana State as the Sycamores (0-3) pulled within one possession of Florida Atlantic (1-2) on four separate occasions.
But ISU seemingly embodied the close but no cigar cliché at the Hulman Center Monday night, befitting since the facility does not allow smoking. Keeping the Trees at bay was an Owl squad that shot 40.7 percent from the field and 52.9 from beyond the arc.
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.
