TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns to the Hulman Center Friday evening after a long winter's nap – or at least a short break for the Christmas holiday – as the Sycamores will open Missouri Valley Conference play when Missouri State visits.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on The Valley on ESPN3. Fan in the Wabash Valley can listen on the Sycamore Radio Network on 1230AM as
Luke Martin will have the call with that broadcast simulcast on the internet world wide at GoSycamores.com.
SERIES HISTORY
Beware the Bears. Missouri State currently holds a 57-18 advantage in the all-time series buoyed by an eight-game winning streak by Missouri State in the series, including sweeping the two-game series last year.
LAST TIME OUT
Alexis Delgado and
Ashli O'Neal each scored 15 points and the Sycamores hit a season-best 11 3-pointers but also committed a season-high 24 turnovers in a physical 60-51 loss to Butler Thursday afternoon at the Hulman Center.
For Indiana State (2-9), it wasn't necessarily all 24 turnovers that decided the game but a four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter where the Sycamores committed four turnovers and missed the one shot they did attempt – an O'Neal jumper that was rebounded and promptly turned over by
Wendi Bibbins.
At the same time Butler struggled to make a basket, missing four straight shots and committing a turnover. Indiana State only trailed by seven at the stretch but came away empty-handed on five consecutive possessions. The scoring drought for both teams was broken by a Butler layup with under 3 minutes to play to extend the Bulldog lead to nine, a margin that proved to be an insurmountable lead as the Sycamores would not pull any closer than six points after that mark.
LOOKING AT MISSOURI STATE
And so begins conference play. For the first time in several games, Indiana State will not host a team on a winning streak as the Bears (4-7) visit Terre Haute, but only by a slim margin. MSU's three-game winning streak came to a halt at Alabama on Dec. 19 in a 65-61 loss to the tide. Prior to that loss, the Bears had rattled off wins over Wichita State (94-71), Oral Roberts (76-66) and Northwestern (90-59).
But don't glance over their 4-7 mark. Two of their losses came to ranked teams in No. 8 Baylor (100-58) and No. 23 Missouri (69-59) with another pair of losses against unranked teams that are receiving votes in Ball State (70-58) and Little rock (63-51).
Maybe it's the hot shooting from downtown. MSU is hitting 37.9 percent of their shots from beyond the arc thanks to two players shooting 50 percent or better - Alexa Willard (56.7 percent) and Lee Ann Polowy (50 percent).
THREE FOR THREE
Ashli O'Neal, ISU's No. 3, has been hot from 3-point land lately. In her last four games O'Neal is shooting 51.9 percent (14-for-27) beyond the arc. That is an impressive mark above her 43.9 percent season average.
Her recent success makes it no surprise that she enters this game ranked 53rd nationally and third in The Valley in 3-point field goal percentage.
O'Neal from 3-Point Land
| Date |
Opponent |
3FG-FGA |
Pct. |
| 12/7 |
at Illinois |
5-9 |
.556 |
| 12/9 |
Central Michigan |
3-7 |
.429 |
| 12/19 |
Miami (Ohio) |
2-5 |
.400 |
| 12/21 |
Butler |
4-6 |
.667 |
THIEVING TREES
State doesn't discriminate. It takes and it takes and it takes. Credit the Sycamores as they enter this game ranked 67th in the nation and first in The Valley in steals per game (9.9) and 90th in the nation in steals (109), ranking second in The Valley.
CAUGHT IN HER WEBB
One need look no farther than the recent theft skills of
Tierra Webb to see why ISU is so successful as a team in steals. Over her last five games, Webb has registered 13 steals (out of her 18 steals this season) and has swiped multiple steals in four out of those five games.
Webb Steals
| Date |
Opponent |
Steals |
| 11/30 |
at UIC |
4 |
| 12/7 |
at Illinois |
2 |
| 12/9 |
Central Michigan |
4 |
| 12/19 |
Miami (Ohio) |
0 |
| 12/21 |
Butler |
3 |
| |
Total (5 games) |
13 |
SWIPE RIGHT (AND LEFT)
A major reason Indiana State is ranked so high nationally in steals is thanks to the swiping ability of three players. A trio of Sycamores enter the game ranked in the top 10 with a total of four Sycamores ranked in the top 15 in the Missouri Valley Conference in steals per game.
MVC Steals Per Game
| |
STEALS |
Cl |
GP |
No. |
Avg/G |
| 3. |
Webb, Tierra |
JR |
11 |
18 |
1.6 |
| 4. |
Bibbins, Wendi |
SR |
11 |
16 |
1.5 |
| 6. |
O'Neal, Ashli |
SO |
11 |
13 |
1.2 |
| 12. |
Delgado, Alexis |
JR |
11 |
12 |
1.1 |
FORCING THE ISSUE
In addition to Indiana State leading The Valley in steals, the Sycamores are tops in the league and among the best in the conference in turnovers forced. Ranked 107th nationally, ISU is averaging 17.82 turnovers forced per game.
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.
