Indiana State University Athletics

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State will close out the 2017 calendar year Sunday afternoon when Southern Illinois visits the Hulman Center.
 
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast worldwide on The Valley on ESPN3. Luke Martin will have the call on the Sycamore Radio Network on 1230AM WIBQ in the Wabash Valley and online from anywhere at GoSycamores.com.
 
SERIES HISTORY
It's even, Steven. Indiana State and Southern Illinois have evenly split the 90 prior meetings with each claiming 45 wins apiece. The same even split has occurred in Terre Haute with both teams winning 17 games.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Alexis Delgado scored 13 points while Wendi Bibbins added another 12 but Missouri State held a 15-point lead at halftime that it would never relinquish as Indiana State fell in its Missouri Valley Conference opener Friday evening, 77-63, at the Hulman Center in Terre Haute.
 
For the Sycamores (2-10, 0-1) a renewed energy and more consistent shooting for most of the second half was negated as Missouri State (5-7, 1-0) took a 15-point lead into the half on the heels of a 15-4 run. And the Bears claimed that halftime lead by taking advantage of several extra opportunities.
 
"Our first half we gave up nine offensive rebounds and turned it over 10 times," said Indiana State head coach Joey Wells. "They had 10 more possessions than we did in the first half - well that's the 15-point lead right there. You have to play for 40 minutes. We did some things, we fought back a little bit but when you play a good team and you give them a 15-point cushion, they just are not going to give that whole 15 points back to you."
 
LOOKING AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
The Salukis (6-6) snapped a three-game losing streak Friday evening with a 74-62 win at Evansville in the MVC opener. One of the better shooting teams in the league - ranking third at .420 so far - the Salukis are known for committing few fouls (only 198 this season). SIU will go deep into their bench with eight players this season averaging over 12 minutes per game.
 
Kylie Giebelhausen is the player to watch for the Salukis and you'll have plenty of time to watch her. She is averaging nearly 37 minutes a game on the floor while scoring 12.7 points per game. Nicole martin is scoring 11.8 ppg while Abby Brockmeyer is putting up 10.5 ppg and 7.4 rebounds per game.
 
CAN'T CATCH A BREAK
With Indiana State's game against Missouri State on Friday, the Sycamores will face an opponent for the fourth consecutive game that is shooting over 30 percent from the 3-point line.
 

Date	Opponent	Opp 3FG%
12/9	Central Michigan	.419
12/19	Miami (Ohio)	.446
12/21	Butler	.324
12/29	Missouri State	.379
12/31	Southern Illinois	.316

 
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 48.4 percent (15-for-31) beyond the arc. That is an impressive mark above her .426 percent season average.
 
Her recent success makes it no surprise that she enters this game ranked 58th nationally and first 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
12/29	Missouri State	1-4	.250

 
THIEVING TREES
State doesn't discriminate. It takes and it takes and it takes. Credit the Sycamores as they enter this game ranked 74th in the nation and first in The Valley in steals per game (9.8) and 87th in the nation in steals (117), 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 six games, Webb has registered 13 steals (out of her 18 steals this season) and has swiped multiple steals in four out of those six 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
12/29	Missouri State	0
	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 in the Missouri Valley Conference in steals per game.
 
MVC Steals Per Game

Rank	STEALS	Cl	GP	No.	Avg/G
3.	Bibbins, Wendi	SR	12	19	1.6
4.	Webb, Tierra	JR	12	18	1.5
8.	O'Neal, Ashli	SO	12	14	1.2

 
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.