Indiana State University Athletics

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – For Indiana State to rebound off its Friday night loss, it will have to do just that at Northern Iowa. The Sycamores will face a team that leads the Missouri Valley Conference in rebounding margin Sunday afternoon when they battle the Panthers at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls.
 
Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast live on The Valley on ESPN3. Luke Martin will have the radio call on the Sycamore Radio Network. Due to conflicts with Sycamore Men's Basketball, Martin's call can be heard online at GoSycamores.com.
 
SERIES HISTORY
While Indiana State holds an overall 42-30 lead in the all-time series, the Panthers have had recent success by winning six straight, including a 61-59 overtime contest in the last meeting between the two teams. The two teams have battled to a 16-16 draw in games played in Cedar Falls.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Wendi Bibbins recorded her second double-double of the year with 18 points and 10 rebounds but Indiana State's second half shooting went cold in an 85-64 loss at league-leading Drake Friday evening.
 
Indiana State (3-12, 1-3 Missouri Valley) trailed Drake by only nine points at halftime and shot a respectable, if not impressive, 42.8 percent from the field before intermission. But the break cooled off the hot hands from Terre Haute as the Sycamores shot only 23.8 percent in the third quarter and were outscored 22-12 in that frame.
 
That pushed Drake's lead to a 19-point advantage and the Bulldogs (10-7, 5-0) were able to coast towards their record 27th straight conference win.
 
But despite a 21-point loss to a team that moved to No. 20 in the Mid-Major Rankings this week, bright spots continued to shine through in what was just the second game in Keister's interim tenure. For the second straight game the Sycamores posted 20-plus offensive rebounds, a mark not achieved prior to the change.
 
IT'S A KEISTER HOMECOMING
ISU interim head coach Josh Keister will be making a homecoming of sorts Sunday when the Sycamores play at Northern Iowa. The ISU leader is a native of nearby Waterloo, Iowa, located less than 10 miles from the UNI campus.
 
LOOKING AT NORTHERN IOWA
A stark difference from Drake, UNI enters Sunday's contest averaging only 62.6 points per game, almost 20 ppg less than the league-leading Bulldogs. But - and stop us if you've heard this before - Indiana State is facing a good 3-point shooting team (see next note). UNI is ranked 56th nationally in 3-point field goals made (125) and 3-point field goals made per game (7.8) with both marks ranking second in The Valley. The Panthers are also talented at preventing others from shooting the 3-point shot, ranking 31st nationally by holding opponents to a 27.4 3-point field goal percentage this season.
 
For the Panthers it starts with the rebounding skills of Megan Maahs. A 6-1 sophomore, Maahs ranks 28th nationally in rebounds per game (10.0) and 29th nationally in total rebounds (160) while also ranking 28th nationally in defensive rebounds per game, leading The Valley in all three categories.
 
CAN'T CATCH A BR3AK
Indiana State is seemingly on a run of facing great shooting opponents from deep. Entering this game, ISU will have faced seven opponents in eight games that enters the contest shooting over 31 percent from beyond the arc. Even more challenging, four of those seven opponents are shooting over 37.5 percent from downtown.
 

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
01/05	Evansville	.396
01/12	at Drake	.332
01/14	at Northern Iowa	.303

 
THIEVING TREES
State doesn't discriminate. It takes and it takes and it takes. Credit the Sycamores as they enter this game ranked 63rd in the nation and first in The Valley in steals per game (10.0) and 83rd in the nation in steals (150), ranking second in The Valley.
 
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

	STEALS	Cl	GP	No.	Avg/G
4.	Bibbins, Wendi	SR	15	25	1.7
6.	Webb, Tierra	JR	15	22	1.5
9.	O'Neal, Ashli	SO	15	18	1.2
14.	Wentland, Regan	JR	15	16	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 103rd nationally, ISU is averaging 17.80 turnovers forced per game.
 
TREES TOPS IN TURNOVER MARGIN
With ISU leading the league in steals per game and turnovers forced and second in steals, it comes as no surprise that Indiana State ranks 91st in the nation – and atop The Valley – in turnover margin, with a +2.47 clip this season.
 
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.