Indiana State University Athletics

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State will face one of the top defensive teams in the Missouri Valley Conference Sunday when the Sycamores play host to Illinois State at the Hulman Center.
 
Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on The Valley on ESPN3 while Luke Martin will have the call on the Sycamore Radio Network.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Home court advantage. That's been the story of this all-time series. While the Redbirds have a 49-43 overall series lead, Indiana State has a 23-16 advantage in games played in Terre Haute while Illinois State has a 30-18 edge in games played in Normal.

LAST TIME OUT
The effort finally broke through in the form of a win for Indiana State Friday night.
 
Despite a pair of solid efforts and improved play last weekend, the wins were elusive. That is but a memory now as the Sycamores (4-13, 2-4 Missouri Valley) controlled the pace of play from start to finish in a 65-50 win over Bradley Friday evening at the Hulman Center.
 
Play continued to improve for Indiana State as four players registered double-digit points, a first for the team against a Division I opponent this season. And for the third time in five games, the Sycamores were credited with double figures in steals (12), forcing Bradley (9-8, 3-3) into their most turnovers since early December.
 
More importantly, a team that has seen so many games slip through their fingers this year finally withstood an opponent's rally and hit timely shots to keep control of the outcome.
 
LOOKING AT ILLINOIS STATE
Good Luck Chuck(ing the ball towards the basket). Illinois State enters Sunday's game ranked fifth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (33.8) and sixth nationally in scoring defense (53.9) marking the Redbirds as one of the best defensive teams in the conference and the nation.

Illinois State has a knack for making scoring difficult for teams in The Valley. Six games into league play, Illinois State is holding their opponents to over 7 points per game less than their season scoring average.

Part of the reason for that defensive prowess is the block party held by Hannah Green. While she is averaging 13.6 points per game - second only to Simone Goods 13.8 ppg - Green has a league-leading 34 blocks (2.1 blocks per game) this year, marks that rank in the top 50 nationally.

A CHANCE TO WIN CONSECUTIVE GAMES
What would a win mean for Indiana State on Sunday? A victory over the Redbirds would mark the first time the Sycamores would claim consecutive wins over conference opponents since winning four straight at the start of January last year.

TRENDING UPWARDS
Since Josh Keister took over as the interim head coach, the offensive-minded coach has the Sycamores steadily improving. In the four games since the coaching transition, Indiana State has improved its field goal percentage in every game and improved its 3-point field goal percentage in almost every game.
 

Date	Opponent	FG%	3FG%
01/05	Evansville	.282	.160
01/12	at Drake	.360	.217
01/14	at Northern Iowa	.389	.333
01/19	Bradley	.439	.238

KEISTER KARE
Since Josh Keister took over control of the program on an interim basis, he has successfully focused on taking care of the ball. Starting with ISU's Jan. 5 game against Evansville - Keister's first as interim coach - the Sycamores have only committed 37 turnovers, the fewest in any three-game span this season.

KEISTER KARE - PART II
Not only are the Sycamores causing fewer turnovers since Josh Keister took over, they are winning the turnover battle. Heading into this game, Indiana State has committed fewer turnovers in all four games under Josh Keister's guidance.
 
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.