Bonnie Ryan
GoSycamores.com
The No. 8-seeded Indiana State women's basketball team advances to quarterfinal play in the 2010 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday, March 12, facing No. 1 seed and league champion Illinois State. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. (ET) at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., and ISU seeks its first quarterfinal win since 2005-06.
Live stats and audio are available at GoSycamores.com, while both games can be heard on 92.7 The Crock, with Brent Holl and Ace Hunt calling the action. Live video is available on MVC-Sports.com.
ISU forged through 2009-10 regular-season action with a 16-13 (7-11 MVC) record, then earned a 73-57 MVC Tournament win over Southern Illinois on Thursday night to improve to 17-13 on the year.
The Sycamores sparked the year with a 77-73 road victory at Kansas State, then posted wins at Furman (62-47) and USC Upstate (80-72).
They made their home debut with a trio of wins over SEMO (72-27), Central Michigan (76-57) and Detroit Mercy (70-53). Indiana State earned a road win, 65-49, over SIU Edwardsville on Dec. 5, and suffered its only loss of the year against Butler, 67-60. ISU took a close win at Eastern Illinois, 65-63, followed by a 1-1 showing at the Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout, Dec. 19-20, in Nassau, Bahamas. The Sycamores first earned a 69-65 win over UMKC, then dropped a 69-54 contest to SMU the following night.
Indiana State faced an uphill MVC battle in its first five league games, beginning with a 55-44 loss to preseason favorite Creighton and an 87-73 defeat at the hands of Drake. ISU then dropped a contest to Illinois State, 69-53, on Jan. 8, followed by a pair of tough defeats to Wichita State (65-61) and Missouri State (69-65).
The Sycamores earned their first Valley win, 55-31 over Evansville, to snap a six-game losing streak, followed by another victory over Southern Illinois, 63-51. They dropped two games against Bradley (59-54) and Northern Iowa (85-68), then took a 90-61 loss at Illinois State.
Two weeks ago, Indiana State hosted Missouri State in a 69-58 loss, but rebounded with a dominant 81-59 win over Wichita State. The Sycamores earned a 70-62 win at Southern Illinois, followed by a 70-51 victory at Evansville for their first Valley sweep of the season. They extended their winning streak to five games with wins over Northern Iowa, 70-62, and Bradley, 70-57, but dropped a pair of games at Drake (77-58) and Creighton (66-58) to complete the regular season.
Scouting the Competition: Illinois State Redbirds
League champion and top seed Illinois State is 23-6 (16-2 MVC) entering Friday's game, having last seen the court on March 6 in an 80-66 win at Drake. The Redbirds went on a 15-game winning streak from Jan. 4 to Feb. 28. Indiana State previously clashed with Illinois State on Feb. 6 in a 90-61 loss at Redbird Arena and on Jan. 8, in a 69-53 defeat at Hulman Center.
Maggie Krick and Ashleen Bracey were both named to the All-MVC First Team this week, while Nicolle Lewis was a second-team all-conference pick. Three Redbirds average in double-figure scoring: Bracey (15.3 points per game), Krick (14.8) and Lewis (11.6), while Bracey has 7.8 rebounds per contest.
Head coach Robin Pingeton, who was named 2010 MVC Coach of the Year, is in her seventh season at the helm of the program and has a career record of 139-79.
Valley Releases Bracket for 2010 State Farm MVC Tournament
The Missouri Valley Conference released final regular-season standings and bracket match-ups for the 2010 State Farm MVC Tournament, it was announced on March 6. Indiana State finished with a record of 16-13 (7-11 MVC) and earned the eighth seed for the championship to face No. 9 Southern Illinois on Thursday, March 11.
Game Schedule/Results Time (CT)/Result
Thursday, March 11
Game 1 #8 Indiana State vs. #9 Southern Illinois INS 73, SIU 57
Game 2 #7 Drake vs. #10 Evansville DU, 73, UE 62
Friday, March 12
Game 3 #1 Illinois State vs. Winner Game 1 8:30 p.m.
Game 4 #4 Bradley vs. #5 Northern Iowa 2:30 p.m.
Game 5 #2 Creighton vs. Winner of Game 2 6 p.m.
Game 6 #3 Missouri State vs. #6 Wichita State 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 13
Game 7 Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 5 p.m.
Game 8 Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 14
Championship Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 2:30 p.m.
Wiedie Suspended for Remainder of Season
Indiana State University Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman announced Feb. 9 that head coach Jim Wiedie was suspended for the remainder of the season, effective immediately. The current assistant coaches -- Clint Weddle, Melanie Boeglin and Cammie Campbell -- will handle the day-to-day operations of the program.
"This was a difficult decision that needed to be made for the welfare of our program and our student athletes," Prettyman said. "We wish Jim Wiedie well as he pursues other opportunities, and thank him for his years of service to Sycamore Athletics and the women's basketball program."
Practice will be closed to the media and public for the remainder of the season. No further comment from the Athletic Department will be made at this time.
Weddle, Boeglin, Campbell Assume Tri-Coaching Duties
After Jim Wiedie's suspension on Feb. 9, Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman elaborated that assistant coaches Clint Weddle, Melanie Boeglin and Cammie Campbell would assume shared duties of running the team's day-to-day operations for the remainder of the year. No interim head coach has been appointed, and all remaining wins and losses will be attributed equally to the three coaches.
Weddle has previous women's head coaching experience from a two-year stint at his alma mater, Oakland City University. With the Oaks, he posted a 35-24 record in 2004-06.
Boeglin and Campbell's career records read 6-3 in their first year, despite having served part of their second year on staff as assistant coaches. Weddle is 41-27 in his third year.
Opening Round Rewind
- Indiana State earned its first MVC Tournament win since 2006, snapping a four-year losing skid at the league event.
- Kelsey Luna had her sixth 20-points or better performance of the year against SIU, finishing with 20 points against the Salukis. Luna has had 22 double-figure scoring games in 2009-10.
- Luna matched her career best at the free throw line with a perfect 12-for-12 showing. She is now shooting 93.0 percent for the year.
- Shannon Thomas had her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
- Indiana State made its highest team total of free throws (29) against Southern Illinois.
It's All About the 3s for No. 33
Kelsey Luna closed out Senior Day in fine fashion, as her second 3-pointer against Bradley made her Indiana State's all-time leader in career 3-pointers with a total of 258 over the last four seasons. Luna passed former Sycamore Kourtney Mennen (256), who, like Luna, also wore jersey No. 33 at ISU. Furthermore, Luna played 33 minutes on Senior Day and hit three 3-pointers to capture the school record.
Luna is now tied for fifth in MVC history in triples made, as she has a total of 264. She needs just one more to tie Jenni Lingor (265) of Missouri State.
Movin' On Up
Kelsey Luna hit 44 consecutive free throws from Nov. 14 to Dec. 12, bypassing the previous school record of 33 set by Kourtney Mennen in 2003. Luna's mark is second all-time in Missouri Valley Conference history, just behind Katie Miller of Northern Iowa, who had 53 in 2000.
Luna kept her second-longest free throw streak of the season going midway through the Southern Illinois game with 25 made from Dec. 19 to Jan. 23. Through games of March 7, she leads the nation in free throw shooting percentage with a .925 clip.
Luna Among Division I Free Throw Percentage Leaders
Rank Player (School) Through March 7
1 Kelsey Luna (Indiana State) 123/132 = 93.2 (Through March 11)
2 Laiken Dollente (Portland) 146/158 = 92.4
3 Elena Delle Donne (Delaware) 162/177 = 91.5
4 Emily London (Samford) 94/104 = 90.4
5 Jacqui Kalin (Northern Iowa) 91/101 = 90.1
6 Reiko Thomas (Arizona) 71/79 = 89.9
7 Lauren Prochaska (Bowling Green) 133/148 = 89.9
8 Chelsea Marandola (Providence) 93/104 = 89.4
9 Gabriela Marginean (Drexel) 166/186 = 89.2
10 Alison Lacey (Iowa State) 88/99 = 88.9
Luna's 1,409 career points have moved her up to eighth all-time on the Sycamores' scoring charts. She is just ahead of Georgia Bottoms (1,383), who played 1993-98. Luna's next target to pass on the list is 1,434 points from Amy Vanderkolk (1985-89).
Luna Repeats as MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Kelsey Luna was been named Prairie Farms MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second straight season, the league office announced Tuesday. She becomes the first women's basketball student-athlete in conference history to earn back-to-back Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Luna headlines a group of five of the league's top players named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team: Jacqui Kalin (Northern Iowa), Maggie Krick (Illinois State), Sam Schuett (Creighton) and Jenny Van Kirk (Bradley).
Luna's award also marks the fifth in Indiana State program history. Past Sycamore honorees include Kourtney Mennen (2003), Melanie Boeglin (2006) and Laura Rudolphi (2007).
Cooley Garners MVC Scholar-Athlete Honors
Junior forward Kelsie Cooley joins Kelsey Luna in being named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team, as she earned second-team honors. A business major, Cooley carries a perfect 4.0 GPA and has been named to the MVC Academic Honor Roll twice, in 2008 and 2009.
Cooley has started all 29 games for the Sycamores this season, averaging 7.4 points and 4.6 boards per contest. She scored a season-best 18 points at Evansville and notched 10 boards against Detroit Mercy to match her career high.
Luna Named First-Team Academic All-American
Kelsey Luna earned ESPN The Magazine First-Team Academic All-America distinction, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced. The Academic All-America team is selected by a vote of sports information directors, and five student-athletes are included on the first team.
With a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in psychology, Luna was previously a Second-Team Academic All-American as a junior. The 2010 season also marks three straight years that she has been named to an academic all-district team, having earned first-team status the last two years and second-team plaudits in her sophomore season.
Indiana State boasts an Academic All-American in each of the last five seasons, most recently with Luna as a second-team selection in 2008-09 and her current first-team award for 2009-10. Previously, Laura Rudolphi was a two-time honoree in 2006-07 and 2007-08, and Melanie Boeglin took first-team status in 2005-06.
ISU is one of only three schools, along with Tennessee and Maryland, to lead the way with five women's basketball Academic All-Americans in the last five seasons. In addition, Indiana State is the only institution with five consecutive women's basketball Academic All-Americans from 2005-06 to 2009-10.
Schoen Shines From Downtown
Sophomore Brittany Schoen has been on a multiple-trey tear, making at least three 3-pointers in 11 of the last 16 games. The Elizabeth, Ind., native has connected on 45 over the six-week span, including a career-best-tying five over Southern Illinois. She chipped in one against SIU on Thursday, extending her team-leading season total to 69, which is the fifth-best season mark at Indiana State. Schoen is just ahead of Kelsey Luna (56), who recently became the top 3-point shooter in school history.
Schoen had an outstanding day against Central Michigan on Nov. 29, as she set or tied multiple career highs. Schoen paced ISU with a game-high and career-best 17 points on five 3-pointers, both of which were matched in the SIU game on Jan. 23.
Luna's Double-Double Leads Sycamores Against Missouri State
Senior Kelsey Luna achieved the first double-double of her career on against Missouri State on Feb. 12, finishing with 17 points and a career-best 10 rebounds. The St. Louis, Mo., native's performance was her 15th double-figure scoring effort of the season, and marked her highest point total since 26 against Butler on Dec. 9. Luna's previous career high on the boards was eight, set at Furman on Nov. 19.
Sycamores Top MVC in Home Attendance
Indiana State leads The Valley in home-game attendance in 2009-10, averaging 4,172 fans per contest at Hulman Center. It sits ahead of Missouri State (3,841 fans per game at JQH Arena), which has led the league in home attendance nearly all season.
Queen of the Block
Sophomore Shannon Thomas finished with a career-high seven blocks at Drake on March 4, breaking her previous mark of six set at USC Upstate on Nov. 21. Thomas has 82 blocks over 60 games in the last two seasons, which ranks third all-time in Indiana State program history. She is the only player in the top five of the category to have reached at least 75 career blocks in less than 100 games played. In addition, Thomas has 50 so far in 2009-10, which is the second-best season total in school history, just behind Laura Rudolphi's 52 blocked shots in 2007-08.
Thomas has been a key defensive cog for ISU, averaging 8.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. She is ranked third in the Valley in blocked shots, behind only Bradley's Sonya Harris and Illinois State's Nicolle Lewis.
Thomas tallied her sixth double-double of the season and the seventh of her career against Southern Illinois on Thursday, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Earlier this season, the Springboro, Ohio, native, totaled 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds at Missouri State on Jan. 16, the most boards of any player in the last 10 years.
Thomas' Career Double-Doubles
Date Season Opponent Points Rebounds
1/17/09 2008-09 at Missouri State 11 11
11/21/09 2009-10 at USC Upstate 19 13
12/9/09 2009-10 Butler 10 10
1/16/10 2009-10 at Missouri State 16 15
2/18/10 2009-10 at Southern Illinois 10 13
2/26/10 2009-10 vs. Northern Iowa 10 14
3/11/10 2009-10 vs. Southern Illinois (MVC) 13 11
Luna Eclipses 1,000 Career Points Mark
At Kansas State on Nov. 14, Kelsey Luna reached the coveted 1,000 career points mark in the first game of her senior year by scoring a Valley-best 37 points. She is the 22nd Sycamore to accomplish the milestone.
In Thursday's game against Southern Illinois, Luna contributed 20 points for the Sycamores. Over the last four seasons, she has totaled 1,429 career points.
Luna currently leads Indiana State in total points (445), points per game (14.8), free throws made (123-132), assists (104) and steals (66).
Luna's Points by Season
2006-07 (Fr.) 2007-08 (So.) 2008-09 (Jr.) 2009-10 (Sr.) Career Total
342 320 322 445 1,429
Whitley Works Her Way Into Starting Lineup
Over her first 13 games off the bench, freshman Taylor Whitley averaged 7.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Since taking a starting role on Jan. 8, she has averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 boards. Whitley also had a career performance against Drake with 22 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field and a 10-for-13 effort at the free throw line.
Sycamore Defense Holds Evansville to Record 31 Points
Indiana State kept Evansville's offensive efforts to just 31 points on Jan. 21, the second-lowest point total in MVC history. It was also the best in Sycamore history for a conference game. Northern Iowa holds the top mark after holding Wichita State to 30 points in 2007-08.
The 2009-10 Sycamores have held SEMO and Evansville to the second- and third-lowest opponent scores in program history, respectively. In addition, UE's 13 points in the second half against ISU was the lowest of any Sycamore opponent since 10 by SEMO earlier this season and nine by IPFW in 2002.
30-Point Games in the Last 10 Seasons
Score Opponent Season
96-28 IPFW 2002-03
72-28 SEMO 2009-10
55-31 Evansville 2009-10
58-34 Missouri State 2005-06
63-37 Southern Illinois 2008-09
50-38 Drake 2008-09
Balanced Scoring Attack
Though Kelsey Luna had an outstanding 37-point performance to lead the Sycamores in their season opener, ISU shared scoring duties among six different players. Kelsie Cooley (12) and Deja Mattox (11) both reached double digits, while Shannon Thomas chipped in seven points of her own. In addition, ISU had 10 off the bench; Chelsea Buher added four, and Taylor Whitley had six points off free throws alone.
Since then, all 13 active Sycamores have contributed offensively through 30 games, with Kelsey Luna (14.8), Brittany Schoen (9.1) and Shannon Thomas (8.5) topping the charts. ISU has had three or more double-digit scorers in 16 games, including five at Eastern Illinois on Dec. 12: Whitley (14), Luna (12), Brittany Schoen (11), Thomas (10) and Moriah Hodge (10).
In conference action, Luna (12.9 points per MVC game) is joined by Schoen (9.4) to share scoring duties, followed by Whitley (9.2), Cooley (8.5), Mattox (7.9) and Thomas (7.3).
Pounding the Paint
Indiana State had a 7-0 start to open the year, due in part to the Sycamores' effort in the post. Over the last four months, ISU has outscored its opponents 668-518 in the paint, making 34 percent of its shots inside.
On Jan. 16 at Missouri State, ISU made 55 percent (36-65) of its shots in the paint.
Luna Earns Two Straight MVC Player of the Week Awards
Kelsey Luna was named MVC Player of the Week for the second straight week, the league office announced on Nov. 23. Luna's combined 50-point performance over two games at Furman and USC Upstate garnered her the weekly conference honor for the second time this season and third time in her career.
The senior was previously named player of the week on Nov. 15 after a career-best 37-point game at K-State.
Welcome to the Show
Three Indiana State newcomers -- freshmen Moriah Hodge and Taylor Whitley and sophomore Chelsea Buher -- made their Sycamore debuts against Kansas State on Nov. 14. Hodge finished with six rebounds, a block and a steal, while Whitley totaled three steals and six points, all from the free throw line.
With 30 appearances off the bench to her credit, Hodge has 2.8 points with 2.3 boards per contest. She and Whitley were among five Sycamores who reached double-figuring scoring at Eastern Illinois on Dec. 12. Whitley's 14 points led ISU in the 65-63 win, while Hodge had a career best of 10.
Sycamores' 7-0 Start Ranks Among Best in Program History
Before a 67-60 loss to Butler, Indiana State's 7-0 start through Dec. 8 ranked second all-time in program history, just behind a 10-0 mark from the 1973-74 Sycamores. The early undefeated record was ISU's best since 2007-08, when it was 3-0 to begin the year.
Best Season Starts in ISU History
Rank Season Record Coach
1 1973-74 10-0 Edith Godleski
2 2009-10 7-0 Jim Wiedie
3 1998-99 4-0 Cheryl Reeve
1976-77 4-0 Edith Godleski
1975-76 4-0 Edith Godleski
2007-08 3-0 Jim Wiedie
2002-03 3-0 Jim Wiedie
1990-91 3-0 Kay Riek
Luna Selected to Preseason All-MVC Team
Kelsey Luna was named to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference team, the league office announced in October. Luna was previously honored as first-team All-MVC in 2009 despite missing the eight of games of her junior season due to an ACL tear. She is joined on the preseason squad by Casey Garrison (Missouri State), Maggie Krick (Illinois State), Megan Neuvirth (Creighton) and Jordann Plummer (Drake).
ISU Signs Four Student-Athletes for Class of 2010
The women's basketball program announced on Nov. 11 that four student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent for the 2010-10 season: Nikki Gunning, Anna Munn, Sadie Oyer, and Illyssa Vivo.
2010 Signing Class
Player Pos. Ht. Hometown (High School)
Nikki Gunning G 5-8 Howell, Mich. (Howell)
14 ppg, 632 career points; Press & Argus Player of the Year; Class A district champion
Anna Munn F 5-10 Indianapolis, Ind. (Decatur Central)
16.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.6 apg; Two-time all-state; Ranked No. 2 prospect in Indiana (by ESPN HoopGurlz)
Sadie Oyer C 6-2 Huntsville, Ohio (Indian Lake)
10.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg; AP Division 2 state champion; Three-time all-conference
Illyssa Vivo G 5-9 Plantation, Fla. (American Heritage)
9 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.6 apg; Two-time all-county; First Wiedie recruit from Florida
2008-09 Squad Tops WBCA's National Team GPA List
Indiana State finished first in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's 2008-09 Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll released in July. With six student-athletes posting perfect 4.0 grade-point averages, the Sycamores tallied a team GPA of 3.645 last season to win the national team title for the third time in program history (2003, 2005). It also marked the eighth consecutive season that ISU has appeared in the top 25. Kelsey Luna led the academic charge by being named a second-team Academic All-American by CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine.
In the Fall 2009 semester, the Sycamores had nine squad members with a 3.5 GPA or better. Three student-athletes -- Luna, Kelsie Cooley and Andrea Rademacher -- each earned 4.0s to help their team to a group GPA of 3.5.
Up Next for the Sycamores...
With a quarterfinal win against Illinois State on Friday, Indiana State can advance to Saturday's 6 p.m. (ET) semifinal game against the winner of No. 4 Bradley vs. No. 5 Northern Iowa.
