TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State makes its 2021-22 regular season debut on Tuesday night as the Sycamores welcome Stephens (Mo.) College to Hulman Center to open the
Chad Killinger coaching era. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be carried live on ESPN+ and GoSycamores.com All-Access.
Game Quick Hits
> Indiana State makes its 2021-22 season debut this weekend under the new leadership of head coach
Chad Killinger as they take on the floor against Stephens College (Mo.)
> Killinger became the ninth head coach in ISU women's basketball history after taking the reins of the program in late April
> The Sycamores return four starters from last season's team that finished 5-15 overall with a 2-12 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play
> The Sycamores return 83.6% of their starting five scoring output, while nine returners overall highlight the roster coming into the 2021-22 season
> ISU also welcomed three Division I transfers to the court this year with
Anna McKendree (Nicholls State),
Florence Tshimanga (SMU), and
Tonysha Curry (Stetson) all set to debut on the court for Indiana State this season
> Stephens College is one of five first-time opponents for Indiana State this season with ISU also facing off against Jacksonville State, Georgia Southern, Illinois Chicago, and Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne for the first time in 2021-22
>The Sycamores contest against the Stars also marks the first time ISU has lined up against an opponent from the NAIA America West Conference.
About the Opponents
Tuesday night marks the first competition between Indiana State and Stephens College in each institution's program history. The Sycamores and Stars have never taken the floor against each other – and the contest also marks Indiana State's first competition against an opponent from the NAIA American Midwest Conference.
Stephens College struggled from the floor in the 2020-21 season with the Stars finishing the year with a 1-13 overall record in their 14 conference games. The Stars picked up their lone win of the 2020-21 season non the road with a 60-54 victory over Hannibal-LaGrange University.
Stephens averaged 48.6 points per game offensively, but struggled on the defensive end allowing 69.3 points per contest over the year. Senior guard Cedreanna Lee returns to the floor as the team's leading scorer from the 2020-21 season after averaging 10.0 points per game on the year.
The Stars head to Hulman Center having already played two games in the 2021-22 season as the Stars opened up the season over the weekend at the Manhattan Christian Classic. The Stars split in their first two games of the season with Stephens falling to Crowleys Ridge College, 78-71, before topping Randall University (71-63) over the two-day event held in Manhattan, Kan.
New Man at the Helm
The Sycamores made a splash late in the 2021 spring as Indiana State announced
Chad Killinger would be taking over the role of Head Coach at Indiana State heading into the 2021-22 year. Killinger becomes just the ninth coach in ISU history to assume the reins of the program and came to Indiana State with 25 years of college coaching experience with stops at Nicholls State, East Carolina, and Marshall among others.
Killinger made his mark on the junior college level with 18 of his 25 seasons coming in the JUCO ranks. Over his tenure, he's coached or recruited 130 student-athletes who moved on to play at the four-year level with 54 of them signing at NCAA Division I institutions. Among the players who moved on to the D1-level included former ISU guard Alexis Newbolt who lined up for the Sycamores in 2014-16 and played in 54 career games.
Killinger boasts an impressive 279-167 (.626) overall record as a head coach coming into the 2021-22 season and has been a part of 473 victories at the collegiate level.
First-Time Opponents/Non-Conference Schedule
Indiana State's 2021-22 non-conference schedule will feature an even blend of familiar faces and newcomers to the floor this season as the Sycamores will face-off against five first-time opponents, while also taking on six familiar foes this year. Indiana State boasts an overall winning record (56-36) record against their non-conference slate this year with their longest running rivalry coming against Eastern Illinois (38-24). ISU also boasts an all-time winning record against five of the six familiar teams on the non-conference schedule including a win in their lone contest against Nebraska back in 1994.
Out of the five newcomers on the 2021-22 schedule include home games against the home opener against Stephens (Mo.) and the December 14 contest against Illinois Chicago. The Sycamores will travel to IPFW on December 20 in their final game prior to the holiday break, while ISU will take on both Jacksonville State and Georgia Southern in the Georgia Southern Thanksgiving Classic held over Thanksgiving Break in Statesboro, Ga.
Additional home games for the Sycamores this season include a November 17 home date against Eastern Illinois, December 4 against Western Michigan, and December 14 against Illinois Chicago. The Sycamores head to Saint Louis (Nov. 14), Western Kentucky (Nov. 24), Chicago State (Dec. 1), and Nebraska (Dec. 11) to wrap up the non-conference portion of the schedule.
Preseason Poll
Indiana State was selected ninth overall in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason women's basketball poll as announced by the conference office on Tuesday morning. The Sycamores received 102 total points in the poll as voted on by the conference's coaches, sports information directors, and media.
The Sycamores return four starters from last season's team that finished 5-15 overall with a 2-12 mark in MVC play.
Sommer Pitzer,
Caitlin Anderson,
Marie Hunter, and
Adrian Folks return to account for 83.6% of the starting five scoring output on the year, while nine returners overall highlight the roster coming into the 2021-22 season.
Missouri State was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the MVC with the Bears receiving 362 points and 35 first-place votes. Drake (two first-place, 316 points) and Northern Iowa (three first-place, 298 points) round out the top-three in poll.
Competitive. Play Hard. Unselfish. Play with Pride.
What is Indiana State women's basketball? In the words of Head Coach
Chad Killinger, Indiana State women's basketball can be defined as the above. All of these attributes have been defined by the program throughout the offseason and Killinger expects the team to continue to embrace these philosophies as they head into the 2021-22 season.
In addition to the above, the players have also declared their own word for the season: Energy. With a new voice to the program as Killinger takes the helm, and new players with a fresh perspective hitting the floor, each practice has built off the previous session heading into the new year.
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Women's Basketball, visit
GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including
Twitter,
Facebook,
Instagram and
YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the
App Store and the
Google Play Store.
