TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns home to the Hulman Center on Saturday evening as the Sycamores welcome Western Michigan for a nonconference matchup. Tipoff between the Sycamores and the Broncos is set for 6 p.m. and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Game Day Sponsor
The Tribune-Star will be Saturday's game day sponsor for the women's basketball game. The Trib-Star serves Terre Haute and the Wabash Valley region serves as a regional employment, retail, education, cultural, dining, entertainment and health-care hub for more than a dozen surrounding counties in Indiana and east-central Illinois.
Culver's "Drive to 25"
Saturday will feature the beginning of the Culver's "Drive to 25" promotion for The Forest at home women's basketball games. Students in the The Forest will receive promo cards for a free butter burger from Culver's if the women's basketball team scores 25 points or more in the first half against Western Michigan.
Recapping Wednesday
Mya Glanton rebounded her own missed shot and put the ball in the basket as the buzzer sounded to help lead Indiana State past host Chicago State on Wednesday evening in the Jones Convocation Center, 59-58.
The Sycamores took the 57-56 lead on a pair of
Del'Janae Williams free throws with 29.8 seconds remaining on the clock setting up a frantic stretch over the final 30 seconds of the contest. Chicago State's in-bounds pass deflected off two Sycamores before Aaliyah Collins scooped up the ball and scored with 7.2 seconds remaining to swing the advantage back to the Cougars, 58-57.
After an ISU timeout advanced the ball in front of the Sycamores' bench,
Natalia Lalic's pass went to Williams in the corner. The junior guard dribbled it into the lane and found Glanton for an open five-footer that rimmed out. However, the redshirt sophomore forward followed her shot and got the rebound on the left block, putting the final shot off the glass and into the net setting off an Indiana State celebration on the court.
The Sycamores led for just 3:04 in the contest and led just once since the 7:15 mark in the first quarter as Indiana State kept up the pace in a frenetic game against the Cougars. Williams led all players with a game-high 24 points, her second consecutive 20-point game, while
Marie Hunter and Glanton both added nine points apiece in the win.
Tonysha Curry's eight rebounds led the Sycamores, while Hunter added six boards and two assists in the ISU win.
About Western Michigan
Western Michigan enters the Saturday contest with a 4-2 overall record on the season with a 1-2 mark away from their home court at University Arena. The Broncos have picked up wins over Kentucky State, St. Mary's College of California, Olivet College, and Valparaiso, but took losses at Purdue and the University of Southern California. The Broncos are on a three-game winning streak, including their first road win of the season at St. Mary's that started the stretch on November 20.
Western Michigan's last contest against Valparaiso saw strong team defense lead the Broncos past the Beacons. Lauren Ross scored a career-high 27 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while Taylor Williams added 19 points and eight rebounds in the win over the Beacons.
Ross paces three players averaging double-digits in the scoring column with 19.7 points, while Reilly Jacobson adds 13.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game on the year. Williams is also among the scoring leaders with 12.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on the year.
Series Review vs Western Michigan
The series between Indiana State and Western Michigan dates back to the 1974-75 season when the Sycamores took the inaugural contest, 78-73 in overtime. The Sycamores won the first four games of the series, before WMU went on a five-game winning streak from 1977-1982. ISU snapped the WMU streak in 2010 with the Sycamores topping the Broncos, 71-66, in Miami, Fla.
The Sycamores are 2-3 against the Broncos at home in the series, but have lost their last three home contests in the series.
The last time these teams met, Indiana State hit their first 25 free throw attempts in topping the Broncos, 71-66, in the first game of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic. Taylor Whitley led ISU on Friday, totaling a season-high 20 points while also pulling down six rebounds. Kelsie Cooley and Andrea Rademacher joined Whitley in double-figures, with Cooley adding 12 points and seven rebounds and Rademacher going a perfect four-for-four from the field to chip in 10 points.
Twenty-Point Scorers
Make it back-to-back games for
Del'Janae Williams as the junior guard hit the 20-point mark against both Georgia Southern and Chicago State. Williams started her stretch with a career-high 26-point game against the Eagles to close out the GATA Turkey Throwdown after going 6-of-11 from the floor, 4-of-7 from the three-point line, and 10-of-12 from the free throw line in the 71-67 win over Eagles.
She followed up with another career-effort with a 24-point contest against the Cougars on Wednesday night. Williams went 6-of-12 from the floor and a career-high 12-of-14 from the free throw line to keep the Sycamores within striking distance before
Mya Glanton hit the game-winner in the 59-58 win at Chicago State.
Williams leads all Indiana State active players with three career 20-point games, passing
Caitlin Anderson (2) and
Adrian Folks (2) in the category.
Essy Latu has also posted one 20-point game in the Sycamores' Blue & White.
Sycamores' Active 20-point Scorers
Del'Janae Williams – 3
Caitlin Anderson – 2
Adrian Folks – 2
Essy Latu - 1
Check Your Pockets
Indiana State's defense continues to remain among the nation's best as the Sycamores entered the week sitting in the top-30 in three separate team defensive categories. The Sycamores are 19th overall in steals per game (12.3), 17th in total steals (86), and 30th in turnovers forced per game (22.14).
Indiana State made their mark early in the season with a 21-steal contest against Stephens (Mo.) to open the year. Since then, ISU has recorded at least 10 steals in five of the last six contests, including 13 in back-to-back games against Georgia Southern and Chicago State. Overall, it's been a team effort by Indiana State with four players posting double-digit steals on the year and 10 players overall recording multiple steals.
In addition to getting their hands on the ball, ISU has been constantly harassing the opposition and has posted four games with at least 20 forced turnovers on defense. The Sycamores forced a season-high 36 turnovers against Stephens (Mo.) and carried on with 26 forced turnovers against Saint Louis, 21 this past Saturday against Georgia Southern, and 21 against Chicago State.
Defending the 3-Ball
This past weekend's contest against Georgia Southern marked the second time in the 2021-22 season that Indiana State held an opponent scoreless from behind the arc. The Sycamores limited the Eagles to a 0-for-14 performance behind the three-point line to shut down Georgia Southern in the 71-67 win.
ISU previously limited Stephens (Mo.) to a 0-for-12 mark behind the arc to open the year and have held opponents under .300 from the three-point line on four separate occasions this year. Over their last three games entering Saturday, the Sycamores have held the opposition to a 7-for-46 (.152) mark from behind the three-point line. ISU has also held opponents to just a .271 three-point percentage on the 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.
