TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State plays its first Missouri Valley Conference game of the season Thursday evening when it travels to Drake for a 7 p.m. tip inside the Knapp Center. The game will be carried on ESPN3 and 105.5 The Legend.
Last Time Out
Anna McKendree scored 14 points off the bench and
Marie Hunter added 12 to lead Indiana State past Purdue Fort Wayne, 55-53, in the Sycamores' final non-conference game of the season.
The win was the second straight for the Sycamores, who improved to 5-6 on the season.
Caitlin Anderson hit the go-ahead free throw with 1:08 left in the game, while Indiana State forced 26 Purdue Fort Wayne turnovers.
Purdue Fort Wayne led by as many as seven, but ISU always remained within striking distance. The Sycamores closed the game on a 6-0 run and kept Purdue Fort Wayne off the scoreboard for the final four minutes of the contest.
A Closer Look at Drake
Drake enters Thursday's contest at 8-3 overall. The Bulldogs have won seven of their last eight games, including a 77-63 win over Minnesota in their last game.
Katie Dinnebier and Grace Berg led Drake with 14 points each in the 14-point win over Minnesota. Five different Bulldogs scored in double-figures, with Hannah Fuller recording 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Drake scored 46 of its 77 points in the second half.
Four Bulldogs are averaging double-figure scoring this season, led by Maggie Blair with 12.3 points per game. Berg, Dinnebier and Megan Meyer are all averaging at least 10 points per game for Drake, while Courtney Becker leads the Bulldogs with 6.0 rebounds per game. Dinnebier has a team-high 45 assists and 22 steals.
Series History Against Drake
Indiana State and Drake have previously met 83 times, with Drake holding a 60-23 lead in the all-time series. The Bulldogs have won each of the last 10 meetings, while Indiana State has just five wins in Des Moines in the series.
Drake raced out to a 33-13 advantage after one quarter in the last meeting between the teams on its way to a 94-54 win in Des Moines on January 16, 2021. Grace Berg led all scorers with 22 for the Bulldogs.
Adrian Folks,
Marie Hunter and
Jamyra McChristine had 12 points apiece to lead the Sycamores.
Double Trouble
Indiana State has posted three double-doubles this season, including two in the month of December.
Adrian Folks had a career-high 24 points and 10 rebounds in the Sycamores' second game of the season at Saint Louis.
Mya Glanton recorded ISU's second double-double of the season against Western Michigan, posting career highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds against the Broncos.
Tonysha Curry had a career-best 15 points and 12 rebounds in the last game against UIC for her first double-double in an Indiana State uniform.
Thievery
Indiana State's defense continues to remain among the nation's best as the Sycamores enter Tuesday's contest sitting in the top 25 in a pair team defensive categories. The Sycamores are 14th in turnovers forced (22.55) and 20th in steals per game (12.0). Indiana State is also ranked 26th in total steals (132) and leads the Missouri Valley in all three categories.
Indiana State made its mark early in the season with a 21-steal contest against Stephens (Mo.) to open the year. ISU has recorded at least 10 steals in nine of the 11 contests this season, including 13 in back-to-back games against Georgia Southern and Chicago State and a season-best 15 in the last game against Purdue Fort Wayne. 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 six 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 against Georgia Southern, 21 against Chicago State and 24 in back-to-back games against Western Michigan and (RV/RV Nebraska). In their most recent game, the Sycamores forced 26 turnovers against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Defense to Offense
Indiana State has forced at least 15 turnovers in each of the first 11 games this season. Included in that number is seven games with 20 or more turnovers forced. The Sycamores have often converted those turnovers into points on the other end, as ISU has at least 20 points off turnovers in five of the last six games.
No Fly Zone
Indiana State's win over 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 six separate occasions this year. ISU has limited opponents to just a .261 three-point percentage on the year, a mark that ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference and inside the top 75 in Division I.
Indiana State limited UIC to a 1-for-14 mark (.077) from behind the arc in its last game, a 76-50 Sycamore win. ISU is limiting opponents to a .096 clip from deep in its four wins this season.
Banner Year
The 2021-22 season has already seen multiple Indiana State players set career highs in the scoring column. Overall, five different returning Sycamores have set new career bests in scoring this season, with a pair of newcomers also posting double-digit efforts this season.
Del'Janae Williams had a career-high 26 in Indiana State's road win over Georgia Southern in one of her two 20-point games this season, while
Adrian Folks had a career-best 24 in a double-double at Saint Louis.
Mya Glanton set career-high marks of 22 points and 16 rebounds in ISU's last home game against Western Michigan.
Marie Hunter (19 vs. Jacksonville State) and
Natalia Lalic (13 at Georgia Southern) have also set their career highs in scoring this season. In addition,
Tonysha Curry (15 vs. UIC),
Anna McKendree (13 vs. Stephens (Mo.), 14 at Purdue Fort Wayne) and
Arianna Smith (11 at Western Kentucky) have hit double-figures in scoring during their first seasons in the Blue and White.
