TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State wraps up a three-game Missouri Valley Conference homestand Tuesday evening when it faces Evansville inside the Hulman Center. Tipoff between the Sycamores and Purple Aces is slated for 6 p.m. with coverage on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Schedule Changes
Tuesday's game is a reschedule of the Jan. 13 game which was postponed. Indiana State also had another rescheduled game announced last week, as the Sycamores will head to Northern Iowa Feb. 2.
Game Day Sponsor
Old National Bank will be the game day sponsor for Tuesday's contest. Old National Bank is dedicated to providing you with additional account choices, expanded convenience, and greater control in how you manage your money.
Culver's "Drive to 25"
Tuesday's contest sees the return 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.
Last Time Out
Marie Hunter scored a career-high 22 points, pacing a balanced Indiana State offense past Bradley inside the Hulman Center, 73-57.
Hunter also pulled down 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, while
Natalia Lalic added 13 points.
Arianna Smith tied her career high with 11 points off the bench with
Caitlin Anderson and
Mya Glanton adding nine and eight, respectively.
Indiana State broke an early 8-all tie with a 16-0 run and never looked back. The Sycamores led wire-to-wire, extending their lead to as many as 21 in the third quarter after a pair of Smith free throws. ISU had a double-digit lead for the final 33:26 of the contest and used consistent pressure to force 20 Bradley turnovers.
A Closer Look at Evansville
Evansville enters Tuesday's game at 7-7 overall and 1-2 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Purple Aces split a pair of home games last week, defeating Bradley and falling to Illinois State.
Abby Feit, Kodie Myszka and Myia Clark all finished in double-figures for Evansville in its last game against Illinois State, an 87-68 setback. Feit led the Purple Aces with 17 points in the loss, while Myszka had 12 and Clark 11.
Evansville boasts two of the top scorers in the conference in Je'Naiya Davis (19.2ppg) and Feit (18.2ppg). Feit also leads the team in rebounding at 9.6 boards per game.
Similar to Indiana State, Evansville has also surpassed its 2020-21 win total. The Purple Aces were 6-18 last year.
Series History Against Evansville
Indiana State has a 40-19 lead in the all-time series between the schools. The Sycamores have won six of the last eight meetings and also have won 22 of the 30 games played in Terre Haute.
Adrian Folks (23 points, 13 rebounds) and
Marie Hunter (17 points, 10 rebounds) had double-doubles for Indiana State in the last meeting between the schools, an 85-69 Sycamore win at the Hulman Center.
Del'Janae Williams and
Caitlin Anderson also finished in double-figures for the Sycamores. Abby Feit had 29 points and 13 rebounds for Evansville.
Balanced Attack
Indiana State's offense doesn't necessarily have a marquee scorer, but that plays to the benefit of the Sycamores. Eight different players have led the Sycamores in scoring in a game this season, with
Adrian Folks and
Del'Janae Williams leading the team in scoring in three games apiece.
Thievery
Indiana State's defense continues to remain among the nation's best as the Sycamores enter Friday's contest sitting in the top 20 in three team defensive categories. The Sycamores are 11th in total steals (160), 13th in turnovers forced (22.77) and 18th in steals per game (12.3). Indiana State leads the Missouri Valley in all three statistical 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 15 against Purdue Fort Wayne. The Sycamores opened conference play with 17 steals against Drake. Overall, it's been a team effort by Indiana State with eight players posting double-digit steals on the year. ISU has three of the top five steals leaders in the Missouri Valley Conference in
Del'Janae Williams (2nd, 30/2.5 per game),
Caitlin Anderson (4th, 24/2.0) and
Marie Hunter (5th, 23/1.9).
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 last non-conference game of the season, the Sycamores forced 26 turnovers against Purdue Fort Wayne. ISU opened Missouri Valley Conference play by forcing 30 Drake turnovers. The Sycamores have forced at least 15 turnovers in every game this season.
Defense to Offense
Indiana State has forced at least 15 turnovers in each of the first 13 games this season. Included in that number is eight 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 six of the last eight games.
The Sycamore defense gave Drake fits throughout in their 78-70 win in Des Moines, as Indiana State forced 30 Bulldog turnovers. The 30 turnovers were the most by a Missouri Valley school this season and marked the second time this year that the Sycamores have forced 30 turnovers in a game. ISU converted those turnovers into 32 points on the offensive end, scoring at least six points off turnovers in all four quarters.
Pound the Paint
Indiana State made its presence felt on the interior in their 73-57 win over Bradley. The Sycamores corralled 17 offensive rebounds and were plus-10 on the glass against the Braves (37-27). Indiana State turned those offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points and had 46 points in the paint, its fourth game with 40-plus paint points this season. ISU is 3-1 in those four games.
Iron Woman
In addition to her career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds Sunday against Bradley, Indiana State guard
Marie Hunter also played all 40 minutes in the Sycamores' win over the Braves. It was the second time this season that Hunter played all 40 minutes of a game, as she previously went the distance against Jacksonville State.
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, 22 vs. Bradley) and
Natalia Lalic (13 at Georgia Southern and vs. Bradley, 20 at Drake) have also set their career highs in scoring this season. In addition, newcomers
Tonysha Curry (15 vs. UIC),
Anna McKendree (13 vs. Stephens (Mo.), 14 at Purdue Fort Wayne, 10 at Drake, 18 vs. Illinois State) and
Arianna Smith (11 at Western Kentucky) have hit double-figures in scoring during their first seasons in the Blue and White.
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Women's Basketball, visit
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