TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State continues its three-game Missouri Valley Conference homestand in the Hulman Center Sunday afternoon when it faces Bradley at 1 p.m. The game will be carried on ESPN3 and 105.5 The Legend.
Game Day Sponsor
US Lawns will be the game day sponsor for Sunday's contest. U.S. Lawns is the country's leading provider of commercial landscape management services, snow removal, irrigation systems, tree care and more.
Last Time Out
Anna McKendree scored a career-high 18 points Friday evening, including 10 in the fourth quarter, but visiting Illinois State withstood a late Indiana State comeback attempt in a 66-58 Sycamore setback inside the Hulman Center.
McKendree was 7-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
Del'Janae Williams added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while
Marie Hunter and
Mya Glanton had eight and seven points, respectively.
Tonysha Curry and
Caitlin Anderson led Indiana State with six rebounds apiece.
Illinois State used an 11-0 run after the Sycamores scored the first two points and never looked back. The Redbirds scored 37 of their 66 points in the first half to open up a double-digit lead and led by as many as 20 midway through the third quarter, with four starters scoring in double-figures.
A Closer Look at Bradley
Bradley enters Sunday's game at 3-8 overall and 0-2 in MVC play. The Braves have lost each of their last eight games and will be without preseason all-conference selection Gabi Haack, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Illinois State.
Haack was leading the team in scoring and rebounding at the time of her injury at 17.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and is the school's all-time leading scorer. Caroline Waite tops the active players at 13.3 points per game, while Sierra Morrow averages 4.8 rebounds per contest.
Waite led the Braves with 18 points in their 74-73 loss to Evansville Friday night, while Tatum Koenig had 17. All of Waite's points came from beyond the arc, while Koenig also added six assists. Tete Danso led Bradley with eight rebounds in the setback, with two others grabbing seven.
Series History Against Bradley
Indiana State has a 49-31 lead in the all-time series, though Bradley has won each of the last six meetings. The Sycamores are 29-9 all-time against the Braves in Terre Haute.
Lasha Petree scored a game-high 28 points for Bradley in the last meeting between the teams, an 80-58 Sycamore loss in Peoria.
Jasmine Elder led Indiana State with 23 points in the loss.
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.
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 .284 three-point percentage on the year, a mark that ranks fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference.
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 limited opponents to a .096 clip from deep in its first 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, 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.
