TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes the non-conference portion of its schedule Wednesday evening, as the Sycamores welcome Detroit Mercy to Hulman Center for a 6 p.m. tip. The game will be carried on ESPN+.
Gameday Promotions
In conjunction with Sycamore Pantry, we will be conducting a canned food drive at Wednesday's game. All fans attending are asked to bring a canned or nonperishable food item to the game. Donation points will be at the Hulman Center entrances.
Last Time Out
Chelsea Cain scored a season-high 17 points and
Bella Finnegan added 13 off the bench, as Indiana State came from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat Purdue Fort Wayne, 64-56, inside Hulman Center.
Cain finished one rebound shy of her first double-double in a Sycamore uniform, while
Del'Janae Williams and
Adrian Folks added nine points apiece. Indiana State went 29-for-37 from the free throw line, including a 21-for-25 mark in the fourth quarter, while limiting Purdue Fort Wayne to a season-low four 3-pointers on 31 attempts.
The entirety of the game was a choppy affair, with 57 fouls combined. Neither team was able to get in an offensive rhythm, as seven players fouled out between the two teams. With Indiana State trailing in the fourth quarter, Cain blocked a shot on one end and converted a three-point play on the fastbreak on the other to put the Sycamores ahead for good. Indiana State made its trips to the charity stripe late in the game count, as the Sycamores knocked down 14 free throws in the last five minutes to snap a two-game skid.
Home, Sweet Home
Indiana State is in the midst of a five-game homestand, its longest since the 2017-18 season. The Sycamores are 1-1 through the first two games and have games against Missouri State and Southern Illinois coming up after the holiday break.
Indiana State is 4-2 at home this season, with wins over Saint Louis (64-62), Central Michigan (84-71), Chicago State (68-43) and Purdue Fort Wayne (64-56).
Etched in History
Former Indiana State star Melanie Boeglin was announced as part of the Missouri Valley Conference's 2023 Hall of Fame Class earlier this week.
Boeglin was one of the best players in MVC history, leading the Trees to a pair of regular season titles and earning all-conference honors four times. She was the 2006 Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year and also earned All-America honors that season.
Knock Them Down
Indiana State's 29 free throws and 37 free throw attempts in its win over Purdue Fort Wayne were by far the most in a game under head coach
Chad Killinger. It's most free throws attempted and made by the Sycamores since Nov. 24, 2013 at Marshall (30-for-43).
The Sycamores' 21 made free throws and 25 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter were the most in a quarter in program history. Freshman
Bella Finnegan stepped up in the fourth quarter, going 9-for-10 from the line in the last 10 minutes.
Turn Up The Noise
Indiana State's attendance of 2,321 against Western Kentucky was the most in a home game this season for the Sycamores. It was also the highest-attended Indiana State women's basketball home game since Dec. 8, 2015, when 2,340 fans filled the stands to see the Trees face Indiana.
Aiding the attendance efforts were more than 1,000 sixth-grade students from middle schools across Vigo County, who could be heard from pregame warmups all the way through the final whistle
.
Silver Anniversary Squad
A pair of former Indiana State women's basketball student-athletes were selected to the 2023 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team, as announced by the organization Tuesday afternoon.
Abbe Brauman (1998-00) and Shana Sparks (1998-01) were among the 18 honorees of the Silver Anniversary Team, which recognizes the top of Indiana's high school class of 1998. Brauman and Sparks were both a part of Indiana State's 1998-99 team that reached the WNIT, one of eight postseason appearances in program history.
Detroit Mercy at a Glance
Detroit Mercy enters Wednesday's game at 2-8 overall and 0-2 in Horizon League play. The Titans dropped a 91-41 decision to Michigan State in their last game.
Irene Murua leads the Titans in scoring (11.5) and rebounding (9.8) this season, nearly averaging a double-double. Amaya Burch (9.5) and Imani McNeal (9.3) are averaging just shy of double-figure scoring for Detroit Mercy. Detroit Mercy has been a strong rebounding team this season, averaging 41.9 boards per game with a rebound margin of plus-2.5. The Titans have won the rebound battle in six of their 10 games this season.
A familiar face is on the sidelines for Detroit Mercy, as Kate Achter is in her first season at the helm of the Titans. Achter previously spent the last six seasons at former Missouri Valley Conference member Loyola Chicago, leading the Ramblers to their best season since 1988-89 last year.
Detroit Mercy is still in search of its first road win this season. The Titans are 0-6 in road games thus far, dropping those six contests by an average of 30.8 points.
Indiana State and Detroit Mercy share one common opponent - Purdue Fort Wayne (ISU W 64-56, UDM L 58-49).
Series History Against Detroit Mercy
Indiana State has a 4-3 lead in the all-time series and has won the last four contests between the teams. The last time the teams played in Terre Haute was in the 2011-12 season.
Last Game Against Detroit Mercy (Nov. 29, 2020)
Sycamore junior
Essy Latu connected on six three-pointers, just one short of the school-record, to lead Indiana State past Detroit Mercy, 84-79.
Indiana State's 84 points were the most since an 86-82 overtime victory over Valparaiso on Jan. 18, 2019. Five Sycamores crossed the double-digit point threshold including Latu (21),
Sommer Pitzer (15),
Hattie Westerfeld (14),
Marie Hunter (13) and Jamyra McChristine (10). Indiana State shot 55.5 percent from the field and also dished out 20 assists. The Sycamores had a 38-23 advantage on the boards.
With the game tied at 74-74 with just 3:50 remaining, Latu took over. The junior connected on back-to-back triples to push the Sycamore lead to 82-74 and put the final nail in the coffin of the Detroit comeback attempt, ultimately leading to the 84-79 victory.
Up Next
Indiana State opens Missouri Valley Conference play December 29 when it plays host to Missouri State for a 4 p.m. tip inside Hulman Center.
