TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State opens Missouri Valley Conference play Thursday afternoon, as the Sycamores welcome Missouri State to Hulman Center for a 4 p.m. tip. The game will be carried on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Gameday Promotions
Thursday's game has been designated as Local Heroes Day. All active duty and retired military members, first responders and healthcare workers can purchase discounted tickets at the Hulman Center ticket office on gameday.
Fans in attendance will receive an Indiana State rollabana, courtesy of State Farm and the Missouri Valley Conference.
Last Time Out
Indiana State pitched a shutout in the second quarter Wednesday evening, propelling the Sycamores to a wire-to-wire 72-47 win in their non-conference finale over visiting Detroit Mercy inside Hulman Center.
Del'Janae Williams led all scorers with 14 points, while
Adrian Folks scored a season-high 13 off the bench and
Hattie Westerfeld added 11. Westerfeld finished one rebound shy of her first career double-double, while
Anna McKendree pitched in with eight points, a season-high eight assists and six rebounds.
After a back-and-forth start, Indiana State took full control with a 28-0 run to close the first half and never looked back. The Sycamores outscored Detroit Mercy 24-0 in the second quarter to take a 43-12 lead into the locker room and, despite Detroit Mercy scoring 35 in the second half, cruised to their second straight win to close the non-conference schedule.
Shutdown
Indiana State held Detroit Mercy scoreless in the second quarter of its 72-47 win Wednesday, marking the first time the Sycamores held an opponent scoreless in a quarter since Feb. 8, 2020 against Valparaiso.
The Sycamores outscored the Titans 24-0 in the quarter as part of a 28-0 run to close the first half, its longest scoring run under head coach
Chad Killinger. ISU's defense limited Detroit Mercy to an 0-for-11 mark from the field, including 0-for-5 from 3-point range, while also forcing six turnovers in the quarter which the Sycamores turned into nine points on the other end.
Home, Sweet Home
Indiana State opens Missouri Valley Conference play at home for the first time since the 2017-18 season when the Sycamores play host to Missouri State and Southern Illinois.
The two games close out a five-game homestand for the Sycamores, also their longest since the 2017-18 season which saw Indiana State have a six-game homestand including its first two MVC games of that season against Missouri State and Southern Illinois. Indiana State is 5-2 at home this season, already surpassing last season's home win total of four.
Sycamores in MVC Openers
Indiana State is 18-21 in Missouri Valley Conference/Gateway Conference openers, and 15-15 in those games since the Gateway Conference merged into the MVC prior to the 1992-93 season.
The Sycamores have won each of their last two MVC openers, including a 78-70 win at Drake last season in head coach
Chad Killinger's first MVC game.
Model of Consistency
Indiana State guard
Del'Janae Williams has been a focal part of the Sycamore offense since head coach
Chad Killinger arrived, and the senior guard is off to another strong start this year.
Williams leads the team in scoring at 12.7ppg and is also second on the team with 4.4rpg. She has scored in double-figures in six of the first nine games this season, including a season-high 23 points (with a career-high five 3-pointers) in Indiana State's most recent road game at Western Michigan.
Creating Havoc
Indiana State continues to be among the best in the MVC when it comes to generating turnovers. The Sycamores' 19.4 turnovers forced per game lead the conference, while their 9.6 steals per game are second in The Valley. Indiana State also ranks second in the MVC in turnover margin.
The turnovers forced by the Sycamores have often translated to points on the other end, with Indiana State averaging 19 points per game off turnovers.
Posting Up
A pair of Indiana State post players who have worked their way back from injury put up season-best numbers in the Sycamores' 72-47 win over Detroit Mercy.
Adrian Folks scored a season-high 13 points against the Titans, while
Hattie Westerfeld finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine boards. The duo was responsible for half of Indiana State's season-high 48 points in the paint against Detroit Mercy.
Westerfeld missed all of last season with a knee injury, while Folks played in just five games last season before a knee injury ended her season prematurely.
Missouri State at a Glance
Winners of their last three games, Missouri State enters Thursday's game at 5-4 overall. The Lady Bears closed their non-conference slate with a 55-48 win over Little Rock. Also included in Missouri State's current win streak are a 68-59 win over UT Martin and a 63-59 win at TCU.
Missouri State faced a challenging non-conference schedule, with three Power Five opponents on the slate for the Lady Bears. The most notable win on the Lady Bears' schedule was the aforementioned win over TCU in Fort Worth.
Aniya Thomas leads the Lady Bears in scoring at 12.0 points per game, while Sydney Wilson (9.6), Kennedy Taylor (9.6) and Isabelle Delarue (9.4) are all averaging just shy of double-figure scoring for Missouri State. Indya Green is nearly averaging a double-double for the Lady Bears, leading the team with 8.7 rebounds per game while also adding 8.6 points per game.
Beth Cunningham is in her first season as head coach at Missouri State after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at Duke. Cunningham, a Bloomington native, previously spent eight seasons as an assistant at Notre Dame.
Series History Against Missouri State
Missouri State owns a 65-18 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last 16 meetings between the teams. Indiana State's last win in the series was in 2014.
Last Game Against Missouri State (Feb. 26, 2022)
Indiana State scored 26 points in the fourth quarter, but the Sycamores' comeback attempt fell just short against Missouri State inside JQH Arena, 72-65.
Natalia Lalic led the way for the Sycamores with 17 points, finishing as one of four Indiana State players in double-figures.
Arianna Smith tied her career high with 15 points, while
Marie Hunter and
Anna McKendree added 13 and 10, respectively.
Indiana State got off to a quick start with 15 points in the first six minutes, but struggled to find consistency on the offensive end in the second and third quarters. Facing a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Sycamores put together a frantic rally in the final frame. Indiana State was able to cut it to a two-possession game late, but just ran out of time.
Up Next
Indiana State closes its five-game homestand Saturday afternoon against Southern Illinois, with tipoff set for 1 p.m.
