TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Sycamores return to Valley action Wednesday night with a trip to Carbondale to face the Southern Illinois Salukis. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET from the Banterra Center.
 
The Sycamores are coming off their fourth straight win, a dominating 88-61 win at Miami (OH) this past Saturday. Courvoisier McCauley posted a team-high 30 points with six triples in the win for the second time this season. ISU improved to 8-1, its best start since 2005-06.
 
ISU dished out 24 assists on 30 baskets at Miami (OH), which was the most in a single game for ISU since dishing out 25 against Evansville in an 86-60 win on Jan. 4, 2003. ISU leads the Valley in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4) and assists per game (16.6).
 
The Sycamores nailed 16 triples at Miami (OH), the most in a single game since hitting 17 against Indiana in the team's season-opener in 2017 and two shy of tying the program record of 18 triples in a single game set back in 1988. ISU leads the Valley and ranks eighth in the nation in 3-pointers per game (10.9) and leads the Valley while ranking fifth nationally in 3-pointer attempts per game (30.7).
 
Entering Wednesday's game, the Sycamores are the only Valley team to not have trailed by double-digits this season. ISU trailed by a season-high eight points against Kansas City which turned out to be the lone loss of the season so far.
 
Freshman Robbie Avila was one board shy of another double-double at Miami (OH) with 13 points and nine rebounds. In the past four games, he is averaging 14.0 points per game, hitting double-figures in all four games, on a 65.6 percent shooting clip. He's also averaging 8.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in that span.

SERIES HISTORY
SIU leads the all-time series 90-51 dating back to the first meeting between the two teams on Dec. 15, 1916 in which the Sycamores won 41-22. Indiana State is 11-53 all-time in Carbondale and will be looking for its first win in the Banterra Center since Feb. 26, 2020.
 
The Salukis have taken the last two straight meetings, sweeping the season series last year. The most recent win came by a margin of just four points (76-72) on Feb. 19, 2022 at the Hulman Center.
 
ISU is 4-6 in the last 10 meetings against SIU including a four-game win streak from Dec. 30, 2019-Jan. 26, 2021.

LAST GAME AGAINST THE SALUKIS
Indiana State went into the locker room up five points at halftime, but SIU outscored the Sycamores 44-35 in the final 20 minutes to claim a 76-72 victory in the last meeting between the two teams Feb. 19, 2022 at the Hulman Center.
 
Kailex Stephens posted a career-high 21 points, six rebounds and an assist in the loss while Cooper Neese surpassed 1,000 career points after scoring 19 on 7-of-12 shooting, including three of ISU's six shots from distance.
 
Cameron Henry and Xavier Bledson also scored in double-figures for the Sycamores. Henry earned his third double-double of the season with a 10-point, 11 rebound and five assist effort while Bledson put up 10 points four assists and four rebounds.

SIU AT A GLANCE
The Salukis were picked to finish third in the MVC preseason poll and are currently sitting at 5-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play with an 80-53 win over Evansville. SIU is coming off an 85-72 loss to Saint Louis on the road this past Saturday.

Xaiver Johnson was just named MVC Newcomer of the Week after leading the Salukis to their first MVC win on the road at Evansville with a 14-point, four rebounds and two steal performance, hitting 5-of-6 shots from the floor and all four attempts from distance. Johnson went on to score a career-high 23 points on the road at Saint Louis after shooting 8-for-10 from the field and 6-for-8 from deep. His six steals and six 3-pointers against the Billikens also set new career-high marks.
 
Marcus Domask (17.1 ppg) and Lance Jones (12 ppg) lead the Salukis offense, and SIU leads the MVC and ranks 16th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 61.4 points per game.
 
SIU's 8.9 steals per game leads the MVC and ranks 50th nationally. Lance Jones leads the team with 2.6 steals per game and has recorded multiple steals in four-straight games.
 
The Salukis are holding opponents to just 26.6 percent from behind the arc, leading the MVC and ranking 21st nationally.

LAST TIME OUT
The Indiana State Sycamores took care of business on the road Saturday afternoon, using a strong offensive first half to roll past the Miami Redhawks 88-61. Courvoisier McCauley put up a game-high 30 points to help the Sycamores (8-1, 1-0 MVC) win their fourth straight game.
 
The Sycamores went on an 18-0 run in the first half in which they shot 4-of-4 beyond the arc to go up 53-24 with 1:44 to go in the opening frame. Indiana State led 58-28 at the half, and McCauley nearly outscored the Redhawks as a team with his 24 first-half points.
 
ISU finished with a 49.2 percent shooting clip from the field including 47.1 percent from three while holding Miami to 33.9 percent from the field and 3-of-19 (15.8 percent) from three. Eight different Sycamores hit a 3-pointer in the game led by McCauley with six.
 
The Sycamores dished out 24 assists on 30 buckets in the game, and 10 different Sycamores recorded an assist, led by Trenton Gibson with a Division I career-high of eight.
 
Robbie Avila was just one rebound shy of another double-double with nine boards and 13 points. Cameron Henry and Kailex Stephens also scored in double-digits with 10 points apiece.

FOLLOW THE SYCAMORES
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