TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State plays its final non-conference road game Saturday when it heads to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to square off with Western Michigan. Tipoff is set for noon, with the game set to be carried on ESPN3.
Last Time Out
Indiana State went on a 21-0 run across the second and third quarters, spearheading the Sycamores to a wire-to-wire 68-43 win over Chicago State inside Hulman Center.
Del'Janae Williams led all scorers with 14 points, while
Chelsea Cain had 12 and
Anna McKendree had 11. Cain had four assists and three rebounds, while McKendree led the Sycamores with six boards and Williams added five rebounds.
After a slow start, Indiana State broke open what was a three-point game with its 21-0 run and never looked back. The Sycamore defense stymied Chicago State into 28 turnovers and a 32.1 percent mark from the field. Indiana State outscored Chicago State 38-20 across the middle quarters to help snap a two-game skid.
Creating Havoc
Indiana State continues to be among the best in the MVC when it comes to generating turnovers. The Sycamores' 20.7 turnovers forced per game are second in the conference, while their turnover margin of plus-4.3 per game is the best mark in the MVC.
Let it Fly
After ranking in the middle of the pack in the Missouri Valley Conference last season in 3-pointers, Indiana State found success from distance in the first two games of the 2022-23 season. As a team, the Sycamores knocked down 18 3-pointers across their opening two games against Saint Louis and Central Michigan, shooting the ball at a 47.4 percent clip from distance in those two wins.
Del'Janae Williams (nine),
Anna McKendree (nine) and
Natalia Lalic (eight) have all knocked down three or more 3-pointers in a game, with Williams accomplishing the feat against both Saint Louis and Purdue. Lalic was the first Sycamore with five 3-pointers in a game in nearly two seasons when she went 5-for-8 from distance against Central Michigan. The aforementioned trio has combined for 28 of Indiana State's 35 3-pointers this season, with a pair of newcomers responsible for the remaining two.
Bella Finnegan has five of the remaining seven 3-pointers, including two against Ohio, while
Ella Sawyer has knocked down a pair of treys, including one to beat the first half buzzer against Central Michigan.
Proving that hitting 18 3-pointers against a pair of mid-majors was no fluke, the Sycamores went on the road and knocked down eight 3-pointers at Purdue. Williams was responsible for half of those eight treys, while Lalic also had a pair of three-balls against the Boilermakers. McKendree and Finnegan provided the two remaining 3-pointers in that game.
Thieves Avenue
Indiana State is averaging 11.8 steals per game, a mark that leads the MVC and ranks in the top 30 nationally, with the Sycamores recording at least 12 steals in four games this season.
Anna McKendree (3.6) and
Del'Janae Williams (2.0) are both averaging multiple steals per contest, with 10 different players on the Indiana State roster recording two or more steals this season.
The steals and turnovers forced have also translated on the other end, with Indiana State scoring 20-plus points off turnovers in each of the last four games.
Western Michigan at a Glance
Western Michigan enters the weekend at 3-5 overall following a 68-62 win over Valparaiso Wednesday night. WMU is coming off a 16-14 season in 2021-22, including a 10-10 mark in MAC play. The Broncos were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament by eventual winner Buffalo.
Lauren Ross, a Third Team All-MAC selection last season, leads the Broncos in scoring at 18.3 points per game and is second on the team with 4.1 rebounds per game. Taylor Williams is nearly averaging a double-double for WMU, putting up 11.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Broncos. Ross and Williams combined for 43 points and 15 rebounds in last season's meeting, with the duo accounting for 63 percent of the scoring and 48 percent of the rebounds for WMU in their 68-67 win over Indiana State.
Now in his 11th season at the helm in Kalamazoo, head coach Shane Clipfell ranks third in program history with 151 wins at Western Michigan.
Saturday's contest is the second straight game against a Missouri Valley Conference opponent for Western Michigan. The Broncos played Valparaiso Wednesday night.
Series History Against Western Michigan
Western Michigan has a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series after winning in Terre Haute last season. 10 of the 11 games in the all-time series between the Sycamores and Broncos have been decided by five points or less, including each of the last six games in the series.
Last Game Against Western Michigan (Dec. 4, 2021)
Indiana State nearly overturned a double-digit deficit in the second half but came up just short in a 68-67 setback to Western Michigan inside Hulman Center.
Mya Glanton posted her first collegiate double-double with 22 points and 16 rebounds to pace the Sycamores as Indiana State rallied back from a 15-point third-quarter deficit.
Del'Janae Williams posted seven steals, three in the fourth quarter, to help provide a late spark in the Sycamores' full-court defensive set and added 15 points in her third consecutive double-digit scoring effort.
Glanton's 22-point performance gave the Sycamores three consecutive games with a player hitting the 20-point mark, while her 16-rebounds left her just shy of the top-10 mark in the ISU record book.
Up Next
Indiana State begins a five-game homestand Thursday morning at 11 a.m. against Western Kentucky. The Sycamores will welcome middle school students from across Vigo County for the game.
