TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State heads south to begin a two-game road trip Saturday evening at Evansville inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse. Tipoff between the Sycamores and Purple Aces is set for 6 p.m. and will be carried live on ESPN3 and 105.5 The Legend.
Last Time Out
Visiting Southern Illinois jumped out to an early double-digit lead Wednesday evening and Indiana State was never able to recover, as the Salukis downed the Sycamores 79-55 inside the Hulman Center.
Anna McKendree led the way for the Sycamores with 18 points and seven rebounds, and was the lone Indiana State player to score in double-figures.
Del'Janae Williams scored eight, while
Mya Glanton and
Caitlin Anderson added six points apiece.
SIU jumped out to a 15-3 lead at the first media timeout, and while the Sycamores were able to cut it to a four-point game after one quarter, the Salukis improved their shooting in each quarter to build an insurmountable lead. Indiana State trailed by as many as 30 late in the fourth quarter.
A Closer Look at Evansville
Evansville enters the weekend at 7-15 overall and 1-10 in Valley play. The Purple Aces have lost each of their last nine games, including a 78-58 setback at Northern Iowa in their last contest.
Je'Naiya Davis led a trio of double-figure scorers for Evansville with 19 against UNI. Myia Clark added 15, while Abby Feit had 13. The rest of Evansville's roster combined for just 11 points in that game.
Feit leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 15.9 points and 9.6 boards per game, with Davis right behind her at 15.7 points per game. Clark also averages double-figure scoring at 12.4 points per contest. Anna Newman leads the Purple Aces with 66 assists, while Feit has a team-high 36 steals.
Series History Against Evansville
Indiana State has a 41-19 lead in the all-time series and has won each of the last two meetings. The Sycamores have a 17-11 advantage in games played in Evansville.
Del'Janae Williams had a game-high 21 points, along with five rebounds, five assists and five steals when the teams met earlier this season in Terre Haute, a 69-51 Indiana State win.
Marie Hunter added 11 for the Sycamores, who had six players with at least seven points.
Picking Up The Pace
Indiana State has hit its stride on the offensive end since conference play began. The Sycamores lead the Valley in scoring during conference play after ranking near the bottom of the league during non-conference play. ISU sits at 68.6 points per game this season in Valley play, two points per game better than the second-best mark in the league.
Included in that scoring output is an 85-point game against Valpo, which is the highest point total for the Sycamores against a Division I opponent this season and the most in a conference game for ISU since February 2021. Indiana State scored 83 at Bradley, a 20-point Sycamore win.
Indiana State has three players averaging double-figure scoring during conference play (
Del'Janae Williams,
Marie Hunter and
Natalia Lalic), with five others also averaging at least five points per game against Valley foes.
Next Level
Indiana State guard
Del'Janae Williams has taken her talents to a new level since the start of conference play, as her stats have increased in every major category since the Sycamores began MVC contests.
Williams has scored in double-figures in seven of Indiana State's 10 Valley games this season, including three games with 20-plus points with a career-high 27 at Bradley. She ranks inside the top five in the conference in points, assists and steals during conference play while also grabbing 4.1 rebounds per game against conference foes.
Crashing The Glass
Indiana State has developed a penchant for cleaning up its missed shots on the offensive end during conference play. The Sycamores have grabbed offensive rebounds on nearly 35 percent of its missed shots, a mark that ranks third in the Valley.
The Sycamores have also done a strong job of limiting opposition rebounds in Valley play. Opposing MVC teams are averaging just 32.7 rebounds per game against the Sycamores, the second-fewest in the conference. ISU has a rebound margin of plus-1.5 during conference play.
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
Del'Janae Williams having a team-high six games as the Sycamores' leading scorer.
Post Up!
Indiana State forward
Mya Glanton picked up the pace during the Sycamores' last road trip, putting together a double-figure scoring game while also being a consistent force on the glass.
Glanton had 11 points and 10 rebounds against preseason Valley favorite Missouri State, then followed that with eight points and seven rebounds at Northern Iowa, leading the team in both stats. The East St. Louis, Illinois, native had 14 points and a team-leading eight rebounds in the Sycamores' game at Bradley, an 83-63 win.
Glanton had 14 points, eight rebounds and a career-high three blocks in Indiana State's last road game at Illinois State.
Deadeye
Indiana State guard
Natalia Lalic has become a matchup problem for opposing teams during Valley play, with the Australia native upping her scoring to 10.8 points per game in conference games.
Lalic has scored in double-figures in four MVC games, including a career-high 20 against Drake, and has made multiple 3-pointers in five conference games as well.
She has connected on 43.8 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc (10-for-23) against Valley foes, with more than half of her made 3-pointers coming in conference play.
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 trio of newcomers also posting double-digit efforts this season.
Del'Janae Williams had a career-high 27 in Indiana State's road win at Bradley in one of her team-leading five 20-point games this season, as she scored 26 at Georgia Southern, 24 against Chicago State, 21 against Evansville and 24 against Valpo.
Adrian Folks had a career-best 24 in a double-double at Saint Louis, while
Mya Glanton set career-high marks of 22 points and 16 rebounds against Western Michigan.
Marie Hunter (22 vs. Bradley) and
Natalia Lalic (20 at Drake) have also set their career highs in scoring this season. In addition, newcomers
Tonysha Curry (15 vs. UIC),
Anna McKendree (18 vs. Illinois State and vs. Southern Illinois) and
Arianna Smith (15 vs. Valpo) have hit double-figures in scoring during their first seasons in the Blue and White.
