TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State women's basketball plays its last road game of the 2021-22 season Saturday afternoon when it takes on Missouri State at 3 p.m. inside JQH Arena. The game between the Sycamores and Lady Bears will air on ESPN3 and GoSycamores.com.
Last Time Out
Mya Glanton finished one point shy of her second straight double-double Thursday night, but it wasn't enough as Southern Illinois defeated visiting Indiana State, 63-46, inside the Banterra Center.
Glanton finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, while
Marie Hunter also had nine points for the Sycamores.
Del'Janae Williams and
Arianna Smith had eight points each.
Natalia Lalic returned to the starting lineup and added seven points and a game-high five assists, while Smith also tallied five rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Indiana State had a four-point lead late in the first quarter, but SIU closed the quarter on a 5-0 run and never looked back. The Sycamores remained within two possessions for most of the first half, but a third-quarter scoring drought proved costly. Despite shooting 43 percent from the field in the fourth, the Sycamores couldn't recover.
A Closer Look at Missouri State
Preseason Valley favorite Missouri enters Saturday's game at 21-5 overall and 12-3 in conference pay. The Lady Bears have won each of their last six games, including a 99-57 shellacking of Evansville in their last contest.
Abigayle Jackson leads the Lady Bears' active players in scoring and rebounding at 13.0 points and 6.6 boards per game. Brice Calip (11.3) and Sydney Wilson (10.9) also average double-figure scoring for Missouri State, with Calip, Wilson and Jennifer Ezeh all averaging at least five rebounds per game.
Defense is the calling card for Missouri State, as the Lady Bears have limited opposing teams to 53.2 points per game and a paltry .355 field goal percentage.
Jackson had a career-high 31 points to lead the way for Missouri State against Evansville, as four Lady Bears scored in double-figures. Ifunanya Nwachukwu had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Mya Bhinhar had 11 assists in the game.
Series History Against Missouri State
Missouri State has a 64-18 lead in the all-time series and has won each of the last 15 meetings, including a 62-58 win in Terre Haute earlier this season. Indiana State's last win over Missouri State came during the 2013-14 season, a 73-37 win in Springfield.
Natalia Lalic led the Sycamores with 15 points when the teams met earlier this season and was one of four Indiana State players in double-figures in the game.
Del'Janae Williams and
Caitlin Anderson had 12 points apiece, while
Mya Glanton notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Indiana State overcame a 14-point deficit to tie the game late, but a 6-0 Missouri State run in the closing minutes proved to be the difference.
Finding Balance
Indiana State had all five starters (
Mya Glanton,
Marie Hunter,
Natalia Lalic,
Arianna Smith and
Del'Janae Williams) score at least seven points in Thursday's game against Southern Illinois.
The game against the Salukis continued a season-long trend of not having a true top scoring option for Indiana State, as eight different players have led the Sycamores in scoring in a game this season.
Rebound Machine
Indiana State forward
Mya Glanton pulled down double-digit rebounds in each of the Sycamores' last three games. The sophomore post player grabbed 12 boards against Loyola Chicago and followed that with 14 against Valparaiso as part of a career day that also featured her scoring 25 points. Glanton had 10 boards Thursday against Missouri State
The two games last week marked her two best rebounding games against a Valley opponent in her career, with the Valpo game marking her first 20-point, 10-rebound game in conference play. She has averaged 12 rebounds per game during this three-game stretch.
Hot Hand
Del'Janae Williams has consistently been among the best players in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, and the Sycamores have relied on her to find ways to score in the absence of
Adrian Folks.
Williams has scored in double-figures in a team-high 15 games this season, with eight of those double-figure games coming in Valley play. She also has five 20-point games this season, including her career-high of 27 against Bradley. Williams has 26 double-figure scoring games in her career, trailing only
Marie Hunter among the Sycamores' current roster.
Back on Track
Senior guard
Natalia Lalic came off the bench to score 16 points in Sunday's game against Valparaiso. The Australia native knocked down four 3-pointers against the Beacons, which tied a career high. In addition, she also added four assists, one block and one steal.
The 16-point outing snapped a streak of four games in single-digit scoring for Lalic, who is Indiana State's third-leading scorer among active players at 7.5 points per game. Her scoring numbers have jumped in conference play, where she is averaging 9.2 points per contest.
Proving to be more than just a scorer, Lalic tied her career high of five assists Thursday night against Southern Illinois.
Up Next
Indiana State returns home for its last two games of the regular season against Northern Iowa (Thursday, March 3) and Drake (Saturday, March 5).
