TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes the regular season at home Saturday afternoon when it plays host to Drake at the Hulman Center. Tipoff between the Sycamores and Bulldogs is set for 1 p.m. and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Senior Send-Off
This weekend's games will mark the final home games of the 2021-22 season and with that, will close the home careers for a trio of Sycamores.
Indiana State will honor
Tonysha Curry,
Marie Hunter and
Essy Latu for their contributions to the program prior to Saturday's game against Drake.
Last Time Out
Indiana State had three players score in double-figures Thursday evening, but visiting Northern Iowa outlasted the Sycamores, 61-55, inside the Hulman Center.
Arianna Smith,
Marie Hunter and
Del'Janae Williams each had 10 points for the Sycamores, while
Tonysha Curry had a team-high eight rebounds and a game-high five assists. Williams, Hunter and
Mya Glanton all grabbed five boards.
Indiana State shot 50 percent from the field in the first half and built a 14-point lead at the halftime break, but a slow third quarter proved costly. Northern Iowa outscored the Sycamores 26-4 in the third and led by as many as 13. Indiana State managed to tie the game late, but the Panthers used a 7-2 run to escape the Hulman Center with a win.
A Closer Look at Drake
Drake enters the weekend at 16-12 overall and 8-9 in conference play. The Bulldogs have won each of their last four, including an 80-71 overtime win over Evansville in their last contest.
Drake features the top offense in the Missouri Valley Conference at 74.3 points per game, with Megan Meyer (12.3), Maggie Bair (11.9) and Grace Berg (11.9) all averaging double-figure scoring. Six different Bulldogs are averaging at least seven points per game, while Bair (5.9), Anna Miller (5.6) and Courtney Becker (5.1) are all averaging more than five rebounds per contest.
Berg led Drake with 20 points in its last game against Evansville, while Meyer added 17. The Bulldogs led 20-9 after one quarter, but Evansville rallied to force overtime. Maddie Petersen and Katie Dinnebier combined for 11 points in overtime to lift the Bulldogs past the Purple Aces.
Series History Against Drake
Drake has a 60-24 lead in the all-time series and also holds a 22-17 advantage in games played in Terre Haute. The Sycamores won the earlier meeting this season, though, knocking off the Bulldogs in Des Moines in the conference opener for both teams.
Natalia Lalic had a career-high 20 points when these teams met in December, including 12 in the fourth quarter. Indiana State trailed by nine in the fourth quarter before a huge Sycamore run on the strength of Lalic's shooting from long range propelled Indiana State to its first win over Drake since 2016.
Del'Janae Williams (17),
Marie Hunter (15) and
Anna McKendree (10) all scored in double-figures for the Sycamores, with Williams also adding a game-high five assists. Indiana State force Drake into 30 turnovers in that game, the most in a Valley game by any school this season.
Finding Range Down Under
10 of
Natalia Lalic's team-leading 39 3-pointers have come during a recent five-game stretch for Indiana State. The Australia native came off the bench to hit four treys against Valparaiso and added one more in her return to the starting lineup at Southern Illinois.
Lalic connected from deep three times in the Sycamores' game at Missouri State, making one in three of the four quarters against the Lady Bears. She then followed that with another trey Thursday against UNI. She has made nearly 35 percent of her 3-point attempts during conference play, ranking inside the top 10 in the Valley.
The senior sharpshooter has at least one 3-pointer in eight of Indiana State's last 10 games connecting from deep multiple times in four of those contests.
Finding Balance
Indiana State's balance was on full display once again Thursday evening against Northern Iowa, as all five starters scored at least eight points against the Panthers. Three of ISU's five starters finished the game in double-figures.
Rebound Machine
Indiana State forward
Mya Glanton had her two best rebounding games against a Valley opponent in her career against Loyola Chicago and Valparaiso, with the Valpo game marking her first 20-point, 10-rebound game in conference play. Glanton is averaging 12 rebounds per game during this three-game stretch.
Glanton leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 3.4 offensive rebounds per game during Valley play. She has five or more rebounds in 12 consecutive games, a streak that dates back to January 29.
Bounced Back
Sycamore guard
Del'Janae Williams got back on track Thursday evening with her 16th double-figure scoring game of the season.
After being held scoreless at Missouri State, Williams was the first Sycamore in double-figures against Northern Iowa and finished as one of three Indiana State players with 10 points in the game.
Up Next
Indiana State is locked into the No. 8 seed at Hoops in the Heartland and will play in the tournament opener Thursday at 5 p.m.
The Sycamores' first-round opponent has not been determined at this stage. Indiana State will play either Evansville or Bradley, with the results on Saturday across the league determining seeding. ISU is 3-1 against those two teams this season.
