TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head women's basketball coach Chad Killinger announced the addition of guard Alona Blackwell to the program Tuesday morning.
 
"Alona will give us more versatility on the perimeter, both offensively and defensively," Killinger said. "Her size and ability to shoot the three fit needs that we were definitely trying to address. She's had previous success in college and we're looking forward to working with her and helping her get back to playing at a high level.
 
Blackwell joins the Sycamores after spending the past three seasons at Oakland, where she appeared in 72 games, including 38 starts. She averaged 8.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game for the Golden Grizzlies, scoring in double-figures 27 times during her three seasons in Rochester. Oakland improved its win total in each of her three seasons on campus, including 15 wins during the 2021-22 season. Blackwell was also a member of the 2019-20 Horizon League All-Freshman Team.
 
Blackwell appeared in 18 games last season for Oakland, making five starts and averaging 4.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. She had a season-high 17 points and five rebounds in a win over Purdue Fort Wayne, scoring the last five points in the game to help the Golden Grizzlies overcome a late deficit. Blackwell also had 11 points in wins over UIC and Detroit Mercy, while knocking down multiple 3-pointers in each of her three double-figure scoring games of the season.
 
The 2020-21 season saw Blackwell put up career-best numbers for the Golden Grizzlies, as she finished second on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game and third in the Horizon League with 1.8 3-pointers per contest while starting 23 of Oakland's 24 games. She also added career-bests of 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists for Oakland, while helping lead the Golden Grizzlies to a 12-8 mark in Horizon League play. Blackwell had 12 games with double-digit points, including a pair of 20-point games. She scored a career-high 24 points against Cleveland State and had 22 points against Toledo. Blackwell also had a stretch of five straight games with double-figure scoring to begin the month of January, making multiple 3-pointers in all five of those games. She grabbed a career-high seven rebounds in a win over Youngstown State and finished the season with five or more rebounds in seven different games.
 
Blackwell's debut campaign with Oakland saw her earn Horizon League All-Freshman Team honors while also being named the conference's Freshman of the Week on three separate occasions. She averaged 8.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in 30 games for the Golden Grizzlies, including 10 starts. After being inserted into the starting lineup in February, Blackwell's scoring output jumped to 12.6 points per game over the final month of the season. She scored in double-figures in nine of her 10 starts, including each of the last four games of the season, and finished the year with 12 double-digit scoring games. Blackwell had a season-high 18 points in 24 minutes in a win over Lourdes, knocking down a season-best four 3-pointers in that game. She also connected from deep four times against Wright State, scoring a team-high 17 points against the Raiders. Blackwell had a season-high four rebounds on three different occasions, including against Michigan.
 
Blackwell becomes the third Michigan native on the Sycamores' 2022-23 roster, joining Adrian Folks (Southgate) and Del'Janae Williams (Detroit).
 
Blackwell joins incoming freshmen Bella Finnegan and Lily Niebuhr, who both signed in November, and transfers Chelsea Cain and Ella Sawyer, who both signed in April, as additions to the Sycamore roster for the 2022-23 season.
 
Indiana State Women's Basketball 2022-23 Newcomers
Alona Blackwell // 5-10 // G // Grand Rapids, Mich. // East Kentwood HS/Oakland
Chelsea Cain // 6-0 // F // Prairieville, La. // Dutchtown HS/Nicholls State
Bella Finnegan // 6-0 // G // Hometown, Ill. // Mother McAuley HS
Lily Niebuhr // 6-3 // C // Chaska, Minn. // Chaska HS
Ella Sawyer // 5-9 // G // Adelaide, Australia // Cabra Dominican College/Austin Peay
 
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