TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes a stretch of five road games in a six-game span Sunday afternoon when it faces Bradley at 3 p.m. inside Renaissance Coliseum. The game will be carried on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Last Time Out
Chelsea Cain recorded her first double-double in an Indiana State uniform Friday night, but Illinois State's 3-point barrage was too much to overcome for the Sycamores in a 78-68 defeat inside CEFCU Arena.
Cain finished with 16 points and a season-high 11 rebounds, becoming the second Sycamore to record a double-double this season.
Del'Janae Williams also had 16 points as she inches closer to the 1,000-point mark for her career, while
Caitlin Anderson added a season-high nine off the bench.
Indiana State hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Sycamores jumped out to an early lead. Illinois State responded, though, as the Redbirds got hot from behind the arc to take a nine-point lead at the break. The Sycamores made a second-half charge, cutting their deficit to two on multiple occasions behind 23 second-half points from Cain, Williams and
Hattie Westerfeld, but a pair of fourth-quarter 3-pointers for the home side proved to be daggers.
Double Trouble
After going the first 14 games of the season without a double-double, Indiana State has seen two different players notch a double-double over the last two games.
Anna McKendree recorded the Sycamores' first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 assists against Drake, becoming the first Sycamore since Melanie Boeglin in 2006 to record a points-assist double-double.
Double-Digit Dominance
Indiana State guard
Del'Janae Williams has picked things up in recent weeks, scoring in double-figures in each of the Sycamores' last five games. Williams is averaging 17.6 points per game during that stretch and is scoring 14.0 points per game against MVC foes.
Included in Williams' scoring total is a season-best 25-point output in a come-from-behind win over Valparaiso.
Indiana State has seen success when multiple players have hit double-figures this season. The Sycamores are 4-1 in games where three or more players have scored 10-plus points.
Taking Advantage of Second Chances
Indiana State took full advantage of extra opportunities in its game against Illinois State, as the Sycamores turned 15 offensive rebounds into 18 second chance points.
Mya Glanton had a game-high five offensive rebounds, while
Chelsea Cain and
Del'Janae Williams each had three offensive boards. Five different Sycamores recorded at least one offensive rebound against the Redbirds.
Indiana State has recorded 15 or more offensive rebounds in five of its first seven MVC games this season, including each of the last three games. The Sycamores rank second in the conference in offensive rebounds at 12.5 per game.
Going the Distance
Anna McKendree played the full 40 minutes in the Sycamores' game at Illinois State, marking the second time in her collegiate career and first time at Indiana State that she played the entirety of a game. McKendree previously accomplished the feat once at Nicholls State.
McKendree became the first Sycamore to play the full 40 since
Marie Hunter went the distance against Bradley on Jan. 9, 2022.
Milestone Watch
Two members of the Indiana State women's basketball program are nearing career milestones.
Del'Janae Williams is also closing in on 1,000 career points, as she is currently 106 points away from reaching the milestone with at least 15 games left on the schedule. Williams would be the 29th player in program history to reach the mark and would be the first Sycamore since Racheal Mahan in the 2014-15 season to accomplish the feat all at Indiana State. She would join
Chelsea Cain as active 1,000-point scorers on the Sycamore roster, with Cain accomplishing most of her 1,047 points at Nicholls State before hitting the 1,000-point mark at Evansville.
Head coach
Chad Killinger is also nearing a career milestone on the sidelines, as the Sycamore leader needs just three wins to reach 300 for his head coaching career.
On the Road Again
Indiana State finds itself in a similar spot, back on the road. The Sycamores opened 2023 with three straight road games and are in the midst of a six-game stretch featuring five games away from home. Thus far, the Trees are 2-2 during this road stretch, with wins over UIC and Valparaiso and a loss to Evansville.
Indiana State's lone home game during that stretch was its most recent game against Drake. The Sycamores begin a three-game homestand following this weekend's contests on the road.
Bradley at a Glance
Bradley enters Sunday's contest at 3-15 overall and 0-7 in MVC play following a 73-56 loss to Evansville. The Braves have lost each of their last 10 games, with nine of those being by double-digits.
2021-22 MVC Freshman of the Year Caroline Waite leads the Braves in scoring at 12.5 points per game, with Alex Rouse (11.2) also averaging double-figure scoring for Bradley. Isis Fitch (6.6) and Daija Powell (6.0) both average five-plus rebounds per game, while Rouse also has a team-high 47 assists.
Former Northwestern assistant Kate Popovec-Goss is in her first season at the helm for Bradley. Popovec-Goss was a part of four postseason teams while at Northwestern, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2015, 2021).
Series History Against Bradley
Indiana State has a 51-31 advantage in the all-time series after sweeping the two matchups last season, including an 83-63 win in Peoria. Bradley owns a slim 21-20 lead in games played in Peoria.
Last Game Against Bradley (Feb. 4, 2022)
Del'Janae Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit double-figures in both halves, leading Indiana State to a wire-to-wire 83-63 win over Bradley inside Renaissance Coliseum.
Mya Glanton continued her strong form with 14 points and eight rebounds, while
Anna McKendree added 12 off the bench for the Sycamores, all of which came in the second half. Nine different players scored for Indiana State, with six scoring at least five points in the win.
Glanton opened the scoring on a jumper after grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds to set the tone for the game. A Lalic 3-pointer midway through the opening quarter broke a 6-all tie and gave Indiana State a lead it would hold for the rest of the game. The Sycamores led by double-digits for most of that stretch, including nearly all of the second half, and closed the game on an 8-0 run.
Up Next
Indiana State begins a three-game homestand Friday against MVC newcomer Belmont, with tipoff set for 6 p.m.
