TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes the non-conference portion of its schedule Wednesday morning when it faces Purdue.
Tipoff from Mackey Arena is set for 11 a.m., with the game being carried on BTN+.
Last Time Out
Kiley Bess led Indiana State with 18 points Sunday night, but the Sycamores' fourth-quarter comeback fell one possession short in a 65-62 loss at Ohio.
Chelsea Cain added 13 for the Sycamores, while
Chloe Williams scored a career-high 10 off the bench.
Bella Finnegan had nine points, six rebounds and a game-high six assists, while
Mya Glanton had seven points and a team-leading eight rebounds.
Indiana State jumped out to an early lead, but Ohio closed each of the first two quarters strong and took a slim one-point lead into the intermission. The home side pushed their lead to nine late in the third quarter as Indiana State had turnover woes and came up empty-handed from the charity stripe on multiple occasions, but the Trees battled back. Indiana State opened the fourth quarter on a 13-5 run to take the lead with less than five minutes remaining, but turnovers haunted the Sycamores late as Ohio protected home court.
Lockdown
Indiana State's defense was a major factor in the Sycamores' 65-57 win over Southeast Missouri State. The Sycamores limited SEMO to a 19-for-51 performance from the field (37.5 percent), while the Redhawks hit just one 3-pointer against the Sycamores.
Indiana State also forced 19 Southeast Missouri State turnovers and was plus-seven (33-26) in rebound margin against the Redhawks.
Road Trippin'
Indiana State is in the midst of a five-game road trip, which started Sunday at Ohio. During the stretch away from home, the Sycamores also face Purdue and open conference play with road games at Evansville, Drake and Northern Iowa.
Three of Indiana State's four wins this season have come away from home (two road, one neutral site), while the Sycamores have averaged nearly 70 points per game in their first four road games this season.
Power Five Play
Wednesday's game is the second against a Power Five opponent for Indiana State this season, as the Sycamores previously faced Missouri on Nov. 9.
Indiana State is 0-3 against Power Five opponents under head coach
Chad Killinger, including an 0-2 mark against the Big Ten (0-1 vs. Nebraska, 0-1 vs. Purdue). The Sycamores' last win over a Power Five foe was against Indiana during the 2014-15 season. Indiana State has a pair of wins over Big East foes since then as well (2014-15 at St. John's, 2015-16 vs. Butler).
Crashing The Glass
Indiana State has been one of the best rebounding teams in the MVC this season, as the Sycamores are the only team in the conference to rank in the top three in offensive rebounds (first, 14.4), total rebounds (second, 41.6) and rebound margin (second, plus-6.2).
The Sycamores' rebounding has been a balanced effort, as seven different players average three or more rebounds per game for the Trees.
Mya Glanton leads the way with 8.0 rebounds per game, including a conference-leading 4.1 offensive rebounds per game.
Magic Numbers
Indiana State has been tough to beat when scoring 70 or more points under
Chad Killinger. The Sycamores have scored 70-plus points 18 times under Killinger and are 15-3 in those games, including a 2-0 mark this season. Included in that mark is an 8-0 record when scoring 80 or more points. Indiana State has won those eight games by an average of 19 points.
The Sycamores have also been hard to beat when their opponents fail to put up high point totals. Indiana State is 14-4 over the last two seasons when allowing fewer than 60 points, including a 4-0 mark in games where the Trees allowed less than 50 points and a 2-0 mark this season. All of Indiana State's wins when allowing less than 50 points have come by double-digits.
Purdue at a Glance
Purdue enters Wednesday's game at 6-5 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten play. The Boilermakers are coming off consecutive losses on the road to Minnesota and No. 14/12 Notre Dame.
Abbey Ellis leads the Boilermakers in scoring at 13.7 points per game, while Rashunda Jones, Madison Layden and Caitlyn Harper are all averaging double-digit scoring. Jeanae Terry leads Purdue with 7.1 rebounds and nearly six assists per game.
Former All-American guard Katie Gearlds is in the third season at the helm of her alma mater and has a 42-31 record as the head coach at Purdue. The Boilermakers are coming off a season in which they reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. Gearlds was previously the head coach at Marian (Ind.), where she went 228-50 in eight seasons at the helm.
Series History Against Purdue
Indiana State leads the all-time series 17-11, though Purdue is 9-1 in the last 10 meetings and has won each of the last seven matchups between the teams.
Last Meeting Against Purdue (Nov. 20, 2022)
Del'Janae Williams had a game-high 18 points, but a lengthy Purdue run across the last two quarters gave the Boilermakers a 77-54 win over Indiana State inside Mackey Arena.
Natalia Lalic added eight points off the bench, while
Adrian Folks had six.
Anna McKendree had five points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals for the Sycamores.
Indiana State gave Purdue fits throughout the first half and took the lead late in the first quarter. The Sycamores led by as many as four early in the second, but a Boilermaker run gave Purdue a lead it never relinquished. A 31-7 Purdue run spanning all of the third and part of the fourth quarter put the game out of reach.
Up Next
Indiana State opens MVC play December 30 at Evansville, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
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