TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins a two-game road trip, its last of the 2022-23 season, Thursday night when it takes on Southern Illinois at 7 p.m. The game will be carried on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Last Time Out
Bella Finnegan led all scorers with 17 points Sunday afternoon, but visiting UIC narrowly defeated Indiana State, 56-50, inside Hulman Center.
Del'Janae Williams added nine points and was one of three Sycamores with a team-high five rebounds.
Caitlin Anderson scored nine points off the bench, while
Mya Glanton finished with eight.
Neither team led by more than five in the opening 20 minutes, but UIC came out of the locker room strong to open up an eight-point advantage. A technical foul on the Flames gave Indiana State momentum, as the Sycamores went on a 13-2 run to retake the lead early in the fourth quarter. Indiana State led 48-47 with less than three minutes remaining, but a 9-0 run by the visitors proved to be the difference.
Road Warriors
Playing on the road is traditionally a daunting task, but Indiana State has actually performed better away from home each of the last two seasons.
Of Indiana State's five conference wins this season, four have come on the road. Seven of the Sycamores' 10 wins in MVC play under head coach
Chad Killinger have been road wins.
Lockdown Defense
After giving up 70-plus points in both ends of its last road trip, Indiana State's defense came to play at home. The Sycamores allowed just 55 points per game against Valparaiso and UIC, their best two-game defensive stretch since early January.
Indiana State's defense allowed the Sycamores to play a pair of three-possession games last week despite averaging less than 50 points per game over those contests.
Milestone Moments
This season has seen a trio of Sycamore reach career milestones, including two which happpened during Indiana State's recent road trip.
Del'Janae Williams became the 29th player to score 1,000 points at Indiana State by scoring each of the Sycamores' first nine points at Belmont.
Chelsea Cain hit 1,000 points for her collegiate career with a layup in the first quarter at Evansville. Cain scored 857 points in three seasons at Nicholls State and has 272 points for the Sycamores this year, giving her 1,129 career points.
Head coach
Chad Killinger picked up his 300th win as a collegiate head coach with Indiana State's 82-71 win over Murray State.
All-Conference Charge
After earning honorable mention all-conference honors last season, Indiana State guard
Del'Janae Williams has seen her numbers continue to go in the right direction this season as she looks to earn another conference honor.
Williams leads Indiana State in scoring at 13.5 points per game and also adds 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists for the Blue and White. She has scored in double-figures a team-leading 17 times this season, with a season-high 25 points at Valparaiso.
Three's Company
Indiana State has often found success with a balanced effort, as six of the Sycamores' 10 wins this season have come when three or more players have scored in double-figures. The Sycamores are 6-3 this season, and 14-9 in head coach
Chad Killinger's tenure, when three or more players score in double-digits.
Lockdown
Indiana State often wins games where it limits the opposition to a low scoring output. The Sycamores are 6-2 this season, and 12-3 in head coach
Chad Killinger's tenure, when opponents have scored 60 points or fewer.
On the flipside, the Sycamores are 4-0 when scoring 70-plus points this season.
Crunch Time
With five games left before the MVC Tournament, Indiana State has a chance to play itself up the standings heading into the Quad Cities.
The Sycamores currently own the ninth seed, but could reach as high as sixth depending on the outcomes of their final five games.
Southern Illinois at a Glance
Southern Illinois enters the weekend at 9-16 overall and 6-10 in MVC play. The Salukis are coming off a pair of home losses to Belmont (80-70) and Murray State (83-69) last weekend.
Ashley Jones leads the Salukis in scoring at 17.0 popints per game, while Laniah Randle averages a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game. Shemera Williams is also averaging double-digit scoring (10.3) for SIU.
Thursday's game is part of a four-game homestand for Southern Illinois, tied for its longest home stretch of the season. The Salukis are 4-9 inside Banterra Center this season.
Head coach Kelly Bond-White is in her first season at the helm after spending the previous 19 seasons on Gary Blair's staff at Texas A&M.
Series History Against Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois owns a 56-45 advantage in the all-time series and has won each of the last 10 meetings. The Salukis eked out a 60-58 win in Terre Haute earlier this season, while Indiana State's last win in the series was in 2019.
Last Game Against Southern Illinois (Dec. 31, 2022)
Del'Janae Williams led Indiana State with 16 points, but a strong fourth quarter sent visiting Southern Illinois past the Sycamores, 60-58, inside Hulman Center.
Bella Finnegan scored 12 points in her second career start, while
Chelsea Cain and
Anna McKendree added eight points apiece.
Mya Glanton and
Adrian Folks had a game-high 11 rebounds each.
Indiana State used a strong second quarter to take a lead into halftime and continued that momentum into the second half. The Sycamores built a double-digit lead early in the second half and led by as many as 16 late in the third quarter. Southern Illinois clawed its way back at the end of the third and outscored the Sycamores 19-6 in the fourth to come from behind and win. Indiana State had a pair of late chances to either tie or take the lead, but were unable to convert either opportunity.
Up Next
Indiana State's final road game is Saturday at Missouri State, with tipoff set for 2 p.m.
