TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State plays its final road contest of the 2022-23 season Saturday afternoon when it faces Missouri State at 2 p.m. The game will be carried on ESPN3 and 105.5 The Legend.
Last Time Out
Bella Finnegan led all scorers with 21 points Thursday night, but a slow fourth quarter proved costly for Indiana State in a 79-64 loss inside Banterra Center.
15 of Finnegan's 21 points came in the first half, as she shot 50 percent (8-for-16) from the field and 60 percent (3-for-5) from 3-point range.
Chelsea Cain finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, while
Del'Janae Williams had nine points and four assists.
Indiana State shot better than 50 percent in the first half, which allowed the Sycamores to take a 42-40 lead into the intermission. Cain and Finnegan combined for 25 points in the opening 20 minutes, while the Sycamores took care of the ball well in the first two quarters. Indiana State had a 54-52 lead entering the fourth, but the Sycamores were unable to get into any rhythm in the fourth as SIU outscored the Trees 27-10 in the final period.
Crunch Time
With three games left before the MVC Tournament, Indiana State has a chance to play itself up the standings heading into the Quad Cities.
The Sycamores can finish anywhere between sixth and 11th in the MVC standings, with the teams occupying those spots separated by just two games in the standings.
Heating Up
Indiana State freshman guard
Bella Finnegan has scored 20-plus points twice in the last four games for the Sycamores, with both of those outings coming on the road. Finnegan had 26 points against Murray State and 21 points against Southern Illinois.
Finnegan has scored in double-figures in four of Indiana State's last five games and five of the last seven. She leads MVC freshmen in scoring during conference play with 10.4 points per game.
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 13.1 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.
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.
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.
Missouri State at a Glance
Missouri State enters Saturday's game at 18-8 overall and 13-4 in MVC play. The Lady Bears are coming off a 63-51 win over Evansville at home in their last contest.
Aniya Thomas (14.8), Kennedy Taylor (11.5) and Sydney Wilson (10.7) all average double-figure scoring for the Lady Bears, with Taylor also averaging a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game. Seven different Lady Bears average six-plus points per game.
Saturday's game closes a four-game homestand for Missouri State. The Lady Bears have gone 2-1 in that stretch.
Head coach Beth Cunningham is in her first season at the helm after spending the past two seasons as an assistant on Kara Lawson's staff at Duke. Cunningham has nearly a decade of previous head coaching experience at VCU (167-115).
Series History Against Missouri State
Missouri State has a 66-18 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last 17 meetings, though Indiana State has been within three possessions in each of the last three. The Sycamores' last win in the series was in 2014.
Last Game Against Missouri State (Dec. 29, 2022)
Bella Finnegan recorded season-highs of 14 points and five rebounds, but visiting Missouri State escaped Hulman Center with a 71-62 win over Indiana State.
Chelsea Cain added 12 points and seven rebounds, her third double-figure scoring game in the last four, while
Anna McKendree,
Adrian Folks and
Caitlin Anderson scored eight points each.
Mya Glanton had six points and a season-high 11 rebounds for the Sycamores.
Indiana State struggled from the field offensively, allowing Missouri State to take an early double-digit lead. The Sycamores took advantage of their trips to the free throw line in the first half, cutting the deficit to one, and later took the lead in the third quarter. A 14-1 run in the third quarter proved crucial for Missouri State, and despite cutting the deficit to three late in the fourth, the Sycamores were unable to fully recover.
Up Next
Indiana State begins its final homestand of the season Thursday at 6 p.m. against Bradley.
