TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins its final homestand of the season Thursday evening when it faces Bradley for a 6 p.m. inside Hulman Center.The game will be carried on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Last Time Out
Bella Finnegan led a trio of Indiana State players in double-figures with 19 points Saturday afternoon, but Missouri State defeated the visiting Sycamores 77-66 inside Great Southern Bank Arena.
Anna McKendree finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals, while
Caitlin Anderson scored a season-high 12 points off the bench for the Sycamores. Indiana State outscored Missouri State 19-8 in the fourth quarter.
The second quarter proved to be the difference Saturday, as Indiana State was outscored 21-8 in the period. Facing a 69-47 deficit heading into the fourth, the Sycamores turned up the intensity defensively and limited Missouri State to just eight points in the last 10 minutes. The Trees outscored the Lady Bears 19-8 in the final period but ran out of time to complete the comeback.
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 eighth and 11th in the MVC standings, with the teams occupying those spots separated by just one game in the standings.
Play to the End
Despite the scoreline not ending in its favor, Indiana State played hard to the final buzzer at Missouri State with the fourth quarter proving that point.
The Sycamores outscored Missouri State 19-8 in the last 10 minutes of the game, limiting the Lady Bears to a 21.4 percent clip from the field (3-for-14) and forcing four turnovers, which the Trees converted into six points.
Heating Up
Indiana State freshman guard
Bella Finnegan has stepped up on the offensive end for the Sycamores in the month of February. Finnegan posted six double-figure scoring games in the month, including a pair of 20-point performances on the road.
In eight games in the month of February, Finnegan averaged a team-leading 15.3 points per game while also chipping in 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, both increases from her season averages. She leads all MVC freshmen in scoring during conference play with 10.8 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 12.7 points per game and also adds 3.6 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.
Play to the End
Despite the scoreline not ending in its favor, Indiana State played hard to the final buzzer at Missouri State with the fourth quarter proving that point.
The Sycamores outscored Missouri State 19-8 in the last 10 minutes of the game, limiting the Lady Bears to a 21.4 percent clip from the field (3-for-14) and forcing four turnovers, which the Trees converted into six points.
Lockdown Defense
After giving up 70-plus points in both ends of its early February 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.
Bradley at a Glance
Bradley enters the weekend at 3-26 overall and 0-18 in conference play. The Braves have lost 21 straight games, with their last win coming on Dec. 6.
Caroline Waite leads the Braves in scoring with 12.5 points per game, while Alex Rouse also averages in double-figures with 11.1 points per game and has a team-leading 73 assists. Isis Fitch leads Bradley in rebounding with 6.9 boards per game.
Bradley is searching for its first road win since Dec. 6 and its first conference win since Feb. 6, 2022.
Head coach Kate Popovec-Goss is in her first season at the helm after spending the previous five seasons on the coaching staff at Northwestern. Popovec-Goss was a part of Northwestern's first Big Ten regular season title in 30 years and the first NCAA Tournament win for the Wildcats in 28 years.
Series History Against Bradley
Indiana State has a 52-31 lead in the all-time series and has won each of the last three meetings. The Sycamores are 30-9 against Bradley in Terre Haute.
Last Game Against Bradley (Jan. 22, 2023)
Mya Glanton scored a season-high 21 points and
Del'Janae Williams nearly recorded a triple-double, propelling Indiana State to a 71-60 win over Bradley inside Renaissance Coliseum.
Williams finished with eight points, nine rebounds and nine assists, setting career-highs in both rebounds and assists.
Anna McKendree finished with 14 points, while
Chelsea Cain had a double-double for the second straight game with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Indiana State used a 13-2 run spanning the end of the first quarter and start of the second to take the lead for good. The Sycamores led for the final 30:50, pushing their advantage to double-digits behind 15 second-half points from Glanton. Bradley made it a one-possession game late in the fourth, but three-point plays by
Caitlin Anderson and Glanton inside the last two minutes and lights-out free throw shooting led the Sycamores to their third MVC win of the season.
Up Next
Indiana State plays its final regular season game Saturday at 1 p.m. against Illinois State. The Sycamores will recognize eight graduating seniors –
Sommer Pitzer,
Adrian Folks,
Natalia Lalic,
Florence Tshimanga,
Hattie Westerfeld,
Anna McKendree,
Caitlin Anderson and
Del'Janae Williams – prior to the game.
