TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State wraps up a five-game road swing Saturday afternoon when it faces Northern Iowa at 3 p.m.
Saturday's game will be carried on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
Last Time Out
Homestanding Drake used a 16-0 run across the first and second quarters Thursday night and never looked back on its way to a 77-47 win over Indiana State inside the Knapp Center.
Asia Donald led the Sycamores with nine points off the bench, while
Chloe Williams added seven.
Savannah White pulled down a team-high five rebounds, while
Deja Jones dished out three assists in her first Missouri Valley Conference contest.
Indiana State got within a point early on following a 10-0 run which featured six points from
Mya Glanton. The ensuing 16-0 run for Drake saw the Trees go down by double-digits, and the Bulldogs further extended their lead by outscoring the Sycamores 29-8 in the second quarter. Indiana State showed fight in the second half and outscored Drake in the fourth quarter, but the early run was too much for the Sycamores to overcome.
Young Guns
Indiana State turned to its bench for large stretches of its most recent game at Drake, with a plethora of newcomers finding their way onto the scoresheet.
Nearly 75 percent of the Sycamores' points against the Bulldogs came from newcomers, while
Jailah Pelly and
Leah Yarbrough picked up their first points in a Sycamore uniform in the game. Indiana State outscored Drake 15-13 in the fourth quarter using a lineup consisting of all bench players.
Block Party
Indiana State has made its presence felt at the rim in the first two Missouri Valley Conference games of the season. The Sycamores have averaged seven blocks per game across their last two games, and registered a season-high eight blocks in their last game against Drake.
The eight rejections against Drake were the most for the Sycamores since swatting 10 shots against Northern Kentucky on Dec. 16, 2019. It also marked the most blocks in a conference game for Indiana State since Feb. 9, 2018, when the Sycamores had nine blocks against Northern Iowa.
Road Warriors
Saturday's game concludes a five-game road swing for Indiana State, which represents the Sycamores' longest stretch away from home all season.
Indiana State's last home game was on December 10, meaning the Sycamores will have gone a full month without a home game prior to their January 11 contest against Murray State.
Crash The Glass
Indiana State has been a force on the boards this season, as the Sycamores lead the MVC in offensive rebounds at 14.5 per game and
Mya Glanton ranks among the league leaders in total rebounds (7.6) and offensive rebounds (3.5).
Indiana State also ranks third in the conference in total rebounds (41.1) while posting a rebound margin of plus-4.0. Indiana State has won the rebound battle in eight of the first 12 games this season.
Get To The Line
Indiana State has been one of the best teams in the nation when it comes to generating free throw attempts in the opening month of the season. The Sycamores rank 28th in the nation with 21.9 free throw attempts per game and 23rd nationally with 15.8 free throws made per game.
Indiana State is shooting 72 percent from the line this season and has shot better than 70 percent from the charity stripe in eight of its first 11 games. Nine different Sycamores have already shot double-digit free throw attempts this season, while six Sycamores have made 15 or more free throws this season.
Northern Iowa at a Glance
Northern Iowa enters Saturday's game at 2-9 overall and 1-1 in MVC play. The Panthers snapped a nine-game losing skid Thursday with an 82-52 win over Evansville.
MVC Preseason Player of the Year Grace Boffeli leads UNI with 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, though she has not played since Nov. 29. Maya McDermott (13.5) also averages double-digit scoring and leads the team with 2.9 assists per game. 10 different UNI players average at least three points per game, with seven of those players averaging at least six points per game.
The longest-tenured head coach in the MVC, Tanya Warren is in her 17th season at the helm of Northern Iowa and owns a 308-220 career record. Warren's 308 wins are the most in program history, while Northern Iowa has reached the postseason in each of the last eight completed seasons.
Series History Against Northern Iowa
Indiana State has a 42-40 advantage in the all-time series, though Northern Iowa has won each of the last five meetings. The Sycamores' last win in the series came during the 2019-20 season.
Last Meeting Against Northern Iowa (Feb. 5, 2023)
Indiana State's three-game road trip got off to a less-than-ideal start, as the Sycamores fell 91-51 to Northern Iowa inside McLeod Center.
Chelsea Cain led the Blue and White with 14 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season, all of which have come on the road.
Anna McKendree added 11 points, while
Del'Janae Williams had eight. The backcourt duo grabbed seven rebounds each, with Williams also dishing out a team-leading four assists.
Northern Iowa quickly built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back, as the Sycamores were unable to generate any sustained offense. The homestanding Panthers shot better than 50 percent from the field in the second half and used a 32-point third quarter to put the game out of reach.
Up Next
Indiana State plays its first home game in over a month Thursday evening when it welcomes Murray State to Hulman Center for a 6 p.m. tip.
Follow the Sycamores
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