TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins a stretch of 45 days between home games Wednesday night when the Sycamores head to Indianapolis to face Butler inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Wednesday's game is slated for a 7 p.m. tip and will be carried on FloHoops.
Last Time Out
Austin Peay made a second-half run in pulling away from Indiana State on Friday night inside the Hulman Center, 74-56.
The Governors (1-2) outscored the Sycamores (1-3) 35-18 over the final 20 minutes of the contest in breaking open a one-point halftime lead thanks to a 26-point, eight-rebound performance from Sa'Mya Wyatt.
Saige Stahl led the Sycamores with 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds off the bench to pace Indiana State in the loss.
Keslyn Secrist led four Sycamores scoring double-digits with 12 points including going 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
Chloe Williams added 11 points and seven rebounds, while
Queen Ruffin chipped in 10 points and three steals.
Road Trippin'
Wednesday's game at Butler begins a stretch of 45 days between home games for Indiana State, with the Sycamores not returning to the Hulman Center floor until their December 29 conference opener against Northern Iowa.
Despite the long stretch on the road, the Sycamores have performed better away from Terre Haute in recent years. Indiana State's lone win this season came on the road, while the Trees have a 17-27 record in away games since the start of the 2021-22 season, compared to a 14-31 mark at home during that stretch.
Doubling Up
Indiana State forward
Saige Stahl registered double-doubles off the bench in each of the Sycamores' last two games, averaging 12.0 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in that span. Stahl had a career 14 points to go along with 12 rebounds in the Trees' road win over Wright State and followed that with 10 points and a career-best 15 rebounds against Austin Peay.
Over the course of the last week, Stahl set career highs in points (14), rebounds (15), field goals (six), field goal percentage (.857) and free throws (six). She has nearly outproduced her entire 2023-24 season totals with 32 points and 38 rebounds through four games, an average of 8.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
See It, Score It
Indiana State guard
Keslyn Secrist has scored in double-figures in each of the Sycamores' first four games this season on her way to averaging a team-leading 15.8 points per game during the 2024-25 campaign.
Secrist has scored at least 12 points in every game this season, knocking down multiple 3-pointers in three of the first four contests. She has made five or more field goals in three of the first four games, and has hit at least five free throws in each of the last two games.
Crashing Down
Indiana State has won the rebound battle in three of its first four games this season and owns a plus-2.5 rebound margin through the first two weeks of play. The only game where the Sycamores failed to win the rebound margin was against a top-10 opponent in Iowa State, with the Cyclones owning a slight 48-45 edge on the glass in a defensive battle in Ames.
Five different players are averaging more than three rebounds per game for the Trees this season, with
Saige Stahl (9.5) and
Chloe Williams (7.3) leading the way.
Savannah White (4.8),
Keslyn Secrist (4.0) and
Deja Jones (3.5) also contribute heavily to the Sycamores' rebound totals.
Get To The Line
Indiana State has often found itself having an advantage in free throws this season, with the Sycamores getting to the charity stripe more often than their opponents in three of the first four games of the 2024-25 campaign.
The Sycamores have attempted at least 15 free throws in every game this season, while making double-digit attempts from the line in three of the first four games. Four different Sycamores have attempted double-digit free throws this season, with
Keslyn Secrist (93.3 percent) and
Saige Stahl (83.3 percent) both knocking down their attempts at a high rate.
Balanced Attack
Indiana State's last two games have featured a balanced scoring output, with the Sycamores putting four in double-figures against both Wright State and Austin Peay.
Keslyn Secrist led the Sycamores in scoring in both games, with 18 against Wright State and 12 against Austin Peay.
Chloe Williams (16 at Wright State, 11 vs. Austin Peay) and
Saige Stahl (14 at Wright State, 10 vs. Austin Peay) also scored in double-figures in both games last week for the Blue and White.
Deja Jones had 12 against Wright State, while
Queen Ruffin tallied a season-high 10 points against Austin Peay.
Butler At A Glance
Butler enters Wednesday's game at 3-1 overall, including a perfect 2-0 mark in home games. The Bulldogs had their season-opening three-game win streak snapped in their last game, an 81-52 loss at Vanderbilt, but feature a marquee 56-46 home win over Indiana this season.
Caroline Strande leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 15.3 points per game, with Lily Carmody also averaging double-figures at 10.3 points per game. Cristen Carter (7.3) and Kilyn McGuff (6.3) both average more than five rebounds per game, while Ari Wiggins (2.8) and Karsyn Norman (3.0) both average multiple assists per game. Carmody also adds three steals per contest, while Carter has averaged two blocks per game.
Austin Parkinson is in his third season as the head coach at Butler and owns a 29-37 record at the helm of the Bulldogs. Parkinson has a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances from his time as head coach at IUPUI and won his 250th game as a head coach during last season's WNIT run for Butler.
Series History Against Butler
Indiana State is 16-16 all-time against Butler, including a 6-9 mark against the Bulldogs in Indianapolis. The Sycamores and Bulldogs have split the last 14 meetings between the programs, though Butler has won each of the last three in the series.
Indiana State's last win in the series came during the 2015-16 season, a 70-63 overtime victory inside Hulman Center. The Sycamores' last win in Indianapolis came during the 2014-15 season by a 66-51 margin.
Last Meeting Against Butler (Dec. 17, 2018)
Butler shot 50 percent from the field and better than 70 percent from the 3-point line in the first half on its way to a 72-49 win over Indiana State inside Hinkle Fieldhouse. The middle quarters proved to be the difference, with Butler outscoring the Sycamores 40-21 across the second and third periods.
Ashli O'Neal led the Trees with 16 points and shot 3-for-5 from behind the arc, while Tamara Lee added nine. 11 of the 12 players to see the floor for Indiana State scored, with five different players chipping in four or more points.
Up Next
Indiana State has a 10-day stretch between games before heading back on the road to face Southeast Missouri State November 30 at 6:15 p.m.
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