TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State continues its lengthy road stretch when it squares off with Southeast Missouri State Saturday evening inside the Show Me Center.
Tipoff is slated for 6:15 p.m., with the game being carried on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
Indiana State had four players score in double-figures for the third straight game Wednesday night, but Butler used a strong third-quarter to down the Sycamores by an 80-55 margin inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Deja Jones led the Sycamores with 13 points and dished out a team-high four assists.
Keslyn Secrist added 11 points and a career-high three assists, scoring in double-figures for the fifth straight game.
Queen Ruffin and
Saige Stahl each had 10, with the latter coming off the bench to score in double-figures.
Savannah White pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
Indiana State rode the hot hand of Jones early, with the senior floor general scoring six points in the opening quarter to help the Trees go in front. The Sycamores kept pace with the Bulldogs in a low-scoring second quarter before the home side took off in the third. Butler came out of the intermission and outscored the Sycamores 26-9 in the third quarter to break the game open. Despite Indiana State outscoring the Bulldogs in the final frame, largely in part to Jones, Secrist and Stahl combining for 18 in the last 10 minutes, Butler protected its home court in a double-digit loss for the Trees.
On The Road Again
Indiana State is in the midst of a 45-day span between home games, with the Sycamores not returning home until their Dec. 29 conference opener against Northern Iowa. The 45 days between home games is the second-longest stretch between home games in all of Division I.
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 17-28 record in away games since the start of the 2021-22 season, compared to a 14-31 mark at home during that stretch.
Spread The Wealth
Indiana State had four players in double-figures in its win over Wright State, marking the first time since its Feb. 25, 2024 win at Bradley that four Sycamores scored 10-plus points in a game.
Keslyn Secrist led all players with 18 in the win, while
Chloe Williams and
Saige Stahl set career-highs in scoring with 16 and 14, respectively.
Deja Jones matched her career high of 12, marking her second straight game in double-figures.
The Sycamores repeated that feat against Austin Peay, with Secrist (12), Williams (11), Stahl (10) and
Queen Ruffin (10) all hitting double-figures in the Trees' final non-conference home game. Indiana State repeated that feat for a third straight game against Butler, with Jones (13), Secrist (11), Ruffin (10) and Stahl (10) spearheading a balanced effort against the Bulldogs.
Extra Possessions
Indiana State has corralled double-digit offensive rebounds in four of the first five games this season, with the Sycamores often converting their extra possessions into second chance points.
The Sycamores had their most productive game from a second chance points standpoint in their last game against Butler. Indiana State had just seven offensive rebounds against the Bulldogs, but converted those into 15 second chance points, an average of 2.14 second chance points per offensive rebound.
Indiana State pulled down a season-high 17 offensive rebounds in its last home game against Austin Peay, with Stahl grabbing six offensive boards against the Governors. The Sycamores turned those offensive rebounds into 14 second chance points.
Through the first five games this season, Indiana State is averaging 11.8 offensive rebounds per game and 11.4 second chance points per game.
Sophomores Shining
Keslyn Secrist leads Indiana State in scoring this season with 14.8 points per game, ranking in the top 10 in the conference in scoring average and total points. Secrist has scored in double-figures in each of the first five games, including a career-high 21 in the season opener against Western Kentucky. She has at least 11 points in every game this season.
Saige Stahl ranks in the top five in the MVC and the top 100 nationally with a team-leading 9.0 rebounds per game, while her 3.2 offensive rebounds per game also rank in the top five in the conference.
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 four of the first five 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 four of the first five games. Indiana State went a season-best 19-for-24 from the charity stripe in its last game at Butler (79.2 percent).
Four different Sycamores have attempted double-digit free throws this season, with
Keslyn Secrist (89.5 percent) and
Saige Stahl (80.0 percent) both knocking down their attempts at a high rate.
Crash The Glass
Indiana State has won the rebound battle in three of its first five games this season and owns a plus-0.6 rebound margin through the first two weeks of play. The Sycamores have pulled down 40-plus rebounds in two games this season, doing so against both Iowa State and Wright State.
Five different players are averaging more than three rebounds per game for the Trees this season, with
Saige Stahl (9.0) and
Chloe Williams (6.4) leading the way.
Savannah White (5.6),
Keslyn Secrist (3.2) and
Deja Jones (3.0) also contribute heavily to the Sycamores' rebound totals.
Southeast Missouri State At A Glance
Southeast Missouri State comes into the weekend with a 1-4 record. The Redhawks picked up their first win of the season in their last game, a 70-59 win over Southern Illinois in their home opener.
Zoe Best leads a trio of Redhawks averaging double-figures with 13.2 points per game. Lexi McCully (11.0) and Kennedy Claybrooks (10.6) also average double-digit scoring, with Best and Claybrooks both averaging five rebounds per game. Claybrooks also adds 4.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game for SEMO this season, while Ainaya Williams averages 2.6 blocks per game.
Briley Palmer is in her first season as head coach at Southeast Missouri State and comes to Cape Girardeau following four seasons at Mineral Area College. Palmer has a 78-44 career record.
Series History Against Southeast Missouri State
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 Southeast Missouri State (Dec. 10, 2023)
Mya Glanton led a quartet of Sycamores in double-figures with 20 points, as Indiana State defeated Southeast Missouri State 65-57.
Kiley Bess (16),
Asia Donald (13) and
Chelsea Cain (11) also scored in double-figures for the Trees, who led by as many as 18 in the game. Glanton, Cain,
Bella Finnegan and
Savannah White tallied five rebounds each, while Cain also added five assists.
Indiana State shot the ball well across the game, opening up a double-digit lead thanks to a strong paint presence. Glanton exploited SEMO's zone on multiple occasions for easy baskets down low as the Sycamores' lead grew to as many as 18. Southeast Missouri State took advantage of Indiana State's turnovers to cut the Sycamores' lead down to two possessions. Indiana State's strong perimeter defense thwarted the Redhawks from completing the comeback, though, and the Sycamores iced the game from the free throw line.
Up Next
Indiana State heads north to face Marquette Tuesday night in Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m.
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