TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State's final road trip of the 2023-24 season continues Friday night when the Sycamores face Belmont in the Music City at 7:30 p.m.
 
The game will be carried on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Last Time Out
Indiana State shot a season-high 50 percent from the field Sunday afternoon, as the Sycamores defeated Bradley 74-67 inside Renaissance Coliseum.
 
Mya Glanton led the Blue and White in scoring with 20 points, while Kiley Bess had 18 points and nine rebounds. Chelsea Cain finished with 17 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Ella Sawyer registered her second career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Indiana State attacked the paint early and often, taking a 17-9 lead after the opening quarter thanks to 12 points between Glanton and Cain in the first 10 minutes. Glanton had 14 by halftime, which allowed the Sycamores to weather Bradley's second-quarter run to take a one-point lead into the locker room. The Sycamores and Braves were neck-and-neck until the fourth quarter, when Indiana State went on a 12-3 run to begin the final frame to take a double-digit lead. Indiana State's defense kept Bradley's 3-point shooting without a basket from behind the arc in the final 10 minutes to seal its second straight win.
 
Streaking
Indiana State enters Friday's game having won each of its last two games, including a 74-67 win at Bradley in its last outing. The Sycamores completed a 2-0 conference weekend for the first time since January 2023 with their wins over Evansville and Bradley.
 
With a win, Indiana State would have its first three-game win streak since January 2022.
 
Road Warriors
Indiana State has fared better on the road this season than at home. The Sycamores are just one game under .500 in road games this year, while 70 percent of the Trees' wins have been either on the road or at a neutral site. This season, Indiana State has won at least one game in every MVC road trip.
 
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Indiana State has won 16 true road games. When combined with the Sycamores' neutral-site wins, 56 percent of Indiana State's wins have come away from home.
 
Balancing Act
Indiana State's recent 2-0 weekend was spearheaded by a balanced effort, as the Sycamores had four players score in double-figures in each of their two wins.
 
Mya Glanton, Chelsea Cain and Kiley Bess all averaged at least 15 points per game in the weekend sweep, while Ella Sawyer averaged 13.5 points across the two wins. Sawyer, Bess and Cain also averaged at least seven rebounds per game, with all four double-digit scorers dishing out multiple assists per game.
 
Sharing Is Caring
Indiana State dished out a season-high 20 assists in its most recent win over Bradley, with the Sycamores assisting on nearly 75 percent of their made baskets.
 
The 20-assist game was Indiana State's first since a March 2023 win over Bradley at home. All five starters for the Sycamores had at least three assists.
 
Weekly Winner
Indiana State senior guard Kiley Bess was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week Tuesday afternoon by the conference office after helping lead the Sycamores to a pair of wins over league foes.
 
Bess played an instrumental role in Indiana State's 2-0 week, nearly averaging a double-double with 15 points, nine rebounds, three steals and 2.5 assists per game across two games. She opened the week with her first career double-double in a 69-66 win over Evansville, recording 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Purple Aces. Bess followed that with an 18-point, nine-rebound showing in a 74-67 win over Bradley. She dished out four assists against the Braves, and also had three steals in each of Indiana State's two wins during the week. Bess shot 43.5 percent from the field and 81.8 percent from the free throw line.
 
Bess leads Indiana State in scoring with 11.3 points per game this season, also adding 4.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She ranks among the top three on the team in points, assists and steals while also leading Indiana State in minutes played at 32.7 per game.
 
Belmont at a Glance
Belmont enters the weekend in second place in the MVC, with the Bruins sporting a 20-7 overall record and a 13-3 mark in conference play.
 
Tessa Miller leads the Bruins in scoring and rebounding at 13.8 points and 6.6 boards per game. Belmont's offense is a balanced effort, with six different players averaging eight or more points per game. Three Bruins have surpassed 75 assists this season, led by Tuti Jones with 107 (4.0 per game), with Jones also leading the team in steals with 61 (2.3 per game).
 
Bart Brooks is in his seventh season as the head coach at Belmont and owns a 166-53 career record. Brooks led his teams to either the NCAA Tournament or WNIT in each of his first six seasons. He is a perfect 3-0 against Indiana State.
 
Series History Against Belmont
Belmont has a 6-2 advantage in the all-time series and has won each of the last three meetings. The Sycamores are 0-2 against the Bruins in Nashville.
 
Last Meeting Against Bradley (Jan. 14, 2024)
Indiana State limited Belmont to its worst 3-point percentage and third-lowest field goal percentage of the season, but a 6-0 run inside the final 10 seconds of the game allowed the Bruins to squeak past the Sycamores 61-56 inside Hulman Center.
 
Chelsea Cain and Bella Finnegan led the Sycamores with 10 points apiece, while Kiley Bess added nine. All five starters for Indiana State had at least seven points, with four of the five also grabbing three or more rebounds.
 
Indiana State's lockdown defense gave Belmont fits throughout the game, as the Sycamores built an early nine-point lead thanks in part to a pair of threes from Finnegan. The Trees remained in front after an 8-0 run midway through the second quarter, and extended their lead to double-digits late in the third following a 3-pointer from Finnegan and a layup from Cain. The fourth quarter proved costly, as Belmont outscored Indiana State 21-7 to escape with a five-point win.
 
Up Next
Indiana State's final road game of the 2023-24 season is Sunday afternoon at Murray State, with tipoff set for 3 p.m.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Women's Basketball, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.