TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State plays its final road game of the 2023-24 season Sunday afternoon when it faces Murray State at 3 p.m. inside the CFSB Center.
 
The game will be carried on ESPN+ and GoSycamores.com.
 
Last Time Out
Bella Finnegan led Indiana State with 14 points Friday night and Kiley Bess added 13 points and seven rebounds, but Belmont broke open a close game in the second half to defeat the Sycamores 87-62 inside Curb Event Center.
 
Chelsea Cain finished two points shy of a double-double for the Blue and White and led all players with 10 rebounds, while 11 different players scored for Indiana State. The Sycamores were 41.2 percent from 3-point range and shot nearly 90 percent from the free throw line.
 
Indiana State jumped out to a strong start, led by four first half threes from Finnegan. The Sycamores led by three after the opening quarter, and stretched their lead to as high as six early in the second. Belmont rallied back to take a narrow lead at the half, then came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders to break things open in the third. Trailing by 19 entering the fourth, Bess scored seven points in the opening two minutes of the final frame to get the Sycamores closer in an attempt to spark a rally. Belmont countered with an 11-0 run to essentially put the game out of reach.
 
Seeding Scenarios
With three games remaining in the season, a multitude of options exist for Indiana State's potential seeding for the MVC Tournament.
 
The Sycamores can finish anywhere between eighth and 10th in the conference. Indiana State will play in either the 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. ET game in the opening round.
 
My Old Kentucky Home
Sunday's game marks the second time this season that Indiana State has played in the state of Kentucky.
 
The Sycamores are 1-0 in the Bluegrass State this season, having defeated Northern Kentucky 85-82 in overtime in the season opener.
 
Get To The Line
Indiana State has fared well when it gets to the free throw line this season, connecting on nearly 75 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe during the 2023-24 campaign. .
 
Since the start of conference play, Indiana State's free throw percentage has improved to 76.3 percent.
Downtown
Indiana State has shot the ball better from behind the arc in conference play, with the Sycamores knocking down 33 percent of their 3-pointers against MVC foes. The 33 percent clip is a 10 percent improvement from the Trees' non-conference mark.
 
In Friday's loss to Belmont, Indiana State knocked down seven 3-pointers converting at a clip of nearly 42 percent.
 
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.
 
Murray State at a Glance
Murray State enters Sunday's game at 17-9 overall and 10-7 in conference play. The Racers have fared well at home this season, going 9-4 at the CFSB Center.
 
Preseason all-conference selection Katelyn Young leads the Racers and the MVC in scoring at 19.1 points per game while also leading the team with 8.2 rebounds per game. Ava Learn (11.0) and Hannah McKay (10.3) also average double-figure scoring, while seven different Racers average at least eight points per game. Bria Sanders-Woods surpassed 100 assists for the season in Murray State's last game, a win over Evansville.
 
Rechelle Turner is in her seventh season as the head coach at Murray State and owns a career record of 108-98 at the helm. Turner owns a 2-3 record in her career against Indiana State, including a 1-2 mark since joining the MVC.
 
Series History Against Murray State
Murray State owns a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series and won the earlier meeting this season. Indiana State won 82-71 last season in Murray as part of a season sweep.
 
Last Meeting Against Murray State (Jan. 11, 2024)
Mya Glanton pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds and added 11 points Thursday night, but a slow start proved costly for Indiana State in a 75-63 loss to Murray State inside Hulman Center.
 
Glanton's double-double was her team-leading fourth of the season. Bella Finnegan added 13 points while Asia Donald scored 12 off the bench.
 
Indiana State found itself down 26-9 after the opening quarter, but slowly worked its way back into the game. The Sycamores outscored Murray State 14-9 in the second quarter thanks in large part to five points from Finnegan and four from Donald, then cut their deficit down to 10 after three quarters following a buzzer-beating shot from Deja Jones. Indiana State pulled within five midway through the fourth quarter, but an 8-0 Murray State run put the game out of reach.
 
Up Next
Indiana State begins its final homestand of the regular season Thursday evening at 6 p.m. against Northern Iowa
 
Follow the Sycamores
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