TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes its three-game homestand Sunday afternoon when it faces Missouri State for a 2 p.m. tip inside Hulman Center.
 
Sunday's game will be carried on ESPN+ with Adrian Madrid (play-by-play) and Brandon Oelrich (analyst) on the call. John Sherman will also have the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend.
 
Last Time Out
Keslyn Secrist notched her first career double-double with 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds Thursday night, but a poor shooting performance proved costly for Indiana State in a 63-58 loss to Southern Illinois inside Hulman Center.
 
Secrist was the lone Sycamore in double-figures, with Bella Finnegan and Savannah White adding nine and eight, respectively. Deja Jones finished with seven points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
 
After a low-scoring opening quarter, Indiana State's offense came alive in the second. Secrist led the charge with 10 points in the period, including a pair of threes, as the Trees built a double-digit lead and ended up taking a 36-29 at the half. Southern Illinois came out strong to start the third and took the lead midway through, but a Finnegan trey and a Jones basket just before the horn had the Sycamores up four heading to the fourth. Secrist kept the Sycamores ahead early in the fourth with five points, including a 3-pointer, but SIU hit three treys and took the lead for good with just over two minutes remaining.
  
Double Trouble
Indiana State guard Keslyn Secrist registered her first career double-double in Indiana State's last game against Southern Illinois, finishing with 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against the Salukis. Three of her 11 rebounds came on the offensive glass, including one which led to a putback layup of her own.
 
Secrist hit the 20-point mark for the second time this season in that game, having also done so in the season opener against Western Kentucky. She matched her career high of four 3-pointers in the game and was responsible for two-thirds of Indiana State's treys in the contest.
 
Taking Care
Indiana State committed a season-low 10 turnovers in its last game against Southern Illinois, winning the turnover margin (plus-four) for the second time in the last three games. Included in that figure was a turnover-free second quarter for the Sycamores, which coincidentally was Indiana State's best quarter of the game. The Sycamores outscored Southern Illinois 25-17 in the second.
 
Southern Illinois was limited to just 10 points off turnovers against the Sycamores, a mark which is more than five points lower than the Salukis' season average in that category.
 
Extra Opportunities
A game after having zero second chance points against Bradley, Indiana State made up for that low mark in a major way against Evansville. The Sycamores tallied a season-high 24 second chance points against the Purple Aces, a figure that can be attributed to a dominant performance on the glass (plus-21 rebound margin) and efficient shooting numbers (50.0 field goal percentage).
 
Indiana State's 24 second chance points against Evansville were the most for the Sycamores in a game since Jan. 21, 2022, when the Trees had 26 second chance points against Valparaiso. Similar to Sunday's game, the Sycamores dominated the glass in that game against the Beacons (plus-21 rebound margin) and had an efficient shooting performance (50.7 field goal percentage).
 
The Sycamores followed that with a season-high 22 offensive rebounds against Southern Illinois, Indiana State's first game with 20-plus offensive boards in the 2024-25 season.
 
Block Party
Indiana State continues to lead the MVC in 3-point percentage during conference play, with the Sycamores shooting 42.9 percent from behind the arc against league foes. The Trees are the only team in the MVC shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range in conference play.
 
Indiana State has recorded three or more blocks in each of the last eight games and is averaging 4.25 blocks per game in that span, which dates back to the first game of the Eastern Kentucky MTE in mid-December. Since the start of conference play, that average jumps up to 4.40 blocks per game, which is the top mark in the conference.
 
10 different Sycamores have recorded a block this season, while eight different Sycamores have at least one block during MVC play. Savannah White ranks in the top 10 in the MVC in blocks per game during conference play (1.0).
 
Crash The Glass
Indiana State put together its best rebounding game of the season in its 90-74 win over Evansville, as the Sycamores finished with a plus-21 rebound margin (52-31) against the Purple Aces.
 
The Sycamores' 52 rebounds were a season-high, and included in that total was a season-best 18 offensive rebounds. Indiana State's plus-21 rebound margin was its best in a game since Jan. 21, 2022 at Valparaiso (plus-21), while the Sycamores' 52 rebounds were the most in a game for the Blue and White since Nov. 26, 2005 at Pepperdine (56). Indiana State followed that with 48 rebounds against Southern Illinois, the Sycamores' second straight game with 45 or more rebounds.
 
Indiana State ranks in the top half of the conference in both total rebounds (37.5) and offensive rebounds (11.9) per game. The Sycamores have pulled down double-digit offensive rebounds in 11 of their first 15 games this season, including five games with 15 or more offensive boards.
 
Missouri State At A Glance
Winners of four straight, Missouri State enters Sunday's game at 12-4 overall and 4-1 in conference play. The Lady Bears are 8-1 in their last nine games, including an 84-57 thrashing of Evansville in their last game.
 
Lacy Stokes leads a quartet of Lady Bears averaging double-figures with 13.0 points per game, with Sarah Linthacum (11.4), Kyra Daniels (11.0) and Kaemyn Bekemeier (10.6) all averaging more than 10 points per game. Bekemeier leads the team in rebounds at 5.6 per game, while Stokes is averaging team-leading marks of 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
 
Beth Cunningham is in her third season as head coach at Missouri State and owns a 55-26 record at the helm of the Lady Bears. Cunningham has 222 career wins as a head coach between stops at VCU and Missouri State.
 
Series History Against Missouri State
Indiana State is 18-69 all-time against Missouri State, with the Lady Bears winning each of the last 20.
 
The Sycamores' last win over Missouri State came in the 2013-14 season, with Indiana State sweeping the season series that year.
 
Last Meeting Against Southern Illinois (Feb. 15, 2024)
Kiley Bess led all players with 17 points on an efficient shooting performance, but Missouri State escaped Hulman Center with a 59-51 win over Indiana State.
 
Bess was 6-for-7 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc to go along with a career-high seven rebounds. Bella Finnegan added 11 points for the Sycamores, who led for nearly three-quarters of the game.
 
Indiana State jumped out to a strong start on the offensive end, shooting 50 percent from both the field and 3-point range in the opening quarter to take a 20-15 lead. The Lady Bears whittled Indiana State's advantage down to a pair by the break, though Bess opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer to push the lead back out. Indiana State trailed for less than 30 seconds across the first three quarters, but Missouri State outscored the Sycamores 16-7 in the final 10 minutes to survive a gritty effort from the Blue and White.
 
Up Next
Indiana State heads back on the road Friday night for a 7 p.m. tip at Murray State.
 
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