TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes its brief two-game road trip Sunday afternoon in the Music City with a 3 p.m. tip at Belmont.
Sunday's game will be carried on ESPN+ with Dr. Rich Tiner (play-by-play), Hannah Harmeyer (analyst) and Landen Secrest (reporter) on the call. John Sherman will also have the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend.
Last Time Out
Deja Jones scored a career-high 21 points Friday night while Indiana State shot 50 percent from the field, but Murray State's fast-paced offense proved too much for the Trees in a 97-71 loss inside the CFSB Center.
Jones was 8-for-14 from the field and also added six rebounds for the Blue and White.
Bella Finnegan and
Savannah White added 10 points apiece for the Trees, while
Mia Simpson had eight points and seven rebounds.
Jones had 10 in the first quarter as the Sycamores went back-and-forth in an up-tempo start to the game. Indiana State had a five-point lead midway through the second quarter, but Murray State closed the half on a 19-4 run and never looked back. The Sycamores shot the ball well throughout the game, but the Racers had an answer for every Indiana State basket as the Trees couldn't keep pace with the home side's 3-point barrage and strong post presence.
Sharp-Shooting Sycamores
Indiana State put together an efficient shooting performance in its last game against Murray State, as the Sycamores shot 50 percent from the field against the Racers. The Trees were even more effective in the paint, where they shot 63 percent inside.
The shooting performance at Murray State marked the second time in the last four games that Indiana State hit at least half of its shots from the field. The Sycamores also accomplished the feat in their win over Evansville.
Indiana State had five different players shoot 50 percent or better from the field against Murray State, with two others shooting 40 percent or better from the field.
Deja's Career Day
Indiana State senior guard
Deja Jones had her best game in a Sycamore uniform in Indiana State's last game at Murray State, finishing with a career-high 21 points against the Racers.
Jones was 8-for-14 from the field and hit Indiana State's lone 3-pointer in the game, with her eight field goals also representing a career high.
In addition, Jones added six rebounds and dished out a pair of assists, leading the Sycamores in assists against the Racers.
20-Somethings
Indiana State has seen four different players record a game with 20-plus points this season, with three of the four Sycamores accomplishing the feat against conference foes.
Deja Jones was the most recent Sycamore to score 20-plus in a game, finishing with 21 in the opening game of Indiana State's road trip at Murray State. Jones was an efficient 8-for-14 from the field against the Racers.
Prior to Jones,
Bella Finnegan and
Keslyn Secrist also scored 20-plus points against Missouri Valley Conference opposition. Finnegan tied her season-high of 22 in Indiana State's win over Evansville, while Secrist had 20 against Southern Illinois.
New Day, New Five
Indiana State has been far from traditional in terms of its starting lineup, as the Sycamores have had 10 different starting lineup variations through the first 17 games this season.
11 different players have started at least one game for the Sycamores this season, with eight different players starting more than five contests for the Blue and White during the 2024-25 campaign. Indiana State does not have a player who has started in all 17 games this season.
No Start, No Problem
Indiana State has received increased contributions from its bench in recent games, with the Sycamores tallying 20-plus bench points in four of the last five games. The Trees have scored 20-plus points off the bench in seven of the last 10 games and are averaging 20.9 bench points per game in that span.
Indiana State has had a double-digit scorer off the bench in seven of the last 10 games.
Mia Simpson scored in double-figures off the bench at Illinois State,
Keslyn Secrist tallied double-digit points off the bench at Bradley and
Saige Stahl put together career-best games off the bench against both Evansville and Missouri State. Overall, Indiana State has had 11 double-digit performances off the bench this season, with those performances coming from five different players (
Bella Finnegan,
Deja Jones,
Keslyn Secrist,
Mia Simpson,
Saige Stahl).
Belmont At A Glance
Winners of six straight, Belmont enters Sunday's game at 12-7 overall and 7-1 in conference play. The Bruins are 6-1 at home this season and 12-1 against teams outside the Power Four conferences.
Jailyn Banks leads a balanced attack for Belmont with 13.3 points per game, with Kendall Holmes (11.2) and Emily La Chapell (10.8) also averaging double-figure scoring. All five Belmont starters average more than nine points per game, with Kendal Cheesman adding a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per contest. Banks adds 3.0 assists per game, while Tuti Jones averages 2.5 steals per game.
Bart Brooks is in his eighth season as head coach at Belmont and owns a record of 184-62 at the helm of the Bruins. Belmont has reached the postseason in each of Brooks' first seven seasons, including a WBIT berth last year.
Series History Against Belmont
Indiana State is 2-7 all-time against Belmont, including an 0-3 mark in Nashville. The Bruins have won all four meetings since joining the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Sycamores' last win in the series came during the 2011-12 season, a 48-34 victory in Terre Haute. Indiana State has never won in Nashville.
Last Meeting Against Murray State (March 1, 2024)
Bella Finnegan led Indiana State with 14 points 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.
Up Next
Indiana State returns to Hulman Center for a Thursday night clash with Valparaiso at 7 p.m.
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