TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes its first conference road trip of the season Sunday afternoon when it faces Bradley at 3 p.m. inside Renaissance Coliseum.
 
Sunday's game will carried on ESPN+, with John Sherman also having the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend.
 

Indiana State Women's Basketball at Bradley
Date	Sunday, January 5 | 3 p.m. ET
Location // Venue	Peoria, Ill. // Renaissance Coliseum (4,200)
Game Notes	Indiana State Notes // Bradley Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats Link
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend
Tickets	General Admission: $5 // Courtside: $20
Social Media	@IndStWBB // @IndStAthletics

 
Last Time Out
Indiana State matched its season high of eight 3-pointers Thursday night, but Illinois State rode the momentum of a second-quarter surge to defeat the Sycamores 96-69 inside CEFCU Arena.
 
Bella Finnegan led the Trees with 16 points and added a pair of blocks, while Keslyn Secrist tacked on 13 points. Mia Simpson scored a career-high 11, with seven different Sycamores scoring five-plus points.
 
Finnegan and Secrist combined to hit five threes in the first quarter as Indiana State led by a point through 10 minutes. That strong start was short-lived, though, as Illinois State outscored the Sycamores 28-9 in the second quarter and never looked back. Despite a 27-point third quarter, the highest-scoring quarter for Indiana State this season, the Sycamores never got closer than 14 in the second half. A late 3-point barrage in the fourth for the Redbirds put the game out of reach.
 
Let It Fly
Indiana State's 3-point shooting has taken a turn for the better in recent weeks, with the Sycamores knocking down 23 treys over the last three games. The Trees lead the MVC in 3-point percentage during conference play, knocking down 48.4 percent of their attempts from behind the arc.
 
The Sycamores have hit six or more 3-pointers in four of the last five games, including three straight games with seven or more treys while shooting better than 40 percent from distance.
 
Bella Finnegan and Keslyn Secrist are both shooting 50 percent from 3-point range in conference play, going a combined 11-for-22 from behind the arc over the last two games.
 
Block Party
Indiana State has registered back-to-back games with six blocks to start conference play, having achieved the feat against both Northern Iowa and Illinois State. The Sycamores lead the MVC in blocks during conference play, with more than 25 percent of the Trees' blocks this season coming over the last two games.
 
Indiana State's block party in recent games has come from multiple contributors. Chloe Williams, Savannah White and Bella Finnegan each have three blocks over the last two games to rank in the top five in the conference in blocks per game during that span.
 
Over the last five games, Indiana State is averaging four blocks per game. The Sycamores have three games with five or more blocks in that span and have registered at least three blocks in each of the last five games.
 
Spread The Wealth
Indiana State's scoring has been a balancing act, with six different Sycamores averaging more than seven points per game and three starters averaging double-figure scoring.
 
All five starters for Indiana State are currently averaging at least eight points per game, with Bella Finnegan (15.2), Keslyn Secrist (13.2) and Chloe Williams (12.8) all averaging double-figures for the Blue and White. Seven different Sycamores have scored in double-figures in multiple games for Indiana State this season (Bella Finnegan, Keslyn Secrist, Chloe Williams, Saige Stahl, Deja Jones, Mia Simpson, Queen Ruffin).
 
Indiana State's balanced attack has coincided with the Sycamores' best offensive stretch this season. The Trees have scored at least 65 points in each of the last five games and are averaging 70.2 points per game in that span.
 
Coming Out Hot
Indiana State came out of the halftime break with intensity in its most recent game at Illinois State. The Sycamores outscored the Redbirds 27-23 in the third quarter, with the 27 points being Indiana State's most in a quarter this season.
 
Seven different Sycamores scored in the third quarter at Illinois State, with the Trees also accumulating 10 of their 20 paint points for the game in the third. The Sycamores shot 55 percent from the field (11-for-20) in the period, including a pair of 3-pointers. Five of the seven Sycamores who played in the quarter recorded a positive plus/minus total for the period.
 
On The Road Again
Indiana State finds itself in a familiar situation, as the Sycamores have spent the majority of the 2024-25 season on the road. Thursday's game is the Sycamores' ninth road game of the season, and Indiana State has also played a neutral-site contest this year.
 
Sunday's conference opener against Northern Iowa was the Sycamores' first home game in more than six weeks. Indiana State's last home game prior to the conference opener was November 15. The 45-day stretch between home games was the second-longest span between home games among all Division I schools this season.
 
Both of Indiana State's wins this season have come on the road, with the Sycamores notching victories over Wright State (68-51) and Southeast Missouri State (68-65).
 
Bradley At A Glance
Bradley comes into Sunday's game at 7-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Braves defeated Evansville 45-42 in their most recent game and are 4-1 at home this season.
 
Soleil Barnes leads the Braves in scoring at 15.1 points per game and is the only Bradley player averaging double-figure scoring. Ellie McDermid (5.8) and Amy O'Hara (5.0) both averaging five-plus rebounds per game. Seven different Braves are averaging more than five points per game. Barnes also adds a team-leading 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while Ruba Abo Hashesh adds 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
 
Kate Popovec-Goss is in her third season as head coach at Bradley and owns a 13-54 record at the helm of the Braves. Popovec-Goss has previous coaching experience at Northwestern, Colgate and La Salle.
 
Series History Against Illinois State
Indiana State is 54-31 all-time against Bradley, including a 22-21 mark in Peoria.
 
The Sycamores have won each of the last five in the series, including the last three contests in Peoria.
 
Last Meeting Against Bradley (Feb. 25, 2024)
Indiana State shot a season-high 50 percent from the field, 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.
 
Up Next
Indiana State returns home for its longest stretch at Hulman Center this season, starting January 12 against Evansville.
 
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.