TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State opens a three-game homestand Monday morning when it welcomes fellow Wabash Valley school Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to Hulman Center for Education Day presented by RJL Solutions.
The game tips at 11 a.m. and will be carried on ESPN+. Brendan King has the play-by-play call, with Piper Watkins reporting.
Last Time Out
Indiana State faced an early double-digit deficit Wednesday morning and never fully recovered, as the Sycamores fell 81-71 to SIU Edwardsville inside First Community Arena.
Tierney Kelsey tied her career high of 22 points to lead the way for the Blue and White, while
Kennedy Claybrooks added season highs of 15 points and eight rebounds.
Clemisha Prackett tacked on 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
The home side scored the first six points and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire. Indiana State went into the half down 35-21, but the Trees show resiliency in battling back. The Sycamores went on a 13-2 run, sparked by Prackett and
Samiyah Briggs, to cut SIUE's lead down to two possessions by the end of the third quarter. Prackett and Claybrooks kept the momentum going early in the fourth for the Sycamores, but the Blue and White couldn't find the late run it needed in a defeat to close their three-game road trip.
Let's Get Loud
Monday's game between Indiana State and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods will feature a lively crowd inside Hulman Center for Education Day presented by RJL Solutions.
More than 1,300 sixth-grade students from Vigo and Clay County middle schools will be in attendance for the Wabash Valley battle between the Sycamores and Pomeroys.
Monday's game is the second straight 11 a.m. tip for the Sycamores, who played in an Education Day game at SIU Edwardsville last week. The Sycamores will also play in an Education Day at Valparaiso later in the season.
First-Time Foes
Monday's game against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is the first of two straight against first-time opponents for Indiana State. The Sycamores have never faced SMWC or Eureka prior to the 2025-26 season.
Indiana State has had at least one first-time opponent on its schedule in 11 of the last 13 seasons, including each of the last three.
On The Attack
Indiana State averaged its most points per game in a 15-year span during the 2024-25 season, and the Sycamores have shown no signs of slowing down in the early stages of the 2025-26 campaign.
Through five games this season, Indiana State is averaging 72.6 points per game, a mark which ranks in the top half of the MVC. Indiana State also ranks among the top three in the conference in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. The Trees have hit the 70-point mark in three of the first five games, including a 90-point showing in their last home game against Eastern Illinois.
The Sycamores are currently averaging eight points per game more than their 2024-25 non-conference average, with Indiana State's attack being a collective effort. Five different Sycamores are averaging at least nine points per game, including three in double-figures, while six different Trees have produced a double-digit scoring effort this season.
Second Half Surge
Indiana State has made a habit of producing strong second halves from the offensive side, with the Trees averaging 44.0 second half points per game through the first five games. The Sycamores have scored at least 40 points in the second half in four of the first five games this season.
Indiana State has scored 20-plus points in nine different quarters this season, with eight of those 20-point quarters coming in the second halves of games. The Sycamores are shooting 48.1 percent from the field in the second half of games this season, and are outscoring opponents by a 220-185 margin in the second half this season.
Sycamores Scoring
Indiana State's second half at SIU Edwardsville was the Sycamores' highest-scoring half in the
Marc Mitchell era, with the Trees putting up 50 points in the final 20 minutes of their game against the Cougars.
The Sycamores had gone 234 games without a 50-point half prior to Wednesday's second-half outburst at SIUE. Indiana State's last 50-point half came against Missouri S&T on Nov. 28, 2017.
Tierney Kelsey scored 18 of her team-leading 22 points against the Cougars in the second half, while five different Sycamores scored six or more points in the final 20 minutes of Wednesday morning's game in Edwardsville. As a team, the Trees shot 14-for-29 (48.3 percent) from the field and 4-for-8 from 3-point range in the second half. Indiana State also converted on 18 of its 24 second-half free throws, going 75 percent from the charity stripe in the last 20 minutes.
On This Date
Indiana State has played 18 games on November 24 in its Division I era, going 9-9 in those games. The Sycamores are 3-0 in home games played on November 24, with an average margin of victory of 26 points in those games.
1984 – vs. West Virginia (L, 64-87)
1989 – vs. NC State (L, 61-85)
1990 – at Nevada (W, 81-64)
1991 – vs. South Alabama (W, 88-77)
1995 – at FIU (L, 46-68)
1996 – vs. California (W, 52-48)
1998 – at IUPUI (W, 53-47)
2000 – vs. UNC Wilmington (W, 67-57)
2001 – vs. Dartmouth (L, 68-80)
2004 – Eastern Illinois (W, 83-56)
2006 – at Michigan State (L, 66-85)
2007 – at Loyola Marymount (L, 51-74)
2009 – Southeast Missouri State (W, 72-28)
2013 – at Marshall (W, 68-67)
2014 – East Tennessee State (W, 76-69)
2017 – vs. South Dakota (L, 59-71)
2018 – vs. UC Irvine (L, 61-77)
2021 – at Western Kentucky (L, 65-83)
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods At A Glance
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods enters Monday's game with an 0-7 record, with the Pomeroys' most recent game being a 72-36 loss to Cumberlands (Ky.) at home. Monday's game will be the sixth road or neutral-site game for SMWC in the month of November.
Abigail Parker leads the Pomeroys in scoring at 11.6 points per game and is the only SMWC player averaging double-digit points this season. Jonnaya Harris adds 8.0 points per game for SMWC, while Talyssa Moody averages 6.6 points per game. Samara Douglas averages a team-high 4.7 rebounds per game, with Parker adding 4.3 boards and a team-best 2.3 assists per game.
Tapr'e Young is in her first season as head coach at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods after previously being an assistant on the Pomeroys' staff.
Series History Against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
Monday's game will be the first-ever meeting between Indiana State and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
Last Meeting Against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
Indiana State and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods have never previously met on the hardwood.
Up Next
Indiana State's three-game homestand continues with another first-time opponent, as the Sycamores welcome Eureka to Hulman Center Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. tip.
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