TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State opens Missouri Valley Conference play Wednesday night as the Sycamores play host to Drake for a 7 p.m. tip inside Hulman Center.
Wednesday's game will be carried on ESPN+ with Landon Kleindorfer (play-by-play) and Nyah Wilson (analyst) on the call. John Sherman also returns to the airwaves for the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend.
Gameday Offers/Promotions
As part of a ticket special in conjunction with Thursday's men's basketball game against Bradley, students in the eighth grade and below can receive a free ticket to Wednesday's game against Drake and will also receive a voucher for $5 upper level tickets for Thursday's men's basketball game. Adults who purchase a ticket for Wednesday's game will also receive a $5 upper level ticket voucher for Thursday's men's basketball game. These deals and ticket purchases must be claimed at the Hulman Center Ticket Office.
Wednesday's game will also feature a halftime performance from K9's in Flight, and the group will also be performing at Thursday's men's basketball game. Donations for the Terre Haute Humane Society will also be taken on the concourse Wednesday.
Last Time Out
Indiana State got off to a slow start Thursday night and never recovered, as the Sycamores were defeated 101-56 by Butler inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Tierney Kelsey paced the Blue and White with 14 points, while
Clemisha Prackett tacked on 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
Samiyah Briggs added eight points, five rebounds and three steals.
Indiana State attacked the basket early to take a two-point lead in the opening stages of the game, but a 17-1 Butler run had the Sycamores down by double digits early. The home side followed that by outscoring the Trees 26-7 in the second quarter and never looked back. Kelsey and Prackett combined for 17 points in the third quarter to give the Trees life, but Butler shot better than 50 percent in all four quarters to secure a lopsided win.
Weekly Winner
Indiana State junior forward
Clemisha Prackett nabbed her first career weekly honor, as the Sycamore post player was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week Monday afternoon.
Prackett recorded her fourth double-double of the seaosn in the Sycamores' last game at Butler, finishing with 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against the Bulldogs. Eight of Prackett's 15 rebounds came on the offensive glass, as the Sycamores recorded their fourth straight game with 10 or more second chance points.
Prackett became the second Sycamore to earn an MVC weekly honor this season, as
Tierney Kelsey previously earned MVC Newcomer of the Week accolades in November.
Home Sweet Home
Indiana State returns to the friendly confines of Hulman Center for Wednesday's Missouri Valley Conference opener, with the Sycamores off to their first 3-0 start at home since the 2012-13 season.
The Trees completed their first undefeated home non-conference slate since the 2020-21 season, while their current three-game home win streak is the program's longest since the 2018-19 campaign.
Indiana State's strong home form is reflected in the stat sheet, as the Sycamores are averaging 87.0 points per game and have a scoring margin of plus-27.0 in their three home contests. The Sycamores are shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from 3-point range, both marks well above their season average, while opponents are shooting just 33.0 percent from the field in Terre Haute. The Sycamores also own a plus-4.7 rebound margin in home games this season.
Welcome To The Valley
Indiana State begins Missouri Valley Conference play Wednesday night, with the Sycamores sitting 19-23 all-time in MVC/Gateway Conference openers. The Sycamores have opened conference play at home on 21 previous occasions and have gone 10-11 in those games.
Indiana State has alternated wins and losses in its last four conference openers, with the Sycamores claiming wins in the 2021-22 and 2023-24 MVC openers and falling in the 2022-23 and 2024-25 conference openers. The Trees' 2021-22 conference-opening win was at Drake, who the Sycamores face Wednesday night.
Get To The Glass
» Indiana State features two of the top rebounders in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, with forwards
Amerie Flowers and
Clemisha Prackett both ranking in the top five in rebounds per game entering the Sycamores' conference opener.
Prackett ranks fourth in the MVC at 8.5 rebounds per game, including a conference-leading 3.8 offensive boards per game. The junior has pulled down double-digit rebounds in five of the first eight games this season, including a career-high 15 boards in Indiana State's most recent game at Butler.
Flowers currently ranks fifth in the MVC with 8.1 rebounds per game, with her 5.6 defensive boards per game ranking third in the conference. The sophomore has four games with double-digit rebounds this season, with her 15 boards at IU Indy being the most in a season opener in program history.
Scoring In Bunches
Indiana State sophomore guard
Tierney Kelsey has taken her game to a new level since her arrival in Terre Haute, with the Memphis native already surpassing her entire 2024-25 scoring total in her first season as a Sycamore. After scoring just 108 points in her freshman season at Jackson State, Kelsey has 141 points through Indiana State's first eight games of the 2025-26 season.
Kelsey has scored in double-figures in each of the first eight games this season, including a trio of 22-point games for the Blue and White. Kelsey's ability to score at all levels has been on full display this season, as she ranks second on the Indiana State roster with 11 3-pointers made while getting to the free throw line a team-leading 53 times.
Entering Indiana State's first conference game this season, Kelsey ranks third in the MVC in scoring this season at 17.6 points per game. Kelsey will hit 250 points for her collegiate career with her next point scored.
Steady Hand
Indiana State senior guard
Samiyah Briggs has been a steady presence in the Sycamore backcourt this season, and is the only player to start in each of Indiana State's first eight games. Briggs is third on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game, and has scored at least eight points in each of the Sycamores' first eight games of the season.
Briggs has scored in double-figures in four of the Trees' first eight games, with the senior guard making four or more field goals in six of the first eight contests.
On This Date
Indiana State is 8-4 in program history in games played on December 17, including a 5-0 mark in home games played on this date.
The Sycamores' average scoring margin in December 17 games is plus-5.7, a figure that jumps up to plus-15.0 in home games.
1979 – DePaul (W, 74-69)
1980 – Louisville (W, 72-63)
1983 – vs. Chattanooga (L, 49-60)
1993 – vs. Florida Atlantic (W, 74-57)
2000 – Austin Peay (W, 89-85 (OT))
2001 – Akron (W, 84-45)
2002 – IUPUI (W, 70-52)
2005 – at Youngstown State (W, 96-57)
2006 – at Toledo (W, 53-51)
2011 – at Michigan (L, 44-72)
2018 – at Butler (L, 49-72)
2023 – at Ohio (L, 62-65)
Drake At A Glance
Drake, one of the mainstays at the top of the MVC, enters Wednesday's conference opener with a 1-8 record. The Bulldogs won their season opener at EIU but have lost eight straight, including a 70-50 setback at St. Thomas (Minn.) in their last game.
Abbie Aalsma leads the Bulldogs in scoring at 14.7 points per game, while Grace Knutson adds 13.6 points per contest for the Bulldogs. Maggie Taylor nearly averages a double-double with 8.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, with Peyton McCabe and Ava Hawthorne both averaging more than three assists per game.
Allison Pohlman is in her fifth season as head coach at Drake and owns a 94-50 record at the helm of the Bulldogs. Pohlman has taken Drake to the postseason in each of her first four years, including two NCAA Tournament berths.
Series History Against Drake
Indiana State is 24-66 all-time against Drake, including a 17-25 mark at home against the Bulldogs. The Sycamores' last win in the series came during the 2021-22 season.
Drake has won each of the last six meetings in the series, with Indiana State's last win over the Bulldogs being the 2021-22 conference opener. The Sycamores' last home win in the series came in the 2015-16 season.
Last Meeting Against Drake (Feb. 27, 2025)
Indiana State had three starters score 20-plus points, but it came in a high-scoring setback at the hands of Drake, 107-86, inside the Knapp Center.
Keslyn Secrist and
Savannah White paced the Sycamores with a career-high 24 points each, with White also adding a team-high 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
Bella Finnegan added 22 points and
Deja Jones flirted with another double-double (nine rebounds, eight assists) for the Trees, who shot a season-best 52.4 percent from 3-point range.
Indiana State came out swinging from the start, as the Sycamores hit six threes in the first quarter and built a double-digit lead early on. The Trees led 35-33 after the opening frame and kept the lead until the late stages of the second quarter. A 16-2 Drake run to close the half saw the Sycamores go behind 59-49 at the intermission, and the Bulldogs took control from there. Indiana State never got closer than eight in the second half, as Drake withstood a valiant effort from the Blue and White to pull away late.
Up Next
Indiana State closes its non-conference slate with a trip to the Carolinas, as the Sycamores take part in the Cherokee Invitational Sunday and Monday at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee, North Carolina.
The Sycamores will face No. 24/23 Michigan State Sunday at 5 p.m., and will meet either Old Dominion or No. 14/14 Ole Miss Monday at either 5 or 7:30 p.m.
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.
- #MarchOn -
