TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes an abbreviated two-game homestand Wednesday night as the Sycamores play host to Northern Illinois for a 7 p.m. tip inside Hulman Center.
The game will be carried on ESPN+, with Chris Machado (play-by-play), Nyah Wilson (analyst) and Piper Watkins (reporter) on the call.
Last Time Out
Six players scored in double-figures for Indiana State, leading a balanced Sycamore attack to a wire-to-wire 102-50 win over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods inside Hulman Center.
Tierney Kelsey and
Jayci Allen each poured in a game-high 17 points, with
Clemisha Prackett adding an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Samiyah Briggs finished with a season-high 15 points, with
Amerie Flowers and
Da'Naria Washington tacking on 13 and 10, respectively. Washington and
Kennedy Claybrooks tallied six assists each.
Indiana State opened with back-to-back threes from Briggs and
Kayla Smith, and the Sycamores never looked back. Briggs and Kelsey both had 10-plus points in the opening quarter, with the Trees building a 16-point lead in the first 10 minutes. A slow second quarter for the Sycamores gave way to a 30-point outburst in the third, as Allen and Prackett came alive for 18 between the pair in the frame. Flowers added 11 in the fourth, as the Sycamores opened their three-game homestand victorious on Education Day.
Home Sweet Home
Indiana State's offense has put on a show in the Sycamores' first two games inside Hulman Center this season. The Trees are averaging 96.0 points per game at home and have an average margin of victory of 36.5 points in their two Hulman Center wins.
Efficient offense has led the way for the Blue and White in their first two home games this season, with Indiana State shooting 50 percent from the field (72-for-144) inside Hulman Center. The Trees are also shooting 35.3 percent from behind the arc (18-for-51) in home games.
Indiana State has also used a suffocating defense to overwhelm opponents on its home court. Sycamore opponents are shooting just 30.6 percent from the field (38-for-124) when playing in Terre Haute. Eastern Illinois and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods both committed more than 20 turnovers in their games against the Sycamores.
Sharing Is Caring
Indiana State dished out a season-high 28 assists in its Education Day win over Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, with nine different Sycamores recording at least one assist against the Pomeroys.
Kennedy Claybrooks and
Da'Naria Washington each tallied a team-high six assists, while
Tierney Kelsey,
Jayci Allen and
Kennedi Ard all had three or more assists in the win.
The Sycamores' 28 assists in Monday's game were just three shy of the program single-game record, and it also marked Indiana State's first game with 25 or more assists since the 2021-22 season opener against Stephens College (Mo.). Indiana State also registered an assist-turnover ratio of 4.67, its best in a game under head coach
Marc Mitchell (28 assists, six turnovers).
Through the first six games of the season, the Sycamores rank third in the MVC and inside the top 75 nationally with 15.8 assists per game.
Second Half Surging
Indiana State has been a strong second half team through the first six games of the season, as the Sycamores have averaged 45.5 points per game in the third and fourth quarters. The Trees have scored more than 40 points in the second half in five of their first six games, and own a scoring margin of plus-65 (273-208) in the second half this season.
Included in those totals are a pair of second half performances with 50-plus points, with those coming in the Sycamores' two most recent games against SIU Edwardsville (50) and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (53). Prior to the two recent 50-point second halves, the last time Indiana State scored 50-plus points in a half was November 28, 2017 against Missouri S&T.
Get To The Glass
Indiana State has been successful when winning the rebound margin this season, as the Trees are 3-0 this season when out-rebounding opponents. The Sycamores won the battle on the boards in each of their first two home games, and also had an advantage in the rebounds department at Western Kentucky.
Indiana State ranks third in the MVC in rebounds per game (40.8), tied for second in offensive rebounds per game (14.0) and fourth in rebound margin (plus-0.8). The Sycamores' total and offensive rebound numbers both rank within the top 100 nationally.
Push The Pace
Indiana State has looked to play at a faster tempo under head coach
Marc Mitchell, and the results have shown an uptick across the board in the Sycamores' offensive numbers.
A year after posting the program's highest scoring numbers in 15 years, the Sycamores have taken another step forward in the 2025-26 campaign. Through the first six games, Indiana State is averaging 77.5 points per game and has surpassed the 90-point mark in each of its first two home games.
The Trees rank among the MVC leaders in most offensive categories near the end of the first month of the season. Indiana State is second in the conference in scoring (77.5) and scoring margin (plus-10.2), and third in assists (15.8), field goal percentage (44.5) and 3-point percentage (30.8).
On This Date
Indiana State is 7-6 in program history in games played on December 3, including a 4-1 mark in home games on this date.
The Sycamores' average scoring margin in December 3 games is plus-2.2, a figure that goes up to plus-10.2 in home games on this date.
1976 – vs. Cincinnati (W, 84-66)
1977 – Oakland (W, 91-68)
1982 – vs. Toledo (L, 48-61)
1983 – at Purdue (L, 54-55)
1985 – Butler (W, 58-50)
1988 – Green Bay (W, 66-59)
1994 – vs. Nebraska (W, 86-76)
1997 – IUPUI (W, 70-52)
2013 – at LSU (L, 66-83)
2016 – at Miami (Ohio) (W, 62-54)
2018 – IUPUI (L, 59-64)
2019 – Marshall (L, 60-72)
2024 – at Marquette (L, 67-83)
Northern Illinois At A Glance
Northern Illinois enters Wednesday's game at 2-5 following a 65-52 loss to Evansville. The Huskies are in the midst of a six-game road trip, with their next home game not coming until after the new year.
Nadechka Laccen leads the Huskies in scoring at 13.3 points per game, while Nevaeh Wingate adds 12.6 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game. Wingate also dishes out a team-leading 2.1 assists per game and leads the Huskies in steals at 1.3 per game.
Jacey Brooks is in her first season as head coach at Northern Illinois after spending the last two seasons as associate head coach at Buffalo. Brooks has an 81-37 record as a head coach between her time at NIU and Cortland, and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament three times at Cortland.
Series History Against Northern Illinois
Indiana State is 2-5 all-time against Northern Illinois, though the Trees are 2-1 against the Huskies in Terre Haute.
This is the third straight season that Indiana State and Northern Illinois face each other, with each game coming at a different location (2023 - San Juan, P.R., 2024 - Lexington, Ky., 2025 - Terre Haute, Ind.).
Last Meeting Against Northern Illinois (Dec. 15, 2024)
Indiana State had five players score in double-figures, but lights-out shooting in the second half from Northern Illinois propelled the Huskies past the Sycamores 82-78 in the first game of the EKU MTE at the Clive M. Beck Center.
Deja Jones led the Sycamores with a career-high 17 points and also led all players with seven assists.
Bella Finnegan,
Saige Stahl and
Chloe Williams added 12 points apiece, with Stahl also grabbing 10 rebounds to complete a double-double.
Keslyn Secrist extended her streak of double-digit scoring games to nine after finishing with 10 points.
Indiana State had all the momentum early, forcing nine turnovers in the first quarter and shooting 50 percent in the opening frame to build a 26-13 lead. The Trees extended that lead out to 18 following seven early second quarter points from Jones and weathered a late NIU run to take a six-point advantage into the intermission. Indiana State came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders with a 9-0 run to push the lead out to 48-33, and maintained that double-digit lead into the fourth quarter. Northern Illinois caught fire from behind the arc in the closing stages, though, going 6-for-7 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter to rally past the Sycamores.
Up Next
Indiana State heads back to the Circle City December 11 to face Butler for a 7 p.m. tip inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.
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