TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State returns to Missouri Valley conference play Monday night, as the Sycamores travel to Illinois State for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
 
Monday's game will air on ESPN+ and will also be available on WFNB-FM The Fanbase (99.5 FM and 106.9 FM) with John Sherman on the call.
 
Last Time Out
Tierney Kelsey led all scorers with 21 points Monday evening, but Indiana State struggled from the field in an 89-68 loss to Old Dominion in the Cherokee Invitational consolation game.
 
Kelsey notched her fourth 20-point game of the season, while Kayla Smith netted a season-high 16 points and a career-high nine rebounds. Da'Naria Washington dished out a season-high seven assists for the Sycamores.
 
Indiana State started slow for the second straight game and was unable to ever fully get in a rhythm. Despite scoring 43 points across the middle two quarters, the Sycamores' shooting woes and defensive lapses were too much to overcome in its fourth straight loss.
 
Top-25 Trees
» Indiana State ranks in the top 25 nationally in a trio of statistical categories this season, after ranking near the bottom in nearly every stat during the 2024-25 campaign.
 
The Trees are currently ranked eighth in bench points (32.5), 10th in free throws attempted (24.4) and 23rd in free throws made (16.3). Indiana State leads the MVC in bench points while ranking second in scoring offense (72.8), free throws made, free throws attempted, rebounds (39.9), offensive rebounds (13.9) and blocks per game (3.2).
 
Top Tier
Indiana State sophomore guard Tierney Kelsey has been among the conference leaders in scoring, having produced double-digit points in 10 of the first 11 games. Entering Monday's game, Kelsey ranks third in the MVC in points per game at 16.9 and has been a fixture among the top five in scoring this season.
 
Kelsey has four outings with 20 or more points this season, including a 21-point performance in Indiana State's non-conference finale against Old Dominion. She has been one of the best in the nation when it comes to getting to the line, ranking in the top 30 nationally in both free throws made (30th, 55) and attempted (22nd, 76).
 
Crash The Glass
Indiana State features two of the top 10 rebounders in the Missouri Valley Conference this season, which has coincided with the Sycamores ranking second in the league in rebounds entering Monday's game.
 
Clemisha Prackett currently ranks seventh in the conference at 7.5 rebounds per game, with her 3.1 offensive rebounds per game ranking third in the MVC. Prackett has pulled down double-digit boards in five games this season, including a career-high 15 as part of a double-double at Butler.
 
Amerie Flowers currently sits eighth in the MVC in rebounding at 7.3 boards per game, with her 4.8 defensive rebounds per game (seventh) and 2.5 offensive rebounds per game (eighth) both ranking in the top 10 in the conference. Flowers has four games with double-digit rebounds this season, including a 15-rebound game in the season opener at IU Indy. The 15 rebounds were the most in a season opener in program history.
 
Heating Up
Indiana State senior guard Kayla Smith has put together her best three games in a Sycamore uniform over the course of the last two weeks. Smith averaged 12.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game across the Trees' recent games against Drake, Michigan State and Old Dominion.
 
Smith's last game was her best game with the Blue and White, as she tallied a season-high 16 points against Old Dominion with 15 of those points coming in the second half. In addition to her scoring output against the Monarchs, Smith added career-high marks of nine rebounds and three blocks.
 
Smith has been one of the Sycamores' most consistent 3-point shooters in recent weeks, knocking down multiple treys in each of the last three games and six of the last seven games. Over the last seven games, Smith is shooting 34.1 percent from distance while taking more than three 3-point attempts in each of those games.
 
On This Date
Indiana State is 3-6 all-time in December 29 games, with an 0-2 mark in road games played on this date.
 
1990 – Ball State (W, 78-69)
1996 – at Illinois State (L, 54-80)
1999 – Southern Illinois (L, 62-64)
2001 – Illinois State (W, 57-51)
2006 – Drake (W, 84-67)
2013 – at Tulane (L, 45-51)
2017 – Missouri State (L, 63-77)
2022 – Missouri State (L, 62-71)
2024 – Northern Iowa (L, 65-75)
 
Illinois State At A Glance
Illinois State enters Monday's game at 6-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The Rebirds lost their conference opener at Northern Iowa in early December, but are an unblemished 5-0 at home this season.
 
Addison Martin leads the Redbirds in scoring at 14.4 points per game and is second on the team in rebounds at 6.3 per game. Doneelah Washington nearly averages a double-double with 12.5 points and 8.7 boards per game. Trista Fayta leads the MVC with 5.4 assists per game, with Washington also leading the team in steals (2.2) and blocks (1.8).
 
Kristen Gillespie is in her ninth season as head coach at Illinois State and owns a 162-101 record at the helm of the Redbirds. Gillespie owns a career head coaching record of 267-166 in 15 seasons between stops at Benedictine, Lewis and Illinois State.
 
Series History Against Illinois State
Indiana State is 45-62 all-time against Illinois State, including a 15-33 mark in Normal. The Redbirds have won the last 12 meetings.
 
The Sycamores' last win in the series came in the 2018-19 season (59-44 in Terre Haute), with the Trees' last win in Normal coming in the 2016-17 season (65-47).
 
Last Meeting Against Illinois State (Feb. 13, 2025)
Bella Finnegan led all players with 27 points and Deja Jones added another double-double for the Trees, but visiting Illinois State scored 50 points in the second half to escape with an 85-77 win over the Sycamores inside Hulman Center.
 
Finnegan shot 50 percent from both the field and 3-point range. Jones had 14 points and 11 assists, her third straight game with 10-plus assists. Keslyn Secrist and Mia Simpson also finished in double-figures with 13 and 12, respectively.
 
Indiana State shot better than 50 percent from both the field and 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes, with a Finnegan 3-ball late in the second quarter helping the Sycamores take a two-point lead at the half. Back-to-back layups to start the second half gave the Trees a six-point lead, but Illinois State rallied back to go in front late in the third. Indiana State used the three-ball to stay within two possessions for most of the fourth, but couldn't string together a late rally as the visitors eked out a win.
 
Up Next
Indiana State kicks off 2026 inside Hulman Center Thursday with a New Year's Day matinee against Valparaiso at 2 p.m.
 
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