TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State looks to carry the momentum from its record-setting road win over Southern Illinois into its return to Hulman Center Thursday night against Illinois State.
 
Thursday's game tips at 7 p.m. will be carried on ESPN+ with Kelsie Kasper (play-by-play) and Brandon Oelrich (analyst) on the call. John Sherman will also have the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend.
 

Indiana State Women's Basketball vs. Illinois State
Date	Thursday, February 13 | 7 p.m. ET
Location // Venue	Terre Haute, Ind. // Hulman Center (9,000)
Game Notes	Indiana State Notes // Illinois State Notes
Live Stats	Live Stats Link
Watch	ESPN+
Listen	WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend
Tickets	Tickets Starting at $6
Social Media	@IndStWBB // @IndStAthletics

 
Last Time Out
Deja Jones recorded the first triple-double by an Indiana State player in 30 years Sunday afternoon as the Sycamores routed Southern Illinois 87-63 inside Banterra Center.
 
Jones finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to become the first Sycamore since Amy Walker in 1995 with a triple-double. Bella Finnegan led the Sycamores with a career-high 30 points, including a program single-game record eight 3-pointers, and Keslyn Secrist added a career-best 22 as all five Indiana State starters scored in double-figures.
 
Indiana State found its stroke from behind the arc early with five first-half 3-pointers between Finnegan and Secrist helping the Sycamores take a 44-37 lead at the half. The Sycamores' attack came alive in the third quarter, going on a 21-4 run to close the quarter and essentially put the game out of reach. Jones completed her triple-double midway through the fourth, while Finnegan hit the 30-point mark inside the final minute of the Sycamores' blowout win.
 
History Maker
Indiana State guard Deja Jones made program history in the Sycamores' 87-63 win over Southern Illinois, registering the first triple-double by a Sycamore in 30 years.
 
Jones finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists against the Salukis, becoming the first Sycamore since Amy Walker in 1995 (13 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists at Illinois State) to record a triple-double. Jones and Walker are the only players in program history to record a triple-double.
 
Jones is the only player in the MVC to record a triple-double this season, and is one of just 18 players in Division I with a triple-double during the 2024-25 campaign.
 
Let It Fly
Indiana State tied a program single-game record with 15 3-pointers in its win over Southern Illinois, with Sunday's game marking just the third time in program history that the Trees hit 15 threes in a game. The Sycamores previously accomplished the feat against Eastern Kentucky during the 2005-06 season and against Arkansas-Pine Bluff during the 2006-07 season.
 
Sycamore guards Bella Finnegan and Keslyn Secrist were responsible for 14 of Indiana State's 15 3-pointers against Southern Illinois, with Finnegan's eight treys against the Salukis setting a program single-game record. Finnegan (30) and Secrist (22) both set career highs in scoring in the win for the Sycamores.
 
Balancing Act
All five starters for Indiana State finished in double-figures in the Sycamores' win over Southern Illinois, with Bella Finnegan (30) and Keslyn Secrist (22) both setting career highs in scoring in the process. Mia Simpson (12), Deja Jones (11) and Savannah White (10) added to the tally as Indiana State recorded its most balanced offensive game of the season.
 
Indiana State's last game prior to Sunday where all five starters scored in double-figures came on Jan. 19, 2007 against Illinois State, with the Sycamores going 515 games between that contest against the Redbirds and Sunday's game at Southern Illinois in which the entire starting lineup hit double-figures.
 
30-Piece
Indiana State junior guard Bella Finnegan netted a career-high 30 points in the Sycamores' 87-63 win over Southern Illinois, while also setting a program single-game record with eight 3-pointers in the process.
 
Finnegan's career-high afternoon marked the third straight season that Indiana State produced a 30-point game. Mya Glanton had 30 in the Sycamores' first round win over Southern Illinois at the 2024 MVC Tournament, while Del'Janae Williams had 30 in the Trees' win over Bradley near the end of the 2022-23 season.
 
Trees In Transition
Indiana State took full advantage of its fastbreak opportunities in both ends of its season series against Southern Illinois. The Sycamores' two most prolific games from a fastbreak scoring standpoint this season have both come at the expense of the Salukis.
 
The Trees recorded a season-high 17 fastbreak points in the first meeting against Southern Illinois this season, which was played in Terre Haute. Indiana State's most recent game against Southern Illinois saw the Sycamores score 16 fastbreak points against the Salukis in a blowout win in Carbondale.
 
Illinois State At A Glance
Illinois State enters Thursday's game at 14-9 overall and 8-4 in conference play. The Redbirds are in the midst of a four-game road trip, which started with losses at Drake and Northern Iowa
 
Shannon Dowell leads a balanced Redbird offense in scoring at 15.0 points per game, with Elyce Knudsen (13.3), Nevaeh Thomas (13.0) and Addison Martin (11.4) all averaging double-figures this season. Thomas leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per game, with Martin (5.7) and Dowell (5.0) also averaging at least five boards per contest. Maya Wong averages a team-leading 4.1 assists per game.
 
Kristen Gillespie is in her eighth season as head coach at Illinois State and owns a 146-91 record at the helm of the Redbirds. Gillespie has 251 career wins across stops at Benedictine (Ill.), Lewis and Illinois State.
 
Series History Against Illinois State
Indiana State owns a 45-61 record against Illinois State, including a 23-22 mark in Terre Haute. The Redbirds have won 11 straight in the series.
 
Indiana State's last win in the series came in Terre Haute during the 2018-19 season.
 
Last Meeting Against Illinois State (Jan. 2, 2025)
Indiana State matched its season high of eight 3-pointers, 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.
 
Up Next
Indiana State remains at home to face Bradley Sunday at 2 p.m. in its annual Alumni Weekend game.
 
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.