TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins its final road trip of the 2024-25 season Friday when it faces UIC at noon in Chicago.
 
Friday's game will be carried on ESPN+, and John Sherman will also have the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend.
 
Last Time Out
Bella Finnegan tallied a game-high 15 points, but visiting Bradley outlasted Indiana State in a 56-54 nailbiter inside Hulman Center.
 
Savannah White finished one point and one rebound short of a double-double, while Deja Jones added 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
 
In a back-and-forth contest where neither team led by more than seven, Indiana State used a strong opening quarter from behind the arc to take an 18-17 lead. Bradley took the lead early in the second and had a 36-31 advantage at the half, despite a strong close to the half from Indiana State. The Sycamores were within two possessions for the entire third quarter, even going back in front 46-45 following a three from Finnegan and a layup from Jones. Baskets from Jones and Mia Simpson kept the Trees ahead by a point midway through the fourth, but Indiana State struggled from the field down the stretch. The Sycamores went the final five minutes without a basket as Bradley squeaked out a narrow win.
 
Shot Swatter
Indiana State forward Savannah White has recorded four or more blocks in three of the Sycamores' last six games, averaging 3.3 blocks per game during that span. White tallied five blocks in the Sycamores' last game against Bradley while also finishing one point and one rebound shy of a double-double.
 
White is averaging 2.1 blocks per game against conference foes this season and is one of two players in the MVC averaging more than two blocks per game during conference play. Of White's 35 blocks this season, 29 have come since the start of conference play.
 
From Downtown
Indiana State guard Bella Finnegan has found increased success from behind the arc in the last two weeks, knocking down three or more 3-pointers in each of the last four games.
 
Finnegan has 20 3-pointers in that span, including a program single-game record eight threes against Southern Illinois, and has hit more than 50 percent of her 3-point attempts over the last two weeks.
 
Finnegan is tied for second in the MVC with 35 3-pointers since the start of conference play and has knocked down three or more treys in eight of her 18 games played this season. She leads Indiana State with 46 3-pointers this season and is averaging 2.5 threes per game this year.
 
Shutdown
Despite the result not going in Indiana State's favor Sunday afternoon against Bradley, the Sycamores' defense gave the Braves problems throughout the last 20 minutes. Bradley shot just 3.83 percent for the game, with the Braves' second-half shooting mark being a paltry 31.0 percent (9-for-29). Bradley also shot just 14.3 percent from 3-point range in the second half against the Sycamores (1-for-7).
 
Indiana State limited Bradley to 20 points in the second half, the Sycamores' fewest points allowed to an opponent in a half during MVC play. The only team to score less points in a half against Indiana State this season is Wright State, which had 15 in the first half against the Trees back on Nov. 12.
 
Long Haul
Indiana State's final road trip will see the Sycamores travel nearly 1,500 miles on the road over a 10-day span, starting with Friday's game at UIC. Indiana State's first half of the road takes the Sycamores to Valparaiso following Friday's game.
 
Following its Sunday game at Valparaiso, Indiana State has a daunting stretch of travel. The Sycamores head to Drake for a Feb. 27 game before closing out the road trip two days later at Evansville.
 
Indiana State is no stranger to being on the road, as the Sycamores closed their non-conference slate with seven straight games away from home. That road stretch consisted of nearly 2,000 miles on the road for the Blue and White.
 
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.
 
UIC At A Glance
UIC enters Friday's game at 10-13 overall and 7-7 in conference play. The Flames have won five of their last seven games, including a 62-46 win over Southern Illinois in their last contest.
 
Makiyah Williams leads the Flames in scoring at 11.0 points per game and is the only UIC player averaging double-digit scoring this season. Seven different Flames average more than six points per game. Jaida McCloud, Ky Dempsey-Toney and Keimari Rimmer are all averaging at least five rebounds per game, while Kristian Young and Sandra Frau-Garcia both average more than three assists per game.
 
Ashleen Bracey is in her third season as head coach at UIC and owns a 47-46 record at the helm of the Flames. Bracey led UIC to postseason appearances in each of her first two seasons.
 
Series History Against UIC
Indiana State is 14-7 all-time against UIC, including a 5-4 mark against the Flames in Chicago. UIC has won the last four meetings in the series, with the Sycamores' last win coming in Chicago during the 2022-23 season.
 
Last Meeting Against UIC (Feb. 1, 2025)
Savannah White recorded her first career double-double, but Indiana State couldn't sustain its strong start in a 58-53 defeat to UIC inside Hulman Center.
 
White tallied career highs of 13 points and 11 rebounds, the latter statistic leading all players in the game, and also added two assists, two steals and two blocks. Keslyn Secrist added 13 points for the Trees, who had five players score six-plus points in the contest.
 
Indiana State jumped out to an early double-digit advantage with Secrist and Deja Jones leading the charge. The Trees led 18-8 after the first quarter, but UIC's full-court defense gave the Sycamores problems over the final 30 minutes. Indiana State struggled from the field in the middle quarters, being outscored 34-20 in the second and third, before a rally in the fourth brought the Sycamores within two. The Trees' comeback effort came up two possessions short in the end, though.
 
Up Next
Indiana State begins continues its four-game road trip back in the Hoosier State Sunday afternoon with a 2 p.m. tip at Valparaiso.
 
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