TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State continues its four-game road trip Sunday afternoon when the Sycamores face Valparaiso at 2 p.m. in an in-state showdown
 
Sunday'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
UIC scored the first nine points and never looked back on its way to a 94-71 win over Indiana State inside Credit Union 1 Arena.
 
Deja Jones led the Sycamores with 19 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Queen Ruffin added a season-high 13 points off the bench. Savannah White and Mia Simpson each had nine points, with White adding a team-high seven rebounds, and Keslyn Secrist finished with eight points.
 
Indiana State pulled within a pair midway through the first after White scored five early points, but the Trees never got closer. UIC went on a 15-0 run spanning parts of the first and second quarters, while Indiana State shot just 30 percent for the opening 20 minutes. The Sycamores' offense came alive to score 48 points in the second half, with Ruffin doing all her damage in the last 20 minutes, but the deficit was insurmountable for Indiana State to overcome.
 
No Start, No Problem
Indiana State finished with 26 bench points in its last game at UIC, the Sycamores' most in a game during conference play this season. Half of that bench production came from Queen Ruffin, who tallied a season-high 13 points against the Flames.
 
The Sycamores have recorded 20-plus bench points in eight games this season, five of which have come since the start of conference play. Seven different Sycamores - Queen Ruffin, Mia Simpson, Davina Smith, Deja Jones, Keslyn Secrist, Saige Stahl and Bella Finnegan - have produced a double-digit scoring game off the bench this season.
 
Your Majesty
Sycamore sophomore guard Queen Ruffin put together her best game in an Indiana State uniform in the most recent outing at UIC, finishing with a season-high 13 points in 15 minutes off the bench.
 
Ruffin went 3-for-4 from the field in Friday's game, including a 2-for-3 clip from behind the arc. She also went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. Ruffin's three field goals, two 3-pointers and five free throws all either tied or set season highs.
 
Second Half Surge
After a less-than-ideal opening 20 minutes in its most recent game at UIC, Indiana State picked up the pace in the second half. The Sycamores put up 26 points in the third quarter, outscoring their entire first-half production, and finished with 48 points in the second half.
 
Indiana State outscored UIC 48-45 in the second half, with the Sycamores outscoring the Flames in each of the last two quarters (26-24 in the third quarter, 22-21 in the fourth quarter). The Trees shot 43.3 percent from the field in the second half after shooting just 30 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes.
 
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, which started with Friday's game at UIC.
 
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.
 
Valparaiso At A Glance
Valparaiso enters Sunday's contest at 10-16 overall and 6-9 in conference play. The Beacons picked up their seventh home win of the season in their last game, defeating Evansville 76-55.
 
Leah Earnest leads the Beacons with 17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, while Nevaeh Jackson is also averaging double-figure scoring at 13.0 points per game. Layla Gold and Katie Beyer both average 7.3 points per game, while Fiona Connolly also dishes out more than two assists per game. Seven different Beacons have more than 20 steals this season.
 
Mary Evans is in her seventh season as head coach at Valparaiso and owns a record of 70-132 at the helm of the Beacons. Evans is 6-6 in her career against Indiana State, including an earlier win in Terre Haute this season.
 
Series History Against Valparaiso
Indiana State is 12-8 all-time against Valparaiso, including a 6-1 mark in Valparaiso. The Sycamores have won the last three meetings at the Athletics-Recreation Center, but Valpo won the first meeting this season in Terre Haute.
 
Last Meeting Against Valparaiso (Jan. 30, 2025)
Deja Jones scored 11 of her team-high 14 points in the second half as Indiana State mounted a comeback against visiting Valparaiso, but the Beacons rallied late in the fourth quarter to hold off the Sycamores inside Hulman Center, 73-54.
 
Jones scored nine of Indiana State's 22 points in the third quarter as the Sycamores cut a 15-point halftime deficit down to single-digits at 51-43 with 10 minutes to play. The Beacons responded with a balanced attack led by Leah Earnest's game-high 25 points and six steals on their way to hold off the comeback in securing the conference win.
 
Jones recorded her 10th double-digit scoring effort of the season and third game in a row with 10-plus points as the senior guard made her presence felt in the second half. She finished with seven rebounds, five assists and a steal, while hitting 2-of-3 from behind the arc in the loss.
 
Up Next
Indiana State heads west to face Drake Thursday at 7 p.m.
 
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