TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State closes its two-game early February road trip Sunday afternoon when it squares off with Southern Illinois at 1 p.m. in Carbondale.
 
Sunday's game will be carried on ESPN+ with Dominic Hoscher (play-by-play) and Jamaal Tatum (analyst) on the call. John Sherman will also have the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend.
 
Last Time Out
Mia Simpson registered her first double-double in an Indiana State uniform Friday night, but homestanding Missouri State pulled away in the second half to defeat the Sycamores 76-61 inside Great Southern Bank Arena.
 
Simpson finished 15 points and 11 rebounds, both of which were season highs. Keslyn Secrist led the Sycamores with 16 points, while Bella Finnegan added 13. Deja Jones dished out a career-high 10 assists and finished one rebound shy of a double-double.
 
The Sycamores and Lady Bears went back and forth throughout the first two quarters, with neither team leading by more than two possessions for the entirety of the first 20 minutes. Missouri State went on an 11-0 run early in the third to take a double-digit lead, but Indiana State's pressure defense created multiple easy baskets on the other end for the Sycamores to whittle the Lady Bear lead down to six. Indiana State remained within single digits midway through the fourth, but couldn't piece together enough baskets down the stretch as Missouri State protected its home court.
 
Return To Sender
Sunday's game features the two top shot blocking teams in the MVC since the start of conference play. Indiana State leads the MVC with 4.27 blocks per game against conference foes, while Southern Illinois averages 4.00 blocks per game against league opposition.
 
The Sycamores have registered three or more blocks in 13 of the last 14 games, dating back to mid-December, with the Trees hitting that number in all but one conference game this season.
 
Another One
Indiana State guard Mia Simpson became the fourth different Sycamore to register a double-double this season, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Missouri State. Both numbers were season highs, while her 11 rebounds led all players on either team.
 
All four Sycamores who have registered a double-double this season - Simpson, Keslyn Secrist, Saige Stahl and Savannah White - had never recorded a double-double at the Division I level prior to the 2024-25 campaign.
 
Dropping Dimes
Indiana State guard Deja Jones dished out a season-high 10 assists in the Sycamores' game at Missouri State. Jones' 10 assists were the most by a Sycamore in a game this season.
 
Jones became the first Sycamore with a 10-assist game since Ella Sawyer tallied 12 assists against Southern Illinois on Feb. 17, 2024. Indiana State has had a player record a 10-assist game in each of the last three seasons (Jones at Missouri State in 2024-25, Sawyer vs. Southern Illinois in 2023-24, Anna McKendree vs. Drake in 2022-23).
 
Attack The Glass
Indiana State gave Missouri State fits on the glass in both of their meetings this season, winning the rebound margin in both ends of the season series against the Lady Bears.
 
The Sycamores finished plus-seven in the most recent game between the teams in Springfield (47-40), after finishing with a plus-14 rebound margin in the earlier meeting between the teams in Terre Haute (45-31). Missouri State has lost the rebound margin in just five games this season, with Indiana State being responsible for two of those five games.
 
New Day, New Five
Indiana State has been far from traditional in terms of its starting lineup, as the Sycamores have had 11 different starting lineup variations this season.
 
11 different players have started at least one game for the Sycamores this season, with eight different players starting more than five contests for the Blue and White during the 2024-25 campaign. Indiana State does not have a player who has started in every game this season.
 
Southern Illinois At A Glance
Southern Illinois enters Sunday's game at 4-16 overall and 2-9 in conference play. The Salukis picked up their second conference win of the season in their last game, defeating Evansville 72-69.
 
Gift Uchenna leads the Salukis with 15.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game and is the only player in the MVC averaging a double-double. Kayla Cooper (9.5), Isabella Palmqvist (7.9) and Se'Quoia Allmond (7.5) are also averaging more than seven points per game, while Tkiyah Nelson (4.5) and Jeniah Thomson (4.0) both add more than four rebounds per contest.
 
Kelly Bond-White is in her third season as head coach at Southern Illinois and owns a 27-55 mark at the helm of the Salukis. Bond-White is 4-2 in her career against Indiana State, including a 1-1 record in Carbondale.
 
Series History Against Southern Illinois
Indiana State is 47-60 all-time against Southern Illinois, including a 19-25 record in Carbondale. SIU won the earlier matchup this season, but the Sycamores won the last meeting in Carbondale.
 
Indiana State tied the program single-game blocks record with 10 rejections in its last trip to Carbondale, with Savannah White tying the individual single-game record with seven blocks.
 
Last Meeting Against Southern Illinois (Jan. 16, 2025)
Keslyn Secrist notched her first career double-double with 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, but a poor shooting performance proved costly for Indiana State in a 63-58 loss to Southern Illinois inside Hulman Center.
 
Secrist was the lone Sycamore in double-figures, with Bella Finnegan and Savannah White adding nine and eight, respectively. Deja Jones finished with seven points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
 
After a low-scoring opening quarter, Indiana State's offense came alive in the second. Secrist led the charge with 10 points in the period, including a pair of threes, as the Trees built a double-digit lead and ended up taking a 36-29 at the half. Southern Illinois came out strong to start the third and took the lead midway through, but a Finnegan trey and a Jones basket just before the horn had the Sycamores up four heading to the fourth. Secrist kept the Sycamores ahead early in the fourth with five points, including a 3-pointer, but SIU hit three treys and took the lead for good with just over two minutes remaining.
 
Up Next
Indiana State heads back to Hulman Center to face Illinois State Thursday night for a 7 p.m. tip.
 
Follow the Sycamores
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