TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State begins its final home weekend of the 2024-25 season Thursday night when it faces Belmont at 7 p.m. inside Hulman Center.
 
Thursday's game will be carried on ESPN+, with Kelsie Kasper (play-by-play) and Adrian Madrid (analyst) on the call. John Sherman will also have the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend.
 
Last Time Out
Mia Simpson tallied a career-high 19 points Saturday night, but Evansville scored 20-plus points in each of the first three quarters on its way to a 79-68 win over Indiana State inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
 
Simpson added six rebounds and six assists, and was joined in double-figures by Keslyn Secrist with 10. Savannah White finished two points shy of a double-double with eight points and 10 boards.
 
Indiana State scored the first six points of the game to force an Evansville timeout just over a minute in, but the Sycamores' momentum subsided after that. Foul trouble plagued the Trees in the first half, and Evansville took advantage to build a double-digit lead by the midway point of the second quarter. Indiana State came out firing in the third quarter with a 14-4 run to retake the lead, but a late five-point swing for the home side to close the third proved costly. The Sycamores pulled within a pair early in the fourth, but couldn't string together a combination of stops on defense and baskets on offense at the opportune time in another loss.
 
Senior Sendoff
This weekend's games mark the last for Indiana State in Terre Haute this season, and the Sycamores have five individuals making their final appearances in the Blue and White at Hulman Center.
 
Prior to Saturday's game against Murray State, the Sycamores will recognize guards Semie Brar and Deja Jones, forward Leah Yarbrough, and graduate assistants Jada Haines and Donald Metoyer Jr. for their contributions to the program during their time in Terre Haute.
 
Trees In Transition
Indiana State caught Evansville on the fastbreak early and often in its recent trip to the River City. Two of the Sycamores' first three baskets against the Purple Aces were fastbreak buckets, and the Sycamores finished with 28 fastbreak points against Evansville, their most in a game this season.
 
The Sycamores' 28 fastbreak points were their most in a game since the 2021-22 season opener, where Indiana State had 39 fastbreak points against Stephens College (Mo.). Indiana State's last game with 20-plus fastbreak points prior to Saturday's game came against Radford on Nov. 23, 2023 (22).
 
End To End
Indiana State took advantage of Evansville's turnovers Saturday night, as the Sycamores turned 17 giveaways by the Purple Aces into 24 points on the other end. The 24 points off turnovers were Indiana State's most in a conference game this season and the most for the Trees since scoring 27 points off turnovers at Eastern Illinois on Dec. 6, 2024.
 
The Sycamores' three most prolific games this season in terms of points off turnovers have all come on the road. In addition to the marks at Evansville and Eastern Illinois, the Sycamores also had 32 points off turnovers in their win at Southeast Missouri State.
 
New Face At The Top
Indiana State Mia Simpson became the seventh different Sycamore to lead the team in scoring when she tallied a season-high 19 against Evansville. Simpson's scoring came on an efficient performance of the field, as she shot better than 50 percent for the game against the Purple Aces.
 
In addition to the scoring output, Simpson added six rebounds, a team-leading six assists and three steals against the Purple Aces. Simpson's six assists also matched a season-high, which she last accomplished at Belmont on Jan. 26, while her three steals were her most in a conference game this season.
 
Off To The Races
Indiana State hardly looked like a team that has won four games all season in the first quarter of its recent game at Drake. The Sycamores led wire-to-wire in the first 10 minutes of the game and finished with 35 minutes in the opening frame. Indiana State's 35 points in the first quarter were its most in a quarter all season, and also represented the most points allowed by Drake in a quarter all season.
 
The Sycamores' hot start to Thursday's game came on a 13-for-19 clip from the field (68.4 percent), including a 6-for-9 mark from behind the arc (66.7 percent. Bella Finnegan (13) and Savannah White (11) both were in double-figures by the end of the opening period.
 
Belmont At A Glance
Belmont enters Thursday's game at 18-11 overall and 13-5 in conference play. The Bruins have won four straight, including a 67-61 win over league-leading Missouri State in their last game.
 
Kendal Cheesman leads a balanced attack for Belmont with 12.7 points per game and also adds a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game. All five Belmont starters average at least nine points per game, with Cheesman, Jailyn Banks (12.6) and Kendall Holmes (10.8) all averaging double-digit scoring this season. Banks leads the team with 3.2 assists per game, while Tuti Jones has a team-high 2.3 steals per game.
 
Bart Brooks is in his eighth season as head coach at Belmont and owns a 190-66 record at the helm of the Bruins. Brooks is 127-20 in conference play in his career.
 
Series History Against Belmont
Indiana State is 2-8 all-time against Belmont, including 1-2 mark in Terre Haute. The Bruins have won the last five in the series.
 
The Sycamores' last win in the series came in the 2012-13 season in Terre Haute, while the Bruins were still in the Ohio Valley Conference.
 
Last Meeting Against Belmont (Jan. 26, 2025)
Four Indiana State players scored in double-figures, but a slow start proved costly in an 88-58 defeat for the Sycamores against Belmont inside the Curb Event Center.
 
Bella Finnegan led the Sycamores with 17 points, with Deja Jones, Keslyn Secrist and Davina Smith adding 10 points each. Mia Simpson had seven points, seven rebounds and six assists, with Secrist and Savannah White both pulling down six rebounds.
 
Indiana State made just three baskets in the first quarter, as Belmont led 19-6 through 10 minutes and never looked back. The Sycamores picked up momentum in the second with Jones and Finnegan combining for 13 in the quarter, but still faced a double-digit deficit at the break. Indiana State struggled in the third quarter, being outscored 24-12 in the period and, despite a 21-point fourth quarter, fell in the finale of its two-game road trip.
 
Up Next
Indiana State plays its final regular season game Saturday at 2 p.m. against Murray State inside Hulman Center. The Sycamores will honor their senior class, consisting of guards Semie Brar and Deja Jones, forward Leah Yarbrough, and graduate assistants Jada Haines and Donald Metoyer Jr., prior to the 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.