TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State seeks to extend its strong home form Sunday afternoon when it faces in-state foe Evansville for a 2 p.m. tip inside Hulman Center.
 
Sunday's game will be aired on ESPN+ with Chris Machado (play-by-play), Nyah Wilson (analyst) and Kayla Douglas (reporter) on the call. John Sherman will have the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend
 
Last Time Out
Indiana State gave league-leading Belmont all it could handle Thursday night inside Hulman Center, but the Bruins ultimately prevailed in an 85-77 offensive battle.
 
Tierney Kelsey led the Sycamores with 18 points, all of which came in the second half. Kayla Smith added 14, her most in an MVC game this season, while Amerie Flowers finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine boards. Kennedy Claybrooks and Clemisha Prackett also finished in double-figures with 11 and 10, respectively, with the latter also securing a game-high 13 rebounds for a double-double. Kelsey and Samiyah Briggs each dished out three assists
 
The Sycamores controlled the opening period, ending the quarter with a 27-23 advantage thanks to 18 early points between Smith and Claybrooks. Indiana State maintained its lead early, but Belmont worked its way back to tie the game at 40-40 at the half. The Bruins took control midway through the third quarter and carried a 61-52 lead into the final period. Belmont built its lead to as many as 17 in the fourth, but the Sycamores rallied to cut the deficit to five thanks to 13 points in the final frame from Kelsey. Despite the late push, Indiana State's effort ultimately fell short.
 
Letting It Fly
Indiana State ranks near the bottom of the MVC in 3-point percentage this season, but the Sycamores have found their stroke from distance in recent games. The Blue and White have gone 15-for-32 over their last two games against Belmont and Bradley, shooting 46.9 percent from behind the arc against the Braves and Bruins.
 
The Sycamores' recent strong form from deep has been a collective effort, as six different players knocked down a three against Bradley and five Trees hit a trey against Belmont. Indiana State was 7-for-15 from deep against Bradley and 8-for-17 from three against Belmont, marking the Sycamores' two best games from deep this season.
 
Spread The Wealth
Indiana State received contributions across the board in its last game against Belmont, as five Sycamores scored in double-figures against the Bruins. Tierney Kelsey paced the Blue and White with 18 points, while Kayla Smith (14) and Amerie Flowers (12) both posted their highest-scoring MVC games of the season. Kennedy Claybrooks and Clemisha Prackett also finiedh in double-figures with 11 and 10, respectively.
 
The Sycamores have four games this season where five or more players have scored in double-figures and are 3-1 in those games. The balanced contributions this season have the Blue and White on pace for their highest-scoring season in nearly 20 years.
 
Home Sweet Home
The confines of Hulman Center have been friendly to Indiana State this season, with the Sycamores posting a 4-2 record at home during the 2025-26 campaign. Indiana State's lone conference win this season came at home when the Sycamores defeated Valparaiso 88-78.
 
Indiana State's numbers have taken an uptick when playing at home compared to games at road or neutral sites. The Trees are averaging 83.8 points per game at home this season and have a scoring margin of plus-10.5 when playing inside Hulman Center. Indiana State is shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 30 percent from distance at home this season, with seven Sycamores averaging at least eight points per game in home contests.
 
Top-Tier Trees
Indiana State ranks among the national leaders in a trio of statistical categories just one season after ranking near the bottom in nearly every statistic. The Sycamores currently rank sixth nationally in bench scoring (31.9), 13th in free throw attempts (23.3) and 16th in free throws made (16.1).
 
The Trees lead the Missouri Valley Conference in bench scoring this season as the only bench unit averaging more than 30 points per game during the 2025-26 campaign. The Sycamores also rank second in the conference in both free throws made and attempted, trailing Murray State in both categories.
 
Down, But Never Out
Indiana State gave MVC leader Belmont all it could handle in its most recent game, with the Sycamores nearly overcoming a 15-point fourth quarter deficit against the Bruins.
 
Tierney Kelsey scored all 18 of her points in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter as Indiana State cut a 15-point deficit down to five in the late stages of the game. Kelsey hit a pair of threes and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe, as the Blue and White outscored Belmont 25-24 over the last 10 minutes of the game.
 
On This Date
Indiana State owns a 9-4 record in games played on January 18, including five straight wins on this date.
 
The Sycamores are 5-2 in home games played on this date and are 2-0 against Evansville on this date with wins in the 2003-04 (82-51) and 2021-22 (69-51) seasons.
 
1975 – Ball State (W, 74-65)
1983 – Illinois State (L, 57-82)
1990 – at Western Illinois (W, 67-63)
1992 – at Northern Iowa (W, 58-53)
1993 – Illinois State (W, 73-72)
1995 – at Louisville (L, 53-74)
1996 – Drake (L, 69-83)
1997 – at Missouri State (L, 47-61)
2003 – Missouri State (W, 65-62)
2004 – Evansville (W, 82-51)
2015 – at Illinois State (W, 60-36)
2019 – at Valparaiso (W, 86-82 (OT))
2022 – Evansville (W, 69-51)
 
Evansville At A Glance
Evansville enters Sunday's game at 4-13 overall and 2-4 in conference play. The Purple Aces are coming off a 66-48 setback at home to UIC and have lost their last two games.
 
Camryn Runner is the focal point of the Purple Ace attack, leading the team with 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds per game, 4.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Logan Luebbers Palmer also averages double-figures for Evansville at 11.4 points per game, with freshmen Sydney Huber and Georgia Ferguson combining for more than 11 points per game. As a team, Evansville is averaging 67.9 points per game in conference play.
 
Robyn Scherr is in her fifth season as head coach at Evansville and owns a 34-107 record at the helm of the Purple Aces. Scherr is 178-190 overall as a head coach across stops at Roosevelt, Davenport and Evansville.
 
Series History Against Evansville
Indiana State is 45-23 all-time against Evansville, including a 25-9 record in Terre Haute. The Sycamores and Purple Aces split the season series last year.
 
The Sycamores have won five of the last six meetings in Terre Haute, including a 90-74 win last season for head coach Marc Mitchell's first home win.
 
Last Meeting Against Evansville (March 1, 2025)
Mia Simpson tallied a career-high 19 points, 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.
 
Up Next
Indiana State heads back on the road to face Southern Illinois Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Carbondale.
 
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