TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State opens a two-game homestand Thursday night when the Sycamores welcome league-leading Murray State to Hulman Center for a 7 p.m. tip. Thursday's game will also be the Sycamores' celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
Thursday's game will be aired on ESPN+, with Chris Machado (play-by-play) and Nyah Wilson (analyst) on the call. John Sherman will have the radio call on WVIG-FM/105.5 The Legend.
Last Time Out
Clemisha Prackett scored a career-high 20 points Sunday evening, leading Indiana State to a 78-75 win over Evansville inside Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Tierney Kelsey and
Amerie Flowers added 14 points apiece, while
Jayci Allen also finished in double-figures with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Prackett tacked on seven rebounds for the Trees, while
Da'Naria Washington dished out five assists in the win.
Indiana State led for nearly the entirety of the contest, as the Sycamores got 11 first quarter points between Flowers and Prackett to lead by six after the opening frame. Flowers had all 14 of her points in the first half as the Trees took a three-point lead at the break. Prackett came alive for 13 points in the third quarter to keep the Sycamores in control despite a push from the home side. Evansville rallied to tie the game late in the fourth, but a 6-0 Sycamore run ignited by
Kennedy Claybrooks assured the Blue and White of its second straight road win.
Road Warriors
Indiana State completed an undefeated conference road trip for the first time since January 5-7, 2023, with its victories over Valparaiso and Evansville in the past week. The Trees' last two-game conference road trip sweep also featured Valparaiso, as the Sycamores claimed wins at UIC (59-48) and Valpo (66-58) in the early stages of the 2022-23 season.
The road wins marked the third different time this season that Indiana State notched back-to-back wins, after having just four such instances in the last three seasons combined. The Sycamores entered the week with just one road win on the season, which came in mid-November at Western Kentucky, prior to taking down their in-state conference foes.
Sycamore State
Indiana State completed a perfect 4-0 campaign against the fellow in-state MVC schools in its last road trip with wins at Valparaiso (77-63) and Evansville (78-75). The Sycamores previously claimed home wins over the Beacons (88-78) and Purple Aces (77-71) in the early stages of conference play.
Indiana State's road sweep was fueled by a balanced attack in both games. The Sycamores had four players score in double-figures in both games, and improved to 6-2 this season when scoring more than 75 points in a game.
Indiana State completed the in-state Valley sweep for the second time in the last three seasons. The Sycamores last went 4-0 against the in-state MVC schools in the 2023-24 season, and also accomplished the feat in the 2017-18 season, which was Valparaiso's first in the MVC.
Doubling Up
After winning just four total games and two conference games during the 2024-25 season, Indiana State has far exceeded those totals in the 2025-26 campaign, with eight total wins and four conference wins. The Sycamores already own a pair of season sweeps in conference play over Valparaiso and Evansville, despite being the near-consensus preseason pick to finish last in the conference.
Indiana State's four-win improvement is already the program's best since the 2021-22 season, when the Sycamores recorded a six-win improvement from the 2020-21 season. The Trees also have five home wins this season, the program's highest total since the 2022-23 campaign.
Roaring 20s
Indiana State forward
Clemisha Prackett became the third different Sycamore to record a 20-point game this season, with her career-high 20 points propelling the Blue and White to a road win over Evansville.
Prackett joined
Tierney Kelsey (four times) and
Jayci Allen (once) as Sycamores with a 20-point game this season, with Prackett's 20-point outing at Evansville being the highest-scoring outing by a Sycamore in conference play this season.
Prackett's 20-point performance came on one of her most efficient outings from the field this season. The junior post player went 7-for-11 from the floor (63.6 percent) and was 6-for-8 from the charity stripe.
Trees On Top
Indiana State's 2-0 road trip saw the Sycamores lead for nearly the entirety of their games at Valparaiso and Evansville. Out of the 80 minutes played against the Beacons and Purple Aces, the Sycamores trailed for all of 53 seconds, which came in the early stages of the first quarter of Sunday's game at Evansville.
Indiana State's only deficit in either game was 2-0 against the Purple Aces.
Magic Numbers
Indiana State has fared well this season when scoring at a high clip. The Sycamores are 6-2 when scoring 75 or more points this season, including 3-0 mark when scoring more than 80 points in a game. Indiana State surpassed the 75-point plateau in both ends of its recent 2-0 road trip, scoring 77 against Valparaiso and 78 against Evansville.
Conversely, the Trees are 5-1 this season when holding opponents under 70 points, a mark which the Sycamores also achieved in their 77-63 road win over Valparaiso.
On This Date
Indiana State owns a 3-8 record in games played on February 5, though that includes a 2-1 mark in home games.
The Sycamores have never faced Murray State on this date, with Thursday's game being the first home game played on this date since the 1989-90 season.
1977 – at Southern Illinois (L, 51-74)
1982 – Wisconsin (W, 75-68)
1983 – at Western Kentucky (L, 45-71)
1987 – Northern Iowa (W, 81-70)
1990 – Western Kentucky (L, 49-70)
1998 – at Bradley (L, 60-71)
2000 – at Illinois State (W, 67-53)
2011 – at Illinois State (L, 52-75)
2016 – at Illinois State (L, 62-73)
2017 – at Bradley (L, 41-54)
2023 – at Northern Iowa (L, 51-91)
Murray State At A Glance
Murray State enters Thursday's game alone atop the MVC standings at 19-3 overall and 10-1 in conference play. The Racers are 17-1 in their last 18 games, and lead the MVC in scoring at 83.4 points per game.
Halli Poock leads the Racers in scoring at 20.1 points per game, while Sharnecce Currie-Jelks averages a double-double at 19.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Haven Ford (16.8) and former Sycamore
Keslyn Secrist (12.0) also score in double-figures, with Poock and Ford both averaging more than three assists per game. Secrist and Ford also both average more than six rebounds per game.
Rechelle Turner is in her ninth season as head coach at her alma mater and is 155-112 at the helm of the Racers. Turner led Murray State to its first NCAA Tournament since 2008 last year.
Series History Against Murray State
Indiana State is 3-8 all-time against Murray State, including a 2-3 mark in Terre Haute. The Racers have won the last four meetings in the series.
Indiana State's last win in the series came in the 2022-23 season, when the Sycamores swept the season series over the Racers (62-56 in Terre Haute, 82-71 in Murray).
Last Meeting Against Murray State (March 8, 2025)
Keslyn Secrist scored a career-high 26 points, but visiting Murray State's offense proved too much for the Sycamores to overcome in a 109-70 loss inside Hulman Center.
Seniors
Deja Jones and
Semie Brar joined Secrist in double-figures with 12 and 11, respectively, with Brar setting a season high in scoring in the process.
Bella Finnegan had seven points and a career-high 10 rebounds, while Jones also dished out seven assists.
Indiana State kept pace early by shooting better than 50 percent in the first quarter, but Murray State built a double-digit lead by the intermission. The Racers exploded for 35 points in the third quarter to break the game open. Indiana State had another strong shooting quarter in the fourth, but the game was out of reach by that point as Murray State claimed a share of the MVC regular season title.
Up Next
Indiana State remains at home to face Bradley Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. tip inside Hulman Center
Follow the Sycamores
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