The Indiana State women's basketball team closes out their two-game homestand to open Missouri Valley Conference play on Sunday, Jan. 6, hosting the Northern Iowa Panthers inside Hulman Center. Tipoff between the Sycamores and Panthers is sponsored by First Financial Bank and is set for 2:05 p.m.

The game can be heard live on WIBQ 98.5 FM and on the Nelligan Sports Marketing Radio Network as Brent Holl and Jimmy Kendall cover all the action on the court. Fans can also watch the game live online at GoSycamores.com through SycamoreVision with a premium subscription.

Sunday's matchup features the top two scorers in the MVC this season, as UNI's Jacqui Kalin leads the league at 17.1 points per game while ISU's Anna Munn ranks second at 15.9 points per game. Munn (1st, 2.9 3PT per game) and Kalin (2nd, 2.5 3PT per game) are also the top-two three-point shooters in the MVC.

The Sycamores are a perfect 7-0 at home during the 2012-13 season and have won eight straight games overall inside Hulman Center dating back to last season.

A Little History - Northern Iowa
Sunday's game will be the 61st all-time meeting between the Sycamores and Panthers, with Indiana State leading the series by a 39-21 mark. ISU and UNI first met back in the 1983-84 season, with the Sycamores sweeping a pair of games. Overall, Indiana State is 22-7 against Northern Iowa when the teams meet in Terre Haute with the Sycamores winning 10 of the last 11 inside Hulman Center since the 2001-02 season. Indiana State swept Northern Iowa last season, winning 68-62 in Cedar Falls on Jan. 12 and 71-60 in Terre Haute on Feb. 12.

Scouting The Panthers
Northern Iowa enters Sunday's game with a 5-8 overall record, falling at Illinois State on Friday (72-41) in their MVC opener. The Panthers have lost four of their last five games overall heading into Sunday's matchup. UNI is 2-3 in true road games this season, picking up wins at North Dakota State (66-50, Nov. 17) and at Saint Louis (73-64, Dec. 29). The Panthers rank second in the league with 105 three-pointers as a team, also ranking 10th on a national scale by averaging 8.4 treys per game. After suffering a season-ending knee injury prior to the 2011-12 season, senior Jacqui Kalin returns to the Panther lineup this season and leads the conference by averaging 17.1 points per game. Kalin also ranks fourth nationally at the free-throw line, making 94% (47-for-50) of her shots at the stripe.

Game-by-Game - Northern Iowa
Below is a quick look at the last 10 games in the series between Indiana State and Northern Iowa.

Feb. 12, 2012 at Indiana State -- W, 71-60                Jan. 30, 2010 at Northern Iowa -- L, 68-85
Jan. 12, 2012 at Northern Iowa -- W, 68-62               Feb. 27, 2009 at Indiana State -- W, 56-51 (OT)
March 3, 2011 at Northern Iowa -- L, 46-73               Jan. 30, 2009 at Northern Iowa -- W, 66-59
Dec. 30, 2010 at Indiana State -- L, 46-71                 Feb. 9, 2008 at Northern Iowa -- L, 65-68
Feb. 26, 2010 at Indiana State -- W, 70-62                Jan. 12, 2008 at Indiana State -- W, 73-69 (OT)

Last 10 Inside Hulman Center
Below is a quick look at the last 10 games for Indiana State inside Hulman Center.

Jan. 4, 2013 vs. Bradley -- W, 55-54                         Nov. 12, 2012 vs. Marshall -- W, 55-49
Dec. 18, 2012 vs. Chicago State -- W, 69-35             Nov. 9, 2012 vs. Eastern Illinois -- W, 69-39
Dec. 7, 2012 vs. UIC -- W, 64-33                              Feb. 26, 2012 vs. Wichita State -- W, 63-51
Dec. 4, 2012 vs. Northern Illinois -- W, 58-52            Feb. 24, 2012 vs. Missouri State -- L, 58-68
Nov. 25, 2012 vs. Belmont -- W, 48-34                      Feb. 12, 2012 vs. UNI -- W, 71-60

At Home Under Head Coach Moren
Indiana State is 28-8 inside Hulman Center in their three seasons under head coach Teri Moren. In MVC action, the Sycamores are 13-6 in home games since the start of 2010-11, posting a 6-3 record in each of the previous two seasons.

Dominant At Home
Thanks to the home-court advantage of Hulman Center, the Sycamores have been dominant in Terre Haute over the past 11 seasons. Since the 2002-03 season, ISU has played 140 games inside Hulman Center, coming away with victories on 110 occasions.

Looking For Nine
Indiana State has won eight straight games inside Hulman Center, dating back to last season's win over Wichita State on Senior Day. The last time that the Sycamores posted nine consecutive wins at home was during a 10-game streak in the 2005-06 season.

Whitley Sinks Game-Winning Free Throw Against Bradley
Senior Taylor Whitley completed a second-half comeback for Indiana State on Friday night inside Hulman Center, sinking a free throw with 7.5 seconds remaining in the game to put Indiana State in front of Bradley, 55-54, their first lead of the second half. The Sycamores trailed by nine points with less than six minutes remaining, but closed the game on a 15-5 run to earn the victory. Friday's game was just the second time this season that the Sycamores have been behind at the break, as Indiana State also trailed at Indiana on Nov. 16.

Extending The Streak
Indiana State's 55-54 victory over Bradley in their MVC opener on Friday night extended the Sycamores' home-court winning streak over the Braves to 16 straight games. Bradley's last win in Terre Haute came on Jan. 26, 1997.

Select Group
Indiana State is one of 21 teams from around the nation to be unbeaten at home with at least seven games played and one of just two coming from the non-BCS conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac 12 and SEC). Indiana State and UTEP (9-0) are the only schools in the nation to be at least 7-0 at home from non-BCS leagues.

Under 61
Indiana State is 32-4 when holding their opposition under 61 points in their three seasons with head coach Teri Moren, including an 8-2 mark this season. During MVC games, ISU is 13-1 under head coach Moren when teams score 60 points or fewer. When teams go over 60 points against ISU in the last three seasons, the Sycamores are 8-31.

All About Defense
Indiana State leads the MVC and entered the weekend ranking 11th in the NCAA in points allowed per game this season, as ISU's opponents have averaged 50.0 points per game. The Sycamores allowed 60.0 points per game in head coach Teri Moren's first season (2010-11) and 58.6 points per game last season.

Nine Out Of 12
Indiana State has started the 2012-13 season with wins in nine of their 12 matchups, their best start through 12 games under third-year head coach Teri Moren. This season's 9-3 start is the best for Indiana State since opening the 2009-10 season at an equal 9-3.

Half-by-Half
The Sycamores have outscored their opponents by a margin of 353-259 (+94) in the opening 20 minutes of their 12 games this season, while holding a slim five-point edge (346-341) in the second half and overtime. This season, Indiana State has led at the half in 10 of their 12 games.

Second-Chance Points
Indiana State is averaging 13.5 offensive rebounds per game, leading to a 133-76 (+57) edge in second-chance points this season. The Sycamores have scored more or the same number of second-chance points as their opponents in 10 of their 12 games this season.

#PureHustle
Indiana State leads the MVC with 134 steals this season, also entering the weekend tied for 45th in the nation by averaging 11.7 steals per game. ISU has posted double-digit efforts in eight of their 12 games while averaging 13.0 steals per game at home this season.

Assists And Steals
Senior Taylor Whitley ranks seventh in career assists and ninth in career steals at Indiana State, moving into the Top 10 in both categories this season. For her career, Whitley has posted 315 assists and needs 65 more assists to pass Amy Walker (379 -- 1991-95) for sixth place. The Geneva, Ill., product, has 201 steals in her career, needing 10 more to pass Judy Ellner (210 -- 1978-82) for eighth place. Whitley joins Melanie Boeglin (2002-06), Hazel Olden (1990-94) and Shavonda Averette (1987-91) as one of just four Sycamores to rank in the Top 10 in school history in both categories.

Munn Ranks Second In The Valley In Scoring
Junior Anna Munn leads the team and ranks second in the MVC in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game this season. The ISU junior scored a career high 25 points at UT Martin on Dec. 16, leading the Sycamores to a 73-71 overtime victory. Munn saw her streak of 10 consecutive games with at least 10 points come to an end at Butler on Dec. 22, scoring six points with eight rebounds. The Indianapolis native's scoring streak to start this season was the best for a Sycamore since Melanie Boeglin (16 consecutive) in the 2005-06 campaign.

Among The Best
Junior Anna Munn leads the MVC by averaging 2.9 three-pointers per game, entering the weekend in a tie for 32nd on a national scale. The ISU junior has knocked down 35 treys this season and has made at least four in five separate contests.

Recent Overtime Success
With their 73-71 overtime victory on the road at UT Martin on Dec. 16, Indiana State improved to 2-0 past regulation under third-year head coach Teri Moren. Dating back to the 2004-05 season, the Sycamores are 8-2 in overtime contests, including a 77-72 win over #17 Vanderbilt inside Hulman Center on Nov. 12, 2007. Dating back to the 1971-72 season, Indiana State is 21-23 in overtime games.

On A Good Pace: Part I
Senior Taylor Whitley enters Sunday's game with 890 career points, needing 110 more points in her senior season to become the 26th member of the 1,000 Point Club at Indiana State. The Geneva, Ill., product already ranks seventh in career assists and ninth in career steals at ISU.

On A Good Pace: Part II
Junior Anna Munn has knocked down 128 three-pointers in her time at Indiana State, an amount that places the junior guard in 10th place in ISU's career rankings. The Indianapolis native is just two treys away from passing Krissy Holden (129 -- 1993-97) and Deja Mattox (129 -- 2008-12) who are tied for eighth place.

Off The Bench
Freshman Marina Laramie has appeared in all 12 games off the bench for the Sycamores, averaging 6.2 points (fourth on the team) and 3.1 rebounds (fifth on the team) per game. The newcomer from O'Fallon, Mo., totaled a season high 15 points against Chicago State on Dec. 18, going 7-for-10 from the field in 24 minutes on the court.

Sophomore Jump
After averaging 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a freshman, Racheal Mahan has more than tripled her production early in her second season at Indiana State. Mahan is second on the team by averaging 13.1 points per game, while leading the way at 8.2 rebounds per game. The sophomore from Mansfield, Ohio, posted her fourth double-double of the season on Dec. 18, going for 19 points and 10 rebounds at UT Martin.

Crashing The Boards
Sophomore Jessica Valley ranks second on the team with 78 total rebounds and an average of 6.5 boards per game this season, going for at least six rebounds in seven games. Over ISU's last four games, the sophomore from Lafayette, Ind., has grabbed 34 rebounds, going for double figures at UT Martin (10) and at home against Bradley (11).

Missouri Valley Rankings - Individual
Several members of the Indiana State women's basketball team rank in the Top 5 around the Missouri Valley Conference. Below is a quick look at the individual rankings for the Sycamores.

Taylor Whitley               Steals Per Game                           1st          3.3 SPG
Anna Munn                    3PT Per Game                              1st          2.9 3PT PG
Anna Munn                    Minutes Played Per Game              1st          38.1 MPG
Racheal Mahan              Offensive Rebounds Per Game       1st          3.9 ORPG
Anna Munn                    Points Per Game                           2nd         15.9 PPG
Racheal Mahan              Field Goal Percentage                    3rd         52.9% (64-for-121)
Racheal Mahan              Total Rebounds Per Game              4th          8.2 RPG
Taylor Whitley               Assist-to-Turnover Ratio                 5th          1.1 Ratio (38-to-34)
Taylor Whitley               Minutes Played Per Game               5th          33.9 MPG

On To The Next One...
Indiana State hits the road for the first time in MVC action next weekend, traveling to Drake on Friday, Jan. 11, and to Creighton on Sunday, Jan. 13.