The Indiana State women's
basketball team closes out the month of November on the road this Thursday,
Nov. 29, traveling to St. Louis, Mo., for a matchup with the Saint Louis
Billikens. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. (ET), 7:00 p.m. locally in Missouri from
Chaifetz Arena.
The game can be heard live on WIBQ 98.5 FM and on the Nelligan Sports Marketing
Radio Network as Brent Holl covers all the action on the court.
Indiana State will look for their first road win of the season on Thursday, as
the Sycamores have dropped games at Indiana (L, 48-60) and IUPUI (L, 67-71)
earlier this month. Thursday's game is also the first time this season that
Indiana State has traveled outside the state of Indiana.
The Sycamores improved to a perfect 3-0 at home in 2012-13 last Sunday, topping
Belmont in a defensive battle, 48-34. Junior Anna Munn knocked down a
career-high six three-pointers in the contest and led the team with a
season-high 19 points, while freshman Marina Laramie added 13 points and seven
rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.
A Little History - Saint Louis
Thursday's game will be the fifth meeting between Indiana State and Saint
Louis, with the Sycamores holding a 3-1 edge in the series. The Sycamores swept
a three-game series with the Billikens from 1986-89 before SLU earned their
first win in the series at home on Dec. 21, 2002. Outside of their games with
Missouri State and during the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, Thursday's
game will be the first for Indiana State in the state of Missouri since
defeating Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau, 75-72, on Nov. 28, 2008.
Scouting The Billikens
Saint Louis enters Thursday's game with a 2-3 record, coming off a 55-44
win in their home opener over Western Illinois last Saturday. The Billikens
went 1-3 in their four-game road swing to start the season, falling at Missouri
(51-67), UMKC (53-56) and Oklahoma (33-68) before topping Nebraska Omaha
(51-42). Junior Lorreal Jones leads the team in scoring (11.8 points per game)
and rebounding (7.6 rebounds per game) this season, while also shooting
25-for-45 (55.6%) from the field. Senior Courtney Webb is also averaging in
double figures (11.4 points per game), knocking down a team-leading 10 three-pointers
this season. Turnovers have been a problem for the Billikens this season, as
the team is averaging 20.6 miscues per game.
Game-by-Game - Saint Louis
Below is a quick look at the all-time series between Indiana State and
Saint Louis.
1986-87 at Indiana State - W, 68-41 1988-89
at Indiana State - W, 63-45
1987-88 at Saint Louis - W, 75-49 Dec.
21, 2002 at Saint Louis - L, 53-67
Last 10 On The Road
Below is a quick look at the last 10 neutral site and road games for
Indiana State.
Jan. 27, 2012 at Missouri State - L, 70-84 March
1, 2012 at Southern Illinois - W, 69-46
Jan. 29, 2012 at Wichita State - L, 63-74 March
3, 2012 at Evansville - W, 58-47
Feb. 3, 2012 at Illinois State - L, 67-78 March
9, 2012 vs. Wichita State - L, 49-70
Feb. 17, 2012 at Drake - L, 43-60 Nov.
16, 2012 at Indiana - L, 48-60
Feb. 19, 2012 at Creighton - L, 48-63 Nov.
20, 2012 at IUPUI - L, 67-71
On The Road Under Head Coach Moren
Indiana State is 10-26 on the road in their three seasons under head coach
Teri Moren. In nonconference action, the Sycamores are 3-11 in road games since
the start of the 2010-11.
Home / Road Splits
Indiana State is 3-0 at home and 0-2 on the road through five games this
season. Below is a quick look at statistics in home and road games for the
Sycamores.
FG-FGA FG% Opp
FG% 3PT-3PTA 3PT FG% TO/PG RPG Opp
PPG
Home 62-162 .383 .313 16-44 .364 13.7 40.7 40.7
Road
33-91 .363 .465 9-32 .281 24.0 31.5 65.5
Under 61
Indiana State is 27-3 when holding their opposition under 61 points in
their three seasons with head coach Teri Moren, including a 3-1 mark this
season. During MVC games, ISU is 12-1 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 7-31.
Off To A Good Start
Junior Anna Munn has posted double-figure scoring efforts in all five games
this season, totaling 18 points against Eastern Illinois, 14 points against
Marshall, 16 points at Indiana, 12 points at IUPUI and 19 points against
Belmont. Munn is the first Sycamore to start a season with five straight
double-digit scoring games since Kelsey Luna at the beginning of the 2008-09
season. The last member of the team to post six straight double-figure scoring
efforts to start a season was Melanie Boeglin, who scored at least 10 points in
the first 16 games of the 2005-06 season.
League-Leading Defense
Indiana State leads the MVC in points allowed per game this season, as
ISU's opponents have averaged 50.6 points per game through five contests. ISU
allowed 60.0 points per game in head coach Teri Moren's first season (2010-11)
and 58.6 points per game last season.
Dishing It Out
Senior Taylor Whitley stands in seventh place in Indiana State history for
career assists, entering Thursday's game with 293 for her career. The Geneva,
Ill., native, has passed JoDee Rigel (278 -- 1977-81), Barbara Graves (280 --
1979-83), Tracy Johnson (282 -- 1978-82) and Kim Darner (286 -- 1988-92) this
season to break into the Top 10. Whitley needs 87 more assists to pass Amy
Walker (379 -- 1991-95) for sixth place.
Among The Best
Junior Anna Munn leads the MVC and ranks in a tie for 14th in the nation
with an average of 3.4 three-point field goals made per game. The ISU junior
has knocked down at least one trey in all five games this season and has made
at least four in three separate contests.
Missouri Valley Rankings - Individual
Several members of the Indiana State women's basketball team rank in the
Top 10 around the Missouri Valley Conference. Below is a quick look at the
individual rankings for the Sycamores.
Anna
Munn 3PT Per Game 1st 3.4 3PT PG
Anna Munn Minutes
Played Per Game 1st 38.6 MPG
Racheal Mahan Offensive
Rebounds Per Game 1st 4.6 ORPG
Taylor Whitley Steals Per
Game 2nd 3.0 SPG
Natasha Zurek Assist-to-Turnover
Ratio 3rd 2.1 Ratio (15-to-7)
Kasey Johnson 3PT Field Goal
Percentage T-3rd 42.9% (6-for-14)
Racheal Mahan Rebounds Per
Game T-4th 8.6 RPG
Taylor Whitley Assist-to-Turnover
Ratio 5th 1.2 Ratio (16-to-13)
Taylor Whitley Minutes
Played Per Game 5th 34.0 MPG
Anna Munn Points Per
Game 7th 15.8 PPG
Taylor Whitley Assists Per
Game T-7th 3.2 APG
Anna Munn Free-Throw
Percentage T-9th 80.0% (12-for-15)
Jessica Valley Rebounds Per
Game 10th 6.4 RPG
Jessica Valley Defensive
Rebounds Per Game 10th 4.4 DRPG
Anna Munn Steals Per
Game T-10th 1.6 SPG
Team Assists
Indiana State is tied for the conference lead with an average of 14.2
assists per game as a team. The Sycamores have posted double-digit assists in
all five games this season, including 21 in their season-opening victory over
Eastern Illinois.
On A Good Pace: Part I
Senior Taylor Whitley enters Thursday's game with 826 career points,
needing to average 7.5 points per game in her senior season to become the 26th
member of the 1,000 Point Club at Indiana State. The Geneva, Ill., product
averaged 7.6 points per game as a freshman and 12.1 points per game as a
sophomore before totaling a 7.5 points per game average as a junior following
an early-season knee injury.
On A Good Pace: Part II
Junior Anna Munn has knocked down 110 three-pointers in her time at Indiana
State, a pace that puts the junior guard on her way to enter the Top 10 in the
career rankings. Munn is just 13 threes away from 10th place, held by Georgia
Bottoms (123 -- 1993-98). The Indianapolis native is tied for the MVC lead with
17 treys this season.
Second-Chance Points
ISU ranks second in the conference by averaging 15.2 offensive rebounds per
game. The Sycamores are averaging 3.4 more offensive rebounds per game than
their opponents and have outscored their opposition by 21 points (55-34) on
second-chance points this season.
D-Up
ISU allowed 34 points in a 48-34 victory over Belmont last Sunday, their
fewest allowed since limiting Evansville to 31 points in a 55-31 victory
against the Purple Aces on Jan. 21, 2010.
Off The Bench
Freshman Marina Laramie has appeared in all five games off the bench for
the Sycamores, averaging 7.0 points (fourth on the team) and 4.0 rebounds
(third on the team) per game. The newcomer from O'Fallon, Mo., had the best
game of her young career last Sunday, totaling 13 points and seven rebounds in
a season-high 24 minutes off the bench.
Half-by-Half
The Sycamores have outscored their opponents by a margin of 151-102 (+49)
in the opening 20 minutes of their five games this season, while trailing by a
151-136 (-15) edge in the second half. This season, Indiana State has led at
the half in four of their five games.
Sophomore Jump
After averaging 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a freshman, Racheal
Mahan has more than doubled her production early in her second season at Indiana
State. Mahan is tied for second on the team by averaging 10.2 points per game,
while leading the way at 8.6 rebounds per game. The sophomore from Mansfield,
Ohio, posted back-to-back double-doubles to begin the season, going for
10-and-10 against Eastern Illinois before posting career-highs with 18 points
and 12 rebounds against Marshall.
30-Point Win
Indiana State posted a 30-point win over Eastern Illinois to open the
season, topping the Panthers 69-39 inside Hulman Center. ISU's win by 30 points
was their largest margin of victory since defeating Southern Illinois by 36
points (93-57) on Feb. 25, 2011 and their largest in nonconference play since
topping Southeast Missouri by 44 points (72-28) on Nov. 24, 2009.
First-Half Defense
The Sycamores allowed just nine points in the first half to Eastern
Illinois on Friday, Nov. 9, inside Hulman Center, taking a 36-9 advantage into
the locker room. The last time that ISU allowed nine points or less to an
opponent in a half came back on Dec. 28, 2002, when ISU took a 59-9 lead after
20 minutes over IPFW en route to a 96-28 victory inside Hulman Center.
Indiana State Adds Four On Signing Day
Third-year head coach Teri Moren announced the addition of four
student-athletes to the 2013-14 roster, as Jasmine Grier, Ricquia Jones, Rhagen
Smith and Stephanie Wittman all inked National Letters of Intent to join the
Sycamores during the early signing period.
Jasmine Grier - 6-0 - Forward
Commerce, Georgia - Central Georgia Technical College - Commerce High School
2012 NJCAA Women's Basketball Coaches' Association All-Star ... Second Team
All-GCAA
Ricquia Jones - 5-1 - Guard
Bellwood, Illinois - Seward County Community College - Proviso East High School
2012 NJCAA Women's Basketball Coaches' Association All-Star ... 13.4 PPG,
4.6 APG this season
Rhagen Smith - 6-2 - Forward
Sullivan, Indiana - Sullivan High School
Indiana Junior All-Star last season ... IBCA First Team All-State ...
mother, Maria, played at ISU
Stephanie Wittman - 5-9 - Guard
San Antonio, Texas - Kansas State University - Alamo Heights High School
No. 37 guard in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz in 2010 ... Sporting News HS
All-American
On To The Next One...
Indiana State opens December with a two-game homestand next week, hosting
Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Dec. 4, and Illinois (Chicago) on Friday, Dec. 7.
