The Indiana State women's
basketball team travels to in-state rival Evansville on Thursday night, as ISU
looks for their third straight win on the season. Tipoff between the Sycamores
and Purple Aces is set for 8:00 p.m. (ET), 7:00 p.m. locally in Evansville from
Ford Center.
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.
Indiana State enters the game at 14-8 on the season and 6-5 in Missouri Valley
Conference, sitting in a tie with Northern Iowa for fifth place in the league
standings. The Sycamores earned a sweep of Creighton (W, 58-41) and Drake (W,
59-48) inside Hulman Center last weekend, the first time that Indiana State has
posted back-to-back wins in MVC play this season.
Senior Taylor Whitley joined the 1,000 Point Club at Indiana State on Sunday
against Drake, becoming the 26th member of the Sycamore women's basketball
program to eclipse the total. Whitley also ranks seventh in career assists and
seventh in career steals at ISU.
A Little History - Evansville
Thursday's game will be the 46th all-time meeting between Indiana State and
Evansville, with the Sycamores leading the series by a 30-15 margin. ISU and UE
first met during the 1974-75 season with the Sycamores coming out on top,
75-41. Indiana State holds a 10-9 edge in games played in Evansville, including
a 58-47 victory inside Ford Center last season. Indiana State has won three
straight road games against Evansville, dating back to the 2008-09 season.
Evansville broke Indiana State's six-game winning streak in the series earlier
this season, claiming a 55-54 victory in Hulman Center on Jan. 19. Under head
coach Teri Moren, Indiana State is 4-1 against Evansville and 2-0 on the road.
Scouting The Purple Aces
Evansville enters Thursday's game at 8-13 on the season, sitting in fourth
place in the MVC standings with a 6-4 record within the league. The Purple Aces
are an even 4-4 at home this season, including 3-2 within the MVC. After
beginning the league schedule with a 4-1 record, UE has dropped three of their
four games overall, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 52-41 victory at
Southern Illinois on Saturday. Senior Samantha Heck leads the team with 13.9
points per game, while adding 7.5 rebounds per game. Sophomore Mallory Ladd has
seven double-doubles in 12 games, averaging 12.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per
game.
Game-by-Game - Evansville
Below is a quick look at the last 10 games in the series between Indiana
State and Evansville.
Jan. 19, 2013 at Indiana State - L, 54-55 Feb.
20, 2010 at Evansville - W, 71-50
March 3, 2012 at Evansville - W, 58-47 Jan.
21, 2010 at Indiana State - W, 55-31
Dec. 30, 2011 at Indiana State - W, 73-54 Feb.
19, 2009 at Evansville - L, 58-65
Feb. 27, 2011 at Indiana State - W, 64-50 Jan.
24, 2009 at Indiana State - W, 66-59
Jan. 27, 2011 at Evansville - W, 75-67 March
6, 2008 at Indiana State - W, 66-61
Last 10 On The Road
Below is a quick look at the last 10 neutral site and road games for
Indiana State.
Feb. 3, 2013 at Wichita State -- L, 46-53 Dec.
22, 2012 at Butler -- L, 45-56
Feb. 1, 2013 at Missouri State -- W, 71-67 Dec.
16, 2012 at UT Martin -- W, 73-71 (OT)
Jan. 25, 2013 at Illinois State -- L, 65-66 Nov.
29, 2012 at Saint Louis -- W, 48-46
Jan. 13, 2013 at Creighton -- L, 50-69 Nov.
20, 2012 at IUPUI -- L, 67-71
Jan. 11, 2013 at Drake -- W, 67-49 Nov.
16, 2012 at Indiana -- L, 48-60
On The Road Under Head Coach Moren
ISU is 14-30 (.318) on the road in their three seasons under head coach
Teri Moren. In MVC play, the Sycamores are 7-16 in league road games since the
start of the 2010-11 season. This season, the Sycamores are 4-6 away from
Hulman Center.
All About Defense: Part I
Indiana State leads the MVC and enters the week ranking 18th in the NCAA in
points allowed per game this season, as ISU's opponents have averaged 52.7
points per game. The Sycamores allowed 64.5 points per game in head coach Teri
Moren's first season (2010-11) and 63.4 points per game last season.
All About Defense: Part II
Indiana State is well on its way to setting a school record for the fewest
points allowed per game for a single season. Below is a quick look at the best
five defensive seasons for Indiana State since the inception of 20-minute
halves during the 1975-76 season.
Season Opp.
PPG Total Points Games Team Record Opp.
Held Under 50 Points
2012-13 52.7 1,159 22 14-8 Nine
1975-76 60.2 1,685 28 19-9 Seven
2008-09 61.9 1,856 30 14-16 Four
1997-98 62.2 1,742 28 17-11 Five
2009-10 62.7 1,943 31 17-14 Four
Under 61
Indiana State is 36-7 (.837) when holding their opposition under 61 points
in their three seasons with head coach Teri Moren, including a 12-5 mark this
season. During MVC games, ISU is 17-4 under head coach Moren when teams score
60 points or fewer. When teams go over 61 points against ISU in the last three
seasons, the Sycamores are 9-33.
Taylor Whitley Joins The 1,000 Point
Club
Senior Taylor Whitley knocked down a jump shot in the first minute of play
in second half on Sunday against Drake, becoming the 26th member of the 1,000
Point Club at Indiana State. The Geneva, Ill., product ranks seventh in career
assists and seventh in career steals at ISU. Below is a quick look at the 1,000
Point Club at Indiana State.
1. Amy Hile (1983-87) --
1,944 14.
Shannon Thomas (2008-12) -- 1,253
2. Kourtney Mennen (1999-03) -- 1,843 15.
Hazel Olden (1990-94) -- 1,244
3. Melanie Boeglin (2002-06) -- 1,800 16.
Laura Rudolphi (2004-08) -- 1,208
4. Julie Lein (1987-91) -- 1,585 17.
Angie Eichorst (1988-92) -- 1,174
5. Barbara Graves (1979-83) -- 1,498 18.
Lori Castetter (1985-89) -- 1,166
6. Shelly Newell (1976-80) -- 1,435 19.
Brittany Schoen (2008-12) -- 1,118
7. Amy Vanderkolk (1985-89) -- 1,434 20.
Trish Porter (1972-76) -- 1,112
8. Kelsey Luna (2006-10) -- 1,429 21.
Tammy Hammel (1983-87) -- 1,080
9. Georgia Bottoms (1993-98) -- 1,383 22.
Deja Mattox (2008-12) -- 1,051
10. Judy Ellner (1978-82) -- 1,367 23.
Lisa Verhoff (2002-06) -- 1,041
11. Amy Walker (1991-95) -- 1,333 24.
Rachel Maenpaa (2003-07) -- 1,029
12. Livia Hester (1992-96) -- 1,332 25.
Stephanie Lisch (2003-06) -- 1,007
13. Amy Amstutz (1996-99) -- 1,274 26.
Taylor Whitley (2009-present) -- 1,005
Winning On The Glass
The Sycamores are 12-1 this season when out-rebounding their opponents
compared to 2-7 when rebounds are equal or the opposition has more. For the
season, Indiana State has posted a 37.6-33.2 (+4.4) average edge on the glass
while allowing the fewest rebounds per game in the conference (33.2).
Rare Wins
Indiana State has earned road wins at Drake (67-49, Jan. 11) and at
Missouri State (71-67, Feb. 1) this season, places that the Sycamores have
struggled in the past. The road victory over the Bulldogs was just their fourth
in program history and first since 2006-07, while ISU's win in Springfield was
their first since 2007-08 and the fifth in school history. ISU picked up a
58-41 victory over Creighton last Friday, snapping an eight-game losing streaks
to the Bluejays.
Close Losses In MVC Play
Of Indiana State's five losses in MVC play this season, three have come on
the final possession of the game. In ISU's 54-52 loss to Northern Iowa, UNI's
Jen Keitel grabbed a rebound and banked in a hook shot with 1.6 seconds
remaining to give the Panthers the victory. Indiana State had possession of the
basketball in the closing seconds of both their losses to Evansville (55-54)
and Illinois State (66-65), but could not find a go-ahead shot in either
contest.
Munn Ranks Third In The Valley In
Scoring
Junior Anna Munn leads the team and ranks third in the MVC in scoring,
averaging 14.9 points per game this season. The ISU junior scored a career high
27 points at Missouri State, leading the Sycamores to a 71-67 victory on the
road. Munn has posted double-figure efforts in 18 of her 21 games this season
and has went over 20 points in three games (23 points vs. UIC, Dec. 7; 25
points at UT Martin, Dec. 16; 27 points at Missouri State, Feb. 1).
Laramie Moves Into The Starting Lineup
Freshman Marina Laramie was inserted into the starting lineup over each of
the past five games and has responded by averaging 10.0 points and 8.8 rebounds
per game. The newcomer from O'Fallon, Mo., went for 17 points and nine rebounds
at Illinois State on Jan. 25, before posting 10 points and eight rebounds at
Missouri State on Feb. 1. Laramie tallied her first career double-double last
Friday against Creighton, totaling 10 points and 14 rebounds.
Sophomore Jump
After averaging 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a freshman, Racheal
Mahan has tripled her production in her second season at ISU. Mahan is second
on the team by averaging 13.1 points per game, while leading the way at 8.1
rebounds per game. The sophomore from Mansfield, Ohio, ranks in a tie for
second in the MVC with seven double-doubles this season.
Assists And Steals
Senior Taylor Whitley ranks seventh in career assists and seventh in career
steals at ISU, moving into the Top 10 in both categories this season. For her
career, Whitley has posted 346 assists and needs 34 more assists to pass Amy
Walker (379 -- 1991-95) for sixth place. The Geneva, Ill., product, has 217
career steals, 11 shy of Amy Hile (228 -- 1983-87) in sixth 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.
Half-by-Half
The Sycamores have outscored their opponents by a margin of 639-511 (+128)
in the opening 20 minutes of their 22 games this season, while holding a slim
six-point edge (654-648) in the second half and overtime. This season, Indiana
State has led at the half in 16 of their 22 games and is 13-3 when leading at
the break.
Second-Chance Points
Indiana State is averaging 13.1 offensive rebounds per game, leading to a
228-141 (+87) edge in second-chance points this season. The Sycamores have
scored more or the same number of second-chance points as their opponents in 17
of their 22 games this season.
Field Goal Percentage Defense
Indiana State leads in the conference in field goal percentage defense,
allowing their opponents to shoot 405-for-1096 (37.0%) from the field this
season. The Sycamores have held an opponent under 40% shooting in 11 games this
season, going 9-2 in those contests.
Down To The Wire
In Indiana State's three seasons under head coach Teri Moren, the Sycamores
are 8-10 in games decided by five points or less, including a 4-4 mark this
season. ISU's close wins this season are on the road over Saint Louis (48-46),
UT Martin (73-71) and Missouri State (71-67) and at home over Bradley (55-54).
Among The Best
Junior Anna Munn leads in the MVC by averaging 2.6 three-pointers per game,
entering the week ranking 40th on a national scale. The ISU junior has knocked
down 55 treys this season and has made at least four in seven separate
contests.
Recent Overtime Success
With their 73-71 overtime victory on the road at UT Martin, ISU 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
home win over #17 Vanderbilt on Nov. 12, 2007. Dating back to the 1971-72
season, Indiana State is 21-23 in overtime games.
Sharp Shooter
Junior Anna Munn has knocked down 148 three-pointers in her time at Indiana
State, an amount that places the junior guard in eighth place in ISU's career
rankings. The Indianapolis native made two treys against Northern Iowa on Jan.
6, passing Krissy Holden (129 -- 1993-97) and Deja Mattox (129 -- 2008-12) in
the career rankings. Next up for Munn is April Kirby (166 -- 1998-2002) in
seventh place in ISU history.
On To The Next One...
The Sycamores travel to Southern Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 3:05
p.m. (ET). Saturday's game with the Salukis can be seen locally in the Wabash
Valley on WAWV-TV. Following ISU's road swing to UE and SIU, the Sycamores
return to Hulman Center for a three-game homestand against Illinois State (Feb.
24), Missouri State (March 1) and Wichita State (March 3).
