TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State opens the 2026-27 season - its third under head coach
Marc Mitchell - Monday night when the Sycamores travel to Northern Illinois.
The opening night matchup with the Huskies, which tips at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT), begins a three-game road trip for the Sycamores to start the season. Matt Rodewald (play-by-play) and Mark Lindo (analyst) will have the call on ESPN+.
Map It Out
Indiana State's 2026-27 roster spans both coasts, with 11 different states represented on the Sycamore squad. The 2026-27 Sycamores feature athletes from Alabama, Arizona, California, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.
Four different states - Alabama (
Kristen McMillan and
Ariana Peagler), California (
Allison McGill and
Aaliyah Youngblood), Indiana (
Jayci Allen and
Karsen Marshall) and Illinois (
Amerie Flowers and
Jazelle Young) - are represented by multiple athletes on the squad.
Road Trippin'
Indiana State will be a well-traveled group in the first week of the 2026-27 season, as the Sycamores embark on a three-game road trip to start the new campaign. Two of the three opponents on the season-opening road trip will be first-time foes for the Sycamores, as Indiana State has never faced Seton Hall or Rutgers prior to the Trees' opening week trip to the Garden State.
Indiana State's season-opening opponent is a familiar face to the Blue and White, with the Sycamores facing Northern Illinois for the fourth straight season. The Trees are seeking their second straight win over Northern Illinois after defeating the Huskies last season in Terre Haute, and their first season-opening win since the 2023-24 campaign.
Topping The Charts
Indiana State's 2026-27 roster features multiple athletes who have earned conference honors at previous collegiate stops, as nine current Sycamores have previously earned all-conference honors and seven have earned conference specialty awards.
Saroiya Ajomale,
Jayci Allen,
Eanae Dagons,
Karsen Marshall,
Crystal Schultz,
Heaven Shockley Ashley Singhateh,
Jazelle Young and
Aaliyah Youngblood have all received conference honors in their collegiate careers.
- Ajomale: Two-time ACCAC First Team All-Region (2024-25, 2025-26), 2024-25 ACCAC Player of the Year, 2024-25 ACCAC Freshman of the Year
- Allen: 2024-25 WHAC Newcomer of the Year, 2024-25 First Team All-WHAC and All-Defensive Team, 2022-23 First Team All-MCCAA, MCCAA All-Freshman Team and MCCAA All-Defensive Team
- Dagons: 2025-26 NJCAA All-Tournament Team, 2024-25 ACCAC First Team All-Region, 2025-26 ACCAC Second Team All-Region
- Marshall: 2025-26 IEAC Player of the Year, First Team All-IEAC and First Team All-State
- Schultz: 2025-26 Second Team All-SWAC, 2024-25 SWAC Freshman of the Year
- Shockley: 2025-26 KCAC Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-KCAC and KCAC All-Defensive Team, 2024-25 First Team All-AMC, AMC All-Defensive Team and AMC All-Tournament Team
- Singhateh: Two-time First Team All-KJCCC (2024-25, 2025-26), 2025-26 NJCAA Region 6 All-Tournament Team, 2024-25 KJCCC Freshman of the Year
- Young: 2024-25 Second Team All-Conference at Eastern Florida State College
- Youngblood: Two-time First Team All-Big 8 (2024-25, 2025-26), 2025-26 First Team All-State and 3C2A Tournament MVP
Championship Pedigree
Indiana State has not won a conference title since claiming the 2013-14 MVC regular season crown, but the 2026-27 Sycamores bring a wealth of championship experience into the new season.
Eanae Dagons was the starting point guard on Eastern Arizona College's 2025-26 NJCAA National Championship team, while
Aaliyah Youngblood started on San Joaquin Delta College's 2025-26 3C2A State Championship team.
Ashley Singhateh won a conference regular season and tournament title at Butler CC last year.
Heaven Shockley provides a plethora of championship experience in the Sycamore frontcourt, having won conference titles at each of her two previous stops (2025-26 at Evangel, 2024-25 at Mission).
Among The Best
Indiana State's newcomer class features plenty of high-end talent, as five Sycamore newcomers have previously earned All-America accolades in their collegiate careers.
Three of the five -
Saroiya Ajomale,
Eanae Dagons and
Aaliyah Youngblood - earned All-America honors at the junior college level. Ajomale was a WBCA Two-Year College All-American and NJCAA Second Team All-American in the 2024-25 season, while Dagons was an NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American that same season. Youngblood was the most recent of the junior college bunch to earn national recognition, as she was a WBCA Two-Year College All-American in the 2025-26 campaign.
Heaven Shockley, the lone addition from the NAIA ranks this season, is coming off a 2025-26 season which saw her named a WBCA NAIA All-American and an NAIA Third Team All-American.
Crystal Schultz, one of three Division I transfers among this year's newcomers, was a BOXTOROW Second Team HBCU All-American in the 2025-26 season.
The All-America totals do not factor in Youngblood and
Karsen Marshall's 3C2A First Team All-State accolades in the 2025-26 campaign. Youngblood and Marshall both came from California junior colleges, which are not a part of the NJCAA.
Straight Off The Bench
Indiana State featured one of the top reserve units in the nation last season, a trend that the Sycamores will look to continue in the 2026-27 season. The Trees ranked third nationally in bench scoring last season at 31.8 points per game, a mark which trailed only LSU and Louisville.
Indiana State's top three scorers from last season primarily came off the bench, including one of the two Sycamore returners in
Jayci Allen. Of the eight Sycamores who averaged double-digit scoring at their previous stops last season, five are projected to start the season coming off the bench.
Charity Work
Indiana State was one of the top teams in the nation last season when it came to generating free throw opportunities, ranking fourth in Division I in free throws made (17.2) and attempted (23.9). The Trees shot just under 72 percent from the charity stripe as a team, with four Sycamores shooting above 75 percent from the line
The Sycamores' ability to get to the free throw line will likely be on full display once again in the 2026-27 season. Indiana State attempted at least 30 free throws in each of its three preseason scrimmages while shooting 77.3 percent (92-for-119) in their three October tune-ups. The Sycamores took 46 more free throw attempts than their opponents during the scrimmages.
Northern Illinois At A Glance
Northern Illinois finished the 2025-26 season at 7-23 overall and 4-14 in Mid-American Conference play. The Huskies will have a new conference to call home this season, after officially moving to the Horizon League in July.
Nevaeh Wingate and Emilie Sorensen return for the Huskies after starting nearly every game last season, with Wingate leading the team in scoring and rebounding at 13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Sorensen added 9.8 points per game and shot 38 percent from behind the arc, while Sa'Mahn Johnson added 7.1 points per game off the bench, including a career-high 19 points against the Sycamores.
Jacey Brooks enters her second season as head coach at Northern Illinois and owns an 86-55 career record as a head coach. Brooks previously led Cortland to three seasons with 20-plus wins.
Series History Against Northern Illinois
Indiana State is 3-5 all-time against Northern Illinois, though the Sycamores won last year's meeting 69-61 in Terre Haute. The Sycamores have never won in DeKalb (0-2).
Monday's season opener marks the fourth straight season that the Sycamores and Huskies face off on the hardwood, all of which have come at different locations.
Last Meeting Against Northern Illinois (Dec. 3, 2025)
Indiana State picked up its fourth win of the season, using a high-scoring first quarter to outlast Northern Illinois 69-61 inside Hulman Center.
Tierney Kelsey led the Sycamores with 22 points, with
Amerie Flowers posting 15 points and 10 rebounds to secure her second double-double of the season.
Kennedy Claybrooks contributed 11 points and four assists, while
Samiyah Briggs paced the defensive effort with a game-high four steals.
Indiana State controlled the pace early, using a 16-0 first-quarter run to build a double-digit lead behind strong starts from Briggs and Kelsey. NIU battled back in the second and third periods, trimming the margin to single digits, but the Sycamores responded each time with steady scoring from Kelsey, key defensive stops, and timely baskets from Flowers. After the Huskies briefly took the lead in the fourth, Indiana State closed with clutch shots from Flowers and Claybrooks and sealed the game at the free-throw line, securing a hard-fought home win.
Up Next
Indiana State's three-game road trip heads to the east coast, as the Sycamores travel to New Jersey for games against Seton Hall (Friday) and Rutgers (Nov. 8).
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