Deja Jones recorded the first double-double by an Indiana State player in 30 years Sunday afternoon as the Sycamores routed Southern Illinois 87-63 inside Banterra Center.
Jones finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to become the first Sycamore since Amy Walker in 1995 with a triple-double. Bella Finnegan led the Sycamores with a career-high 30 points, including a program single-game record eight 3-pointers, and Keslyn Secrist added a career-best 22 as all five Indiana State starters scored in double-figures.
Indiana State found its stroke from behind the arc early with five first-half 3-pointers between Finnegan and Secrist helping the Sycamores take a 44-37 lead at the half. The Sycamores’ attack came alive in the third quarter, going on a 21-4 run to close the quarter and essentially put the game out of reach. Jones completed her triple-double midway through the fourth, while Finnegan hit the 30-point mark inside the final minute of the Sycamores’ blowout win.
First Half
An early 3-pointer for Finnegan set the tone for Indiana State, with her and Secrist combining to score the Sycamores’ first nine points. A fastbreak three-ball from Secrist gave the Sycamores a five-point lead midway through the first, with Jones assisting on each of the first five Indiana State baskets. Late threes from Secrist and Finnegan, along with a three-point play from Savannah White inside the final minute, gave Indiana State a 23-19 after the opening quarter.
A slow start to the second quarter ended when Jones banked in a three, a telling sign for how the game would unfold. Mia Simpson broke a 29-all tie with a pair of midrange jumpers, and Secrist buried a trey to push the Sycamore lead back out to five. Simpson and Queen Ruffin tacked on late layups for the Trees, who led 44-37 at the intermission.
Second Half
Indiana State and Southern Illinois traded early baskets in the third, but the Sycamores took total control in the back half of the quarter starting with a pair of layups from Simpson. Finnegan added another three, and White went to work down low for a basket as the Indiana State lead swelled to 58-45 with just under four minutes remaining in the period. Indiana State broke the game open late in the third with a three-point barrage, as Secrist and Finnegan each hit a pair of treys off assists from Jones in the last two minutes as part of a 12-2 run. Led by their sharpshooters down the stretch, the Sycamores took a commanding 70-49 lead to the fourth.
Finnegan added to her career-best day with a pair of early threes in the fourth, while three straight layups from Jones secured her triple-double and extended the Sycamores’ lead to 84-55 midway through the frame. Southern Illinois went on an 8-0 run while the game was already out of reach for the home side. Finnegan capped off a season-best afternoon for the Sycamores with a trey inside the final minute as Indiana State closed out its road trip with an 87-63 shellacking of Southern Illinois on the road.
News and Notes
- Deja Jones became the second player in program history to record a triple-double, joining Indiana State Athletics Hall of Fame member Amy Walker (13 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists at Illinois State – Feb. 18, 1995). Jones had 11 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, setting career highs in both rebounds and assists while becoming the first MVC athlete to record a triple-double this season.
- Bella Finnegan recorded her first career 30-point game, with Indiana State’s two most recent 30-point games both being against Southern Illinois. Mya Glanton had 30 against the Salukis in the opening round of the 2024 MVC Tournament.
- Bella Finnegan’s eight 3-pointers were an Indiana State single-game record and also the most for an MVC athlete in conference play this season.
- All five Indiana State starters scored in double-figures Sunday, marking the first time since Jan. 19, 2007 against Illinois State that all five starters scored in double-figures for the Sycamores.
- Indiana State’s 15 3-pointers tied the program single-game record, with the Sycamores knocking down 15 treys on two previous occasions (Dec. 20, 2005 at Eastern Kentucky, Nov. 18, 2006 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff).
- Indiana State limited Southern Illinois to a 24-for-75 clip from the field (32.0 percent) and a 3-for-16 mark from 3-point range (18.8 percent).
- The Sycamores’ 20 assists were a season-high, with six different players dishing out an assist for Indiana State.
- Keslyn Secrist celebrated her birthday with a career-high 22 points and six 3-pointers. Indiana State won on Secrist’s birthday for the second straight season, having defeated Valparaiso on the road exactly one year ago.
Up Next
Indiana State heads back home to face Illinois State Thursday at 7 p.m. inside Hulman Center.
