Bella Finnegan matched her season high of 22 points Sunday afternoon while Saige Stahl added career highs of 16 points and 17 rebounds to lead Indiana State to a 90-74 win over Evansville inside Hulman Center.
Keslyn Secrist tacked on 16 points and a career-high nine rebounds for the Trees, while Deja Jones joined her in double-figures with 11 points as the Sycamores scored 20-plus points in all four quarters.
Indiana State took the lead for good on a Secrist three-ball just before the first quarter horn, and broke out late in the second quarter with a 10-0 run to push its lead to double-digits at the intermission. A pair of threes from Finnegan midway through the third upped the advantage to 57-36, but Evansville rallied back to cut the Sycamore lead to 10 heading into the fourth. The visitors got within eight early in the fourth, but an 8-0 Sycamore run followed to put the game out of doubt. Stahl’s final basket of the game gave the Sycamores their most points in a game in over a decade.
First Half
Early baskets from Davina Smith and Savannah White got the offense started for the Sycamores, but Evansville hit a trio of early treys to take a 13-5 lead. Stahl and Secrist added buckets midway through, with White and Finnegan adding to the tally with layups. The Sycamores took their first lead of the game just before the buzzer on a Secrist 3-pointer to make it 20-18 after the opening period, and the Trees never trailed from that point on.
Secrist knocked down a 3-pointer to start the second, with Finnegan and Mia Simpson tacking on baskets to increase the lead to 28-21 midway through. Evansville pulled within two before the Sycamores hit their stride late in the quarter. Five straight points from Stahl, including a three-point play, along with a pair of baskets from Simpson and a three-ball from Finnegan, helped the Trees close on a 14-3 run to take a 43-31 lead into the intermission.
Second Half
Indiana State got off to a quick start in the third with baskets from Smith and White, and Finnegan added a pair of treys to give the Sycamores a 57-36 lead midway through the quarter. Evansville followed with an 11-0 to cut the Sycamore lead in half before baskets from Stahl and Jones gave the Trees momentum. Simpson and Jones hit baskets late in the frame, and Queen Ruffin connected on a three from the corner as Indiana State took a 68-58 lead to the fourth.
Evansville cut its deficit down to eight early in the fourth, but baskets from Jones and Stahl started an 8-0 Sycamore run that put the game out of doubt. Secrist added a pair of layups during the run, and White followed with a three-point play to make it 79-62 midway through. Baskets from Secrist and Finnegan added to the lead, with Finnegan also tacking on a trey to make it 87-72 late in the quarter. A layup inside the final minute from Stahl closed out the scoring as Indiana State picked up its first conference win in a big way, 90-74.
News and Notes
- Indiana State’s 90 points were the most scored by the Sycamores since January 5, 2014, when the Trees scored 90 against Drake.
- Indiana State scored 20-plus points in all four quarters for the first time this season.
- Indiana State finished with a plus-21 rebound margin (52-31) and had 24 second chance points.
- Indiana State attacked the paint throughout Sunday’s game, finishing with a season-high 54 points in the paint. The 54 points in the paint were the Sycamores’ most in a game since the first round of the 2022 MVC Tournament, also against Evansville.
- Indiana State shot a season-high 50 percent from the field (36-for-72).
- All eight Sycamores who saw the court had at least three points and one rebound, with seven of the eight recording a positive plus-minus.
- Saige Stahl’s 16 points and 17 rebounds both set or matched career highs, with her 17 rebounds ranking 11th in a single game in program history.
- Bella Finnegan matched her season high of 22 points, also matching the single-game high for a Sycamore this season.
- Davina Smith (11) and Keslyn Secrist (nine) both set career highs in rebounds.
Up Next
Indiana State’s three-game homestand continues Thursday night at 7 p.m. against Southern Illinois.
