Bonnie Ryan
GoSycamores.com
Terre Haute, Ind. - The Indiana State women's basketball team gave fans their first look at the 2009-10 squad Sunday afternoon in an 84-52 win over Bellarmine in front of 2,929 fans at Hulman Center.
Led by five 3-pointers from sophomore Brittany Schoen, ISU compiled an 11-of-22 team effort from behind the arc. Schoen totaled 17 points on the day, while sophomore Deja Mattox also reached double digits with 15 off 6-for-12 field goal shooting and a 2-for-2 effort from the free throw line.
Senior Kelsey Luna, a preseason All-MVC selection, played just 21 minutes and had nine points, as 13 players saw time on the floor. With nine underclassmen in the lineup, the Sycamores' depth wore down Bellarmine, and they outscored the Knights 44-23 in the second half. ISU also outpaced BU 32-11 in off-the-bench scoring.
"We got a win by 32 and Kelsey Luna was only out there 21 minutes, and I think that speaks to the options we have available with this team," head coach Jim Wiedie said. "We were glad to get everyone a chance to play today and see some different options heading into the season."
Indiana State's defense also forced 21 turnovers, led by three steals apiece from Luna and freshman Taylor Whitley.
In the opening four minutes, Luna had a pair of 3-pointers, but the Knights kept it close in the earlier part of the first half. Brittany Schoen then poured in three treys and Mattox and sophomore Chelsea Buher one more apiece to put ISU up 30-16 and cap a 16-3 run at 4:21. Overall, Indiana State tallied eight 3-pointers to take a 40-29 lead at the half.
The Sycamores came out strong after halftime with 10 points in the first five minutes, sparked by two steals by Luna, the first of which resulted in a layup from Deja Mattox at 18:31. ISU took a 19-point lead at 51-32 with 15 minutes to go, as Thomas hit both of her free throws.
At the 12:34 mark, ISU went on a 27-8 scoring run over the next eight minutes. Thomas led the way, contributing four rebounds and four points. With just under six minutes to go, freshman Krista Smith made her Sycamore debut, grabbing a steal and putting up two points to go up by 29.
At 3:31, Amanda Pedro drilled two shots from the charity stripe to extend the lead to 33. Pedro earlier hit a pair of free throws and finished the day 5-for-8 at the line.
Terre Haute native Smith, who played seven minutes to begin her career, put it away in the final minutes with two lay-ups. She was 3-for-3 with six total points.
"We've seen Krista's ability since she was a freshman playing high school ball here at South Vigo," Wiedie said. "With her athleticism, she can move around the court and give opponents some trouble."
Bellarmine, a Division II school from the Great Lakes Valley Conference, was led by Brittany Edelen, who had 18 points, six rebounds and a steal.
The Sycamores return to action on Sunday, Nov. 8 in their final exhibition of the season with Southern Indiana. Tip-off at Hulman Center is set for 2:05 p.m.
