SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Behind the efforts of sophomore center Shannon Thomas and senior guard Kelsey Luna, the Indiana State women's basketball team posted an 80-72 win over USC Upstate in front of 420 fans at the Hodge Center on Saturday night. With the victory, the Sycamores improved to 3-0 on the season.
Thomas achieved the second double-double of her career against Upstate, putting up 19 points and 13 rebounds. The center's last double-double came at Missouri State on Jan. 17, 2008. Thomas, whose points and boards totals were both career highs, also had a career-best six blocks against the Spartans.
Kelsey Luna led ISU in scoring with 33 points, including a perfect 12-for-12 performance from the free throw line. Luna hit five 3-point shots and had 22 points in the second half, while Deja Mattox also reached double figures with 12 points over the course of the game, to seal the win.
Thomas passed her career high for points with 13 in the first half alone, in addition to four rebounds and two blocks. Mattox also knocked down a pair of 3-point shots to highlight her 12-point half, while Luna had 11 on a trio of treys.
Indiana State took a strong 12-point lead early in the first half, sparked by six points from Thomas and treys from Luna and Mattox. Upstate's Chelsea McMillan narrowed the lead to just three points on a layup at 12:11, but a combined 20 points from Luna (8), Thomas (7) and Mattox (5) helped keep it at 45-39 going into the locker room.
Upstate's Courtney Hawkins came out firing at the top of the second half with a three at 19:45 to narrow the score to 45-42. Thomas responded immediately with a layup, but a jumper by Hawkins and two straight shots from McMillan gave the Spartans their first lead of the game, 48-47, at 16:37, and neither team would score again for a full two minutes.
Back-to-back baskets by Thomas and Luna between 14:10 and 13:44 put the game back in ISU's hands, but two straight shots from Kendra Wallace made it 52-51 for the home team. Taylor Whitley then hit a shot at the charity stripe to tie it at 52-all, and although the score tied three more times, the Sycamores would not fall behind again for the remainder of the contest.
With the Spartans threatening to tip the score for the next 10 minutes of play, Kelsie Cooley hit a layup at 6:53 to put her squad ahead by five. Luna then poured in five points on a 3-pointer and a shot in the paint, extending it to 10.
Free throw shots from Hawkins and McMillan gave Upstate a shot again in the last two minutes, with the margin at just five points. Lauren McRoberts added a layup for USC to keep it within three.
Entering the final minute, the score stood 72-69 in favor of the Sycamores. Luna was fouled four straight times and subsequently hit eight consecutive free throws to keep the game in check with a final score of 80-72.
"We kept going to Shannon inside because she's a good finisher for us," Wiedie said. "We have to have that inside-outside attack. With the way Luna heated up in the second half, it gave us good balance overall. I'm really proud of Shannon. She brings it every day, and she is becoming more aggressive offensively. I think people are going to be impressed with her as the year goes on."
McMillan led USC Upstate with her inside presence, totaling 20 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, while Hawkins finished with 12 points.
Indiana State returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 24, playing host to SEMO in their home opener at Hulman Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (ET).
