EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Indiana State women's basketball team overcame a six-point second-half deficit to earn a 65-49 win in front of 493 fans at SIU Edwardsville Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Sycamores improve to 7-0 on the season and extend the second-best start in program history.

Senior Kelsey Luna finished with 11 points, a pair of rebounds, two assists and a steal. She was also a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line, which extends her streak to 35 consecutive shots made from the charity stripe, beginning Nov. 14 at Kansas State.

Sophomore Deja Mattox also finished with double-figure scoring, contributing 10 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Sophomore Amanda Pedro had her best performance of the season against the Cougars, totaling seven points and seven boards off the bench as ISU's leading rebounder. Sophomore Shannon Thomas also chipped in two blocks, while six Sycamores finished with seven or more points on the day.

Thomas and Cooley gave the Sycamores a 4-0 lead to open the game, and Luna hit a triple to make it 7-2. SIUE stayed with ISU the entire half, coming within three with 10 minutes to go. Mattox then hit a trey, and a drive to the basket by Cooley extended the lead to 19-12. SIUE went on a 14-9 run for the remaining minutes, banking in nine free throws and six points from Sydney Stahlberg.

Indiana State took just a three-point advantage into halftime, which ties for its narrowest halftime lead of the season. In the second stanza, SIUE came out firing on a 9-0 run for a 35-29 lead. But consecutive shots from Brittany Schoen, Moriah Hodge, Chelsea Buher and Luna within two minutes put the Sycamores up 38-35.

Pedro took over with 11 minutes to go, punching in five points on a jumper and a 3-pointer. She then had a rebound and dished an assist to Thomas, who extended it to 50-40. Pedro tacked on a pair of free throws, finishing with seven points on the day for a season-high performance.

Free throws from Schoen, Mattox and Luna, as well as a jumper from Thomas, made it 62-45. Taylor Whitley closed the game with a free throw and a jumper, garnering the Sycamores a 65-49 victory.

SIUE's Ashley Bey finished with a game-leading 14 points, while Stahlberg and Raven Berry chipped in 10 points apiece. Stahlberg was also the Cougars' top rebounder with seven boards.

"It's good to have a win," head coach Jim Wiedie said. "We had a much better second half than the first half. I liked how we responded. We were down six at one point, and nobody panicked. They got a little more fired up and hit some shots. We overcame it and took the lead."

Indiana State returns to action next Wednesday, Dec. 9, facing Butler in an in-state doubleheader. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (ET) at Hulman Center, followed by the ISU men's team against Ball State at approximately 8:15 p.m.