TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Indiana State women's basketball team raced out of the gates and never looked back on Saturday afternoon inside Hulman Center, as the Sycamores jumped out to a 19-2 lead over the visiting Illinois State Redbirds after six and a half minutes of play en route to a 74-55 Missouri Valley Conference victory in front of 3,121 fans.

The Sycamores (8-6, 2-1 MVC) and the Redbirds (10-4, 2-1 MVC) traded baskets in the first minute of action before Indiana State began to build their lead, using seven points from junior Shannon Thomas, four from senior Kelsie Cooley and 3-pointers from juniors Deja Mattox and Brittany Schoen to take a 19-2 lead at the 13:24 mark of the first half. ISU's 17-0 run was capped by an old-fashioned three-point play from Thomas.

Illinois State did not go away after the Indiana State run, as a 3-pointer from Katie Broadway with nine minutes remaining in the half cut the Indiana State lead to just seven points, at 21-14. The Sycamores were not rattled, however, as ISU scored the game's next 10 points on 3-pointers from Cooley and freshman Anna Munn and a pair of free-throws from Schoen and sophomore Taylor Whitley to stretch the lead back to 17 points, at 31-14 with 7:26 left in the half.

Indiana State took a 43-24 lead into the locker room at the half, led by 17 points, six rebounds and four blocks from Thomas. Mattox and Cooley both added seven in the first half. As a team, the Sycamores went a perfect 13-for-13 from the charity stripe and knocked down 44.8% of their shots from the field (13-for-29) in the game's opening 20 minutes.

The Sycamores did not have a second-half letdown, as the ISU lead never got below 13 points from the remainder of the game.

ISU saw their lead reach its largest margin with 14 minutes remaining in the contest, when a jumper by Cooley pushed the ISU lead to 22 points with the score at 54-32.

Indiana State had lost four straight and six of its last seven games with Illinois State before Saturday's victory, including all three times the teams met last season.

For the game, Thomas totaled 21 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks in 33 minutes on the court, her third double-double this season and 10^th for her Sycamore career. Mattox went into double-figures for the sixth consecutive game, adding 17 points, eight rebounds and a team-high three steals. Cooley also went in double-digits, tossing in 11 points.

Only three other Sycamores scored against the Redbirds, with Whitley going for nine points and four assists, while Schoen and Munn both hit a pair of 3-pointers and two free-throws for eight points each.

The Sycamores won the rebounding battle, grabbing 41 boards to Illinois State's 35. The Redbirds were able to pull down 19 offensive rebounds, but only converted them into eight points for the game.

The Sycamores entered the game with the most free-throws made as a team in the conference and did nothing to change that statistic, as ISU went 22-for-23 from the line (95.7%).

The Sycamores will look to pick up their first true road win of the season when they hit the road for their first MVC road test. Indiana State will travel to Wichita State on Thursday, Jan. 13, before heading to preseason conference champion Missouri State on Sunday, Jan. 16.