The Sycamores improved to 7-6, 1-0 MVC while the Purple Aces fell to 3-9, 0-1 MVC. Indiana State won its league opener for the first time in the last three seasons with the victory over Evansville. ISU also improved their home record this season to 5-1.

Anna Munn led the Sycamores in the game with a career-high tying 20 points, hitting 6-of-10 shots from the field, including a sparkling 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Senior Brittany Schoen scored 15 points while Shannon Thomas added 14. Thomas recorded her 25th career double-double and her fourth in the last five games with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Indiana State hit 26-of-51 shots from the field in the game (51.0 percent) and were 9-of-19 from 3-point range (47.1 percent). 

Defensively, the Sycamores held their third consecutive opponent under 60 points and improved to 18-1 under second-year head coach Teri Moren when allowing 60 points or fewer, including a mark of 6-1 this season.

The Sycamores got things going on their first possession as Shannon Thomas, fresh off the Northern Illinois game in which she posted her 24th career double-double, hit a pair of free throws just 15 seconds in to stake the Sycamores to a quick 2-0 advantage.

After Evansville went ahead momentarily, Anna Munn drilled her a 3-pointer as ISU retook the lead at 5-3 with 18:12 on the clock. The Sycamores stayed hot early from 3-point range when Brittany Schoen hit a 3-pointer and continued the run on a fast break lay-up by Schoen for a 10-5 lead with 16:59 to go. The Sycamores run hit eight in a row on another trey -- this one by Deja Mattox -- 30 seconds later as the lead ballooned to 13-5 before the first media timeout.

The lead ballooned to double digits for the Sycamores when Thomas drove to the basket and scored with 13:48 left in opening half for an 18-8 lead. Taylor Whitley got into the scoring action on the next possession with a lay-up of her own as the Sycamore advantage grew to 20-8 one minute later.

Evansville cut the lead down to 27-18, until Munn drained her second 3-pointer of the half with 6:36 left to stretch the advantage out to 30-18. Evansville would score the next six points to cut the lead down to 30-24 in a run that took just over three minutes to complete. Munn reached double figures scoring for the game with 10 points as she hit a pair of free throws with 2:25 left to give ISU a 32-24 cushion.

Schoen continued her hot shooting with just under two minutes to go as she hit her second 3-pointer of the game to stretch the league back to 35-25. Schoen topped the 10-point mark with 1:22 remaining before halftime on a jump shot which answered an Evansville jumper for the 37-27 lead.

In the final minute, Evansville's Taylor Ware drilled a 3-pointer to cut the Sycamore lead down to 37-30 heading into the break.

The Sycamores enjoyed an extremely efficient shooting effort in the first half as they hit 13-of-26 shots from the field (50 percent), including a 5-of-9 mark from 3-point range (55.6 percent). Schoen and Munn both had 10 points to lead ISU at intermission.

Indiana State extended its seven point halftime lead on their first possession of the second half on a 3-pointer by Munn which gave the Sycamores a 40-30 lead. After Evansville converted a free throw, Munn stayed hot with her second 3-pointer of the half to make it 43-31 with 17:43 to go. Thomas reached double figures scoring with 10 points to stretch the ISU lead out to 45-31 at the 16:59 mark which prompted the Purple Aces to call a timeout.

With the Sycamores holding onto a 47-35 lead, Schoen hit her third 3-pointer of the game with at the 13:25 mark of the second half to make it 50-35 and then Mattox added a lay-up just 25 seconds later as ISU stretched its lead out to 52-35.

The Purple Aces would whittle the Sycamore lead down to 58-45 until Thomas went to the free throw line at the 8:02 mark and drained both charity tosses to make it 60-45 and give Thomas 14 points.

Rachel Mahan extended the ISU lead out to 64-47 with a driving lay-up off the assist from Thomas as the clock went under seven minutes. Munn then tied her career-high with 20 points as she hit a pair of free throws with 6:12 on the clock as ISU took a 66-47 advantage and the lead went over 20 points for the first time at 68-47 on a jumper from Whitley on the next Sycamore possession.

Jessica Valley finished off the scoring for Indiana State with a jumper near the paint as the clock ticked under 30 seconds to give ISU the 73-54 victory.

Samantha Heck reached double figures scoring for the eighth consecutive game and led the Purple Aces with 16 points.

Indiana State returns to action on New Year's Day, January 1, 2012 when they host Southern Illinois for the second of three MVC home games to start the league slate. Tip-off at Hulman Center is set for 2:05 p.m. (ET).