CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Indiana State's trio of seniors combined for 45 points on Thursday night, leading the Sycamore women's basketball team to a 68-62 Missouri Valley Conference victory on the road at Northern Iowa. Shannon Thomas posted her 26^th career double-double, with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Deja Mattox added 15 points and Brittany Schoen tossed in 12 more.

The Sycamores move into a tie for first place in the MVC with the victory, staying perfect in league play at 4-0. ISU's fourth-straight win pushes their record for the season to 10-6. The Panthers fall to 10-6 overall, 3-2 within the conference.

Indiana State never trailed on Thursday, using an early 11-2 run to set the tone for the evening. After ISU and UNI both scored second-chance baskets to start the game, the Sycamores pushed their lead to 13-4 after five minutes of play thanks to seven early points from freshman Natasha Zurek. The newcomer from St. John, Ind., scored seven of ISU's first nine points and grabbed two offensive rebounds in the early minutes inside the McLeod Center.

Northern Iowa would fight back and tie the score three times in the first half, but the Sycamores were able to answer each time. After a layup by UNI senior Rachel Madrigal tied the score at 24-24 with 5:11 left until the half, ISU allowed just one free-throw from the Panthers as the Sycamores ended the half on a 9-1 run. Freshman Jessica Valley capped the run on ISU's final possession of the half, knocking down a 3-pointer with nine seconds on the clock.

The Sycamores led 33-25 at the half, behind a 13-for-29 (44.8%) effort from the field. Zurek's seven early points paced ISU, although the freshman was only able to play four minutes in the opening half because of foul trouble.

ISU would push their advantage to its largest margin with 9:32 remaining, when Mattox grabbed an offensive rebound that led to a layup for sophomore Anna Munn to give the Sycamores a 50-34 lead.

Northern Iowa did not go quietly, beginning their late rally with five minutes remaining. A jumper by Madrigal with 4:43 to go cut ISU's lead to 56-45 and began an 11-3 run for the Panthers, bringing the home side within five points, at 59-54, on a trey by senior Katelin Oney with 2:51 remaining.

A triple by Madrigal brought UNI within one possession of tying the score, as the senior cut ISU's lead to 63-60 with 1:19 on the clock. Northern Iowa came out and pressed Indiana State, but the Sycamores broke past the defense and Mattox fed Thomas for a layup.

UNI senior K.K. Armstrong hit a jumper with 53 seconds remaining to bring the Panthers back within three points, but junior Taylor Whitley hit a free-throw with 36 seconds left and Schoen down two more at the line after a defensive stop to give the Sycamores a 68-62 victory.

Thomas and Mattox both went into double figures in the second half alone, scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively. Indiana State shot 25-of-54 (46.3%) for the game and 12-for-15 (80%) at the charity stripe. Northern Iowa outrebounded ISU by a 39-36 margin, with a total of 17 offensive rebounds, but were only able to turn those extra possessions into 13 points. Indiana State turned their 10 offensive rebounds into 15 points.

Indiana State's last win at Northern Iowa came on Jan. 30, 2009, when the Sycamores also led wire-to-wire for a 66-59 victory behind 20 points from Kelsey Luna.

The Sycamores will look to keep pace atop the conference standings when they return to the court on Saturday, Jan. 12. Indiana State will remain on the road and face the Bradley Braves at 3:00 p.m. (ET) from the Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria, Ill.