WICHITA, Kan. – Indiana State couldn't hold off a strong second half surge by the Wichita State Shockers as it fell, 63-52, in the Missouri Valley Conference opener on Friday evening at Charles Koch Arena. Indiana State moves to 10-2 overall and 0-1 in MVC play.

Senior guard Stephanie Wittman led Indiana State with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Senior forward Chelsea Small led the Sycamores with six rebounds and added five points and two assists. 

Senior forward Jasmine Grier came off the bench for eight points as the non-starters chipped in 22 points on the night. Redshirt sophomore Joyea Marshall and senior forward Racheal Mahan each added six points. Marshall added five rebounds as ISU did win the battle of the boards, 42-37, including 19 on the offensive glass. Senior guard Natasha Zurek tied Wittman for a team-high three assists while she also tied senior guard Travecia Franklin with three steals each. 

The Sycamores shot just 35.7 percent from the floor on the night (20-for-56) and committed 21 turnovers in the contest. ISU also went a season-low 46.7 percent from the free throw line (7-for-15) in their first loss since Nov. 22. The loss snaps a 10 game road win streak and eight game season win streak.

The Shockers opened up on a 8-0 run and went 5-for-7 in the first 3:30 of the game before redshirt sophomore Joyea Marshall hit the first ISU bucket of the night with 16:49 to play.

Wichita State grew its lead to as many as 11 on a Jamillah Bonner bucket with 12:29 left in the first half. Indiana State came on strong to close the half as senior guard Travecia Franklin helped pick the ball from the Shocker offense to  senior guard Natasha Zurek who's fast break layup cut it to 19-16.

ISU trailed by just two at halftime, 25-23, after Mahan found the basket on an inbound play. Coming out in the second half, Indiana State took a 31-27 lead after Wittman drained three free throws with 17:04 to play in the game.

But Indiana State allowed Wichita State to go on a 11-0 run to increase its lead back to six. An offensive board by Grier and putback tied things up at 40-40 with 9:02 to play. A Small layup kept ISU within one but the Shockers held Indiana State to just eight points in the final 6:08 to secure the win.

Indiana State travels to Missouri State on Sunday for a 3:05 p.m. ET tip inside JQH Arena. The game will be seen live on MissouriStateBears.com and can be heard live on 1230 AM WIBQ in Terre Haute (also streaming online).

For the latest information on the Sycamore Women's Basketball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.