Box Score TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – A 43.8 percent second-half field goal percentage and 20 points from redshirt senior Cierra Ceazer led Indiana State to its 18th straight home win over Bradley, 59-37, on Sunday afternoon.
Redshirt senior guard Cierra Ceazer led with a game-high 20 points as she shot 50 percent from the floor (9-for-18) and tied a career-high four steals. Freshman guard Tierra Webb posted her second-straight double-digit scoring effort with 11 points and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Indiana State used a big second half to overwhelm the Braves, as it extends its win streak in the series to eight – which ties for the league's longest active streak - and marked its 18th straight win in Terre Haute. They outscored Bradley 40-20 in the final 20 minutes and went 37.9 percent field goal percentage on the afternoon while outrebounding its opponent 39-31. They were led on the glass junior forward Rhagen Smith's eight boards and who also swatted a new career-high three blocks.
Redshirt junior Joyea Marshall grabbed seven rebounds and chipped in six points while redshirt sophomore Ashley Taia and freshman guard Jennifer Mackowiak added eight a piece.
Smith finally made the ISU first bucket of the afternoon with a 3-pointer with 6:42 to play in the first quarter. Out of the media timeout, Ceazer and Mackowiak hit back-to-back runners and cut the deficit down to one. Taia took it herself with 2:06 to play and ISU gained its first lead of the afternoon, 11-10 with 2:10 remaining in the opening frame.
They led 14-10 after an 11-0 run ended the first quarter as the Sycamores forced three Bradley shot clock violations in final four and a half minutes of the quarter. The second half saw a combined 12 points between the two teams as Marshall broke a drought with 1:30 to play as ISU took a narrow 19-17 halftime lead.
Falling behind early in the second half, Ceazer helped ISU regain a midway through the quarter as she swiped the ball and returned it for the layup with 5:07 to play. A 14-2 run over the next three minutes helped ISU take a 36-29 lead after the end of the third.
A slick backdoor pass from Taia to Ceazer opened up the fourth quarter but Bradley battled back as it cut the lead down to as few as seven with 9:17 remaining. A Webb triple pushed the lead back to double digits as she got her own rebound and put back along with a Ceazer bucket to regain a cushion with 4:29 to play.
They closed the final five minute of the game on a 12-6 run and picked up their first back-to-back victories since Butler (Dec. 21) and Wichita State (New Year's Day).
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
“I think we're moving in the right direction minus the first 20 minutes, but we saw an improvement in our players. Their energy level and communication has been big and we've had different players step up,” ISU head coach Joey Wells said.
GAME CHANGER
Indiana State overcame a sluggish first half to shoot 48.3 in the second half backed by all of freshman guard Tierra Webb's 11 points and 13 from redshirt senior guard Cierra Ceazer. The Sycamores also force the Braves to commit 28 turnovers, an opponent high this season.
SYCAMORE LEADERS
Points – Cierra Ceazer (20)
Rebounds – J. Marshall/R. Smith (7)
Assists – A. Newbolt (3)
Steals – C. Ceazer (4)
Blocks – R. Smith (3)
ABOUT THE SQUAD
Field Goal % - 37.9
3-Point FG % - 33.3
Free Throw % - 64.3
Rebounds - 39
Assists – 8
Steals – 9
RECORDS
Indiana State: 8-10, 4-3 MVC
Bradley: 5-13, 1-6 MVC
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
2 – Back-to-back games in double figures for freshman guard Tierra Webb who dropped 11 points on Sunday
2 – Indiana State posts back-to-back wins for the first time since it defeated Butler (Dec. 21) and Wichita State to open up Valley play on New Year's Day
14 - Cierra Ceazer posted her 14th game this season in double digit scoring as she led ISU with 20 points on 9-for-18 shooting
18 – The win marked the 18th straight home win in the series with the Braves who haven't won in Terre Haute since 1997
UP NEXT
#ISUWBB hits the road for a pair of Valley games at Southern Illinois (Friday, 7 p.m. ET) and Evansville (Sunday, 12 p.m. ET). Both games will be live on The Valley on ESPN3.
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.
