Box Score PEORIA, Ill. – Redshirt sophomore forward Ashley Taia poured in 24 points and the Sycamores shot 44.6 percent from the floor as they won their ninth-straight game in the series over Bradley, 68-59, on Friday night in Renaissance Coliseum.
Taia went 8-for-11 from the floor and 4-for-7 from 3-point range as she scored back-to-back double digit games for the first time since December. The Brisbane, Australia native also collected four rebounds and dished out three assists. Redshirt senior Cierra Ceazer posted her 18th double figure game of the season, with 14 points and narrowly missing a double-double with nine rebounds.
Redshirt junior forward Kelsey Dirks chipped in nine points, seven of which came in the third quarter. She also recorded two blocks which put her at 41 blocks for the season which marks the first time a Sycamore has blocked 40 or more shots since the 2011-12 season (Shannon Thomas, 51). Senior guard Alexis Newbolt tied a career-high six assists in the win, which now marks the longest active win streak over another conference opponent as Southern Illinois snapped its eight game streak to Missouri State this evening.
Indiana State used a 54.2 percent clip in the second half to overpower the Braves, who made runs throughout the game to stay in it. They narrowly led on the boards (33-30) but were more productive on the offensive glass, grabbing 13 on the evening and dished out 16 assists on 25 made shots.
Taia scored five of the first seven points for the Sycamores who led 7-2 at the media timeout in the first quarter. The Braves whittled down the lead to two on a 3-pointer with 3:32 to play but Taia responded on a good feed from Marshall. An ISU turnover turned into points for the Braves near the end of the first frame as freshman guard Tierra Webb ensured a 13-13 tie after the first ten minutes on a pick of her own and completed with a layup.
A 6-0 ISU run led to a Bradley timeout with 4:59 to play in the second quarter after a hustle play by Marshall led to a transition layup by Ceazer. Allowing the Braves to get back into it, the Sycamores led by just two at half (31-29) as an Emily Eschoo 3-pointer with six ticks remaining cut down the lead before heading to the locker room.
To open the third quarter, a good dish by Taia and offensive board by Ceazer helped ISU, coupled with a Smith steal turning into a no-look transition dish from Newbolt to Ceazer made it a 6-0 run. It was a 10 point lead after three quarters (47-37) for Indiana State but a push by the home team cut it down to as few as five with 7:46 remaining in the game.
Smith drew the foul and converted on two free throws with 6:47 to play but Bradley didn't go lightly as it managed to cut the lead down to four again with a 3:57 to play. But a baseline jumper for Ceazer and a good corner 3-pointer for Dirks pushed it the lead back to nine (62-53). ISU did take advantage of six free throws in the final 1:37 of play to help seal the win.
WHAT WELLS HAD TO SAY…
Hear from Coach Wells postgame: https://youtu.be/UMHt6nBi4rE
GAME CHANGER
ISU never really separated itself from the Braves despite leading the game for 34 minutes. B ut Taia's 24 points really made a difference while some key free throws down the stretch favored Indiana State.
SYCAMORE LEADERS
Points – A. Taia (24)
Rebounds – C. Ceazer (9)
Assists – A. Newbolt (5)
Steals – J. Marshall/T. Webb (2)
Blocks – K. Dirks (2)
ABOUT THE SQUAD
Field Goal % - 44.6
3-Point FG % - 35.3
Free Throw % - 60.0
Rebounds - 33
Assists – 16
Steals – 8
RECORDS
Indiana State: 11-13, 7-6 MVC
Bradley: 7-18, 3-11 MVC
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
9 – Indiana State extends its win streak in the series to nine, the longest active win streak in the league as Southern Illinois upended Missouri State to break its eight game streak
13 – Leading on the glass, ISU won the battle on the offensive side as it pulled down 13 offensive rebounds
20 – The Sycamores turned 23 Bradley turnovers in 20 points on the night
24 – Ashley Taia led ISU with 24 points and her first back-to-back games since non-conference play when she did it three times in a row from Dec. 6-Dec. 21
40 – Redshirt junior forward Kelsey Dirks made her 40th and 41st blocks of the season, making her the first Sycamore since 2011-12 to record 40 or more blocks (Shannon Thomas, 51)
UP NEXT
The Sycamores are headed further north as it meets Loyola in the Windy City on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff inside Gentile Arena is slated for a 3p.m. ET start 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.
