CANCUN, Mexico – Ashley Taia led all players with 21 points but a hot-shooting Indiana State team turned cold in the final minutes as the Sycamores dropped a 71-59 decision to South Dakota at the Cancun Challenge Friday evening.
 
Indiana State (1-4) had a four-point lead at half over a South Dakota squad that is ranked 20^th in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 poll and the Sycamores only trailed by one entering the fourth quarter.
 
"South Dakota is a good team, both on offense and defense," said Indiana State head coach Joey Wells. "We end up shooting 46 percent from the field and 43 percent from the 3-point line but in the fourth quarter we laid an egg. We shot 25 percent and 17 percent, respectively, and still overall shot well. The problem is doing that you have to score more than 59 points and you can't turn it over 22 times."
 
While the 22 turnovers were a season-high, 10 of them came in the second quarter, the best shooting quarter of the four frames for the Sycamores. However the turnovers committed early and often in the game (15 turnovers committed in the first half) allowed South Dakota to keep within striking distance. In all, South Dakota tallied 18 points off Indiana State's 22 turnovers.
 
Then the Sycamores went cold, shooting only 25 percent (3 of 12) from the field in the final frame while the Coyotes (3-2) got hot by shooting 50 percent (6 of 12) in the frame. ISU finished the game shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from downtown.
 
"We gave up so many layups down the stretch," Wells lamented. "Our mental toughness, our physical toughness and our fight just isn't quite where it needs to be against good-caliber players."
 
Taia rebounded from a two-point performance the night before with her second 20-plus scoring performance of the season. The high-scoring senior was propelled by an 8-for-12 night from the field including a blistering 5 of 7 performance from beyond the arc. She was also credited with three of ISU's seven steals in the game.
 
Ashli O'Neal and AJ Thomas added eight points apiece as Thomas was 4-for-5 from the field and added four rebounds.
 
The Sycamore defense was stifling at times, keeping South Dakota scoreless the final 2:12 of the first half and keeping the Coyotes' leading scorer (Kate Liveringhouse, 14.5 ppg) to a single point. But basketball is a game of runs and USD started the second half on an 8-2 run to regain the lead after a four-point deficit at the midway point.
 
Indiana State would respond with a run of its own, hitting 9 of 10 shots to close out the third quarter to enter the final frame trailing only by one.
 
The Sycamores will now return home to host Missouri S&T on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Hulman Center.
 
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