TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – For Indiana State head coach Joey Wells, Tuesday's 68-56 loss to Miami (Ohio) again showed promise of what the Sycamores can be this year.
 
Wendi Bibbins scored over 20 points for the second straight game. Ashli O'Neal was in double figures for the second time in three games. And Indiana State (2-8) gave one of the top teams in the Mid-American Conference all they could handle in a close game that was tied 11 times.
 
The Sycamores even had a three-point lead going into halftime and were tied with the RedHawks (7-3) entering the final quarter.
 
But as much as the game gave Wells hope, it also gave him frustration. ISU would fall into another lull (it was the fourth quarter against Miami as opposed to the second quarter lull against MAC preseason favorite Central Michigan). Miami, which has now won five straight games, would use an 11-0 run in the final frame to pull away for the victory.
 
"It is a confidence-type deal," Wells said. "We had some of that tonight where we had one play affect the next play. That is where we have to have that short-term memory. Sometimes I have to do the same thing. I know they make a mistake and I'm still screaming as the play is continuing but that is the competitiveness stuff. If we keep progressing where we are playing hard and then we start getting a little more fighting spirit in us, then we will take ourselves over the hump."
 
The difference in the game came in the final 10 minutes as the Sycamores, who shot 44.2 percent from the field in the game, only hit 2 of 14 shots.
 
"We are there but we are not there," O'Neal said of the team's performance and competitiveness. "We have to be able to finish every game. We only scored nine points in the fourth quarter to their 21 points and that is a big problem."
 
That final quarter was a small, but permanent, mark on an otherwise impressive game for Indiana State. ISU lead by as much as nine in a first half where Bibbins dominated, scoring 18 of her 21 points and missing only one shot from the field. Even after three quarters of play, the score stood at 47-47 and the Sycamores were shooting 55.3 percent to Miami's 50 percent.
 
Credit a Miami squad that increased the pressure on Bibbins as the team lost its touch. The RedHawks pushed a double-team on the Sycamore senior, limiting her effectiveness on the court. As the Indiana State shooting numbers dropped, Miami went on their run to pull away.
 
"We got a little stagnant offensively," explained Wells. "We knew the double was coming but we had to get movement on the perimeter. But it is a tough one. I think we took good shots but we shot 15 percent from the three and we only made two of them in the game. If you are not able to make those perimeter shots then they can collapse."
 
"They did a great job in the second half in terms of limiting Wendi's touches," Wells continued. "Sometimes you just have to make some plays outside the structure of the offense. We had good looks and they just didn't fall tonight."
 
Despite falling in another close battle, the Sycamores are ignoring the stereotype. They see the improvement happening and know they are close to breaking through in a close game.
 
"It's a process," said Bibbins. "We are definitely getting better. I am just trying to stay positive and bring my energy so they can feed off of it as well as me feed off of someone else's energy. I'm just not hanging my head down. I'm not giving up."
 
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