PHOENIX – Ashli O'Neal scored 17 points while Alexis Delgado and Tamara Lee reached double digits but a fourth straight come-from-behind victory was not in the cards as Indiana State fell to UC Irvine, 77-61, in the championship game of the Grand Canyon Thanksgiving Classic Saturday afternoon in Phoenix.
 
The magic had worked three times before, the last coming in double overtime. But getting out-scored by 13 points in the second quarter less than 24 hours following the conclusion of that double overtime thriller, combined with a stifling press by the Anteaters (5-0), proved too much to overcome for Indiana State (3-1).
 
"Our energy and focus in the first half weren't what we expected it to be," said Indiana State coach Luke Scheidecker, who was filling in for head coach Vicki Hall. "But we bounced back in the second half. That is where the girls turned it up a little bit, fought and showed some toughness."
 
O'Neal, who was the only Sycamore to score in a nearly nine-minute stretch of time primarily in the third quarter, reached double figures for the fourth straight game and led the team in both scoring and rebounds (8).
 
"Ashli played big today," Scheidecker said of O'Neal's performance. "She brought the toughness. She was on the floor after every loose ball, giving it all up for the team. We are really proud of her effort. She has been bringing that consistently and that is what we expect from her."
 
ISU shot nearly 40 percent in the second half but UC Irvine's offense – which converted 62.5 percent of its shots in that pull away second quarter – maintained a steady 45 percent shooting mark in the second half, adding to the challenge of a Sycamore comeback.
 
But the Sycamores also struggled to find consistency amidst 23 turnovers – one more than the number of field goals the Trees made throughout the game. Of that, 16 came from Anteater steals.
 
Initially, Indiana State got off to a good start, shooting 40 percent in the opening quarter and only trailing by one at the first break. Delgado hit all three of her 3-pointers in the first quarter and looked like she was picking up where she left off from her 22-point performance the previous day against Grand Canyon.
 
But her hot shooting quickly turned cold as UC Irvine dialed up the pressure against the Phoenix native and her only remaining points in the game came off a pair of free throws late in the game.
 
Irvine had four players in double figures including the double-double by Jordan Sanders, who scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Lauren Saiki also recorded a double-double for the Anteaters as she scored 10 points and dished out 13 assists.
 
The Sycamores return back to the Midwest and will play at Southeast Missouri on Thursday, Nov. 29. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+. That will be the fifth and final road game before the team's home opener at the Hulman Center on Dec. 3 against IUPUI.
 
"It will be good to get in more of a rhythm of games and it will be good to get back home soon," said Scheidecker. "Starting on the road isn't always easy but it will be good to get back into a rhythm and routine of things where we aren't taking 10 days off before our next game."
 
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