TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Tremendous. That was the descriptor Indiana State interim head coach Josh Keister used to describe his team's defense Friday night over Valparaiso at the Hulman Center, securing a season sweep over the newest members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
It's tough to argue against that statement. The Sycamores (10-16, 8-7) held the visiting Crusaders to just 29.8 percent shooting and scored 24 points off 20 Valpo turnovers en route to a 64-46 win.  
 
Ashley Taia and Ashli O'Neal each scored 13 points and Wendi Bibbins posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Ty Battle added another 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
But the defensive numbers were even more striking. Valparaiso (11-15, 4-11) had only three assists to their 20 turnovers and Indiana State allowed only three Valpo offensive rebounds in the second half.
 
"Defensively, we wanted to keep everything in front of us," Keister explained. "We wanted to contest shots. They are a team that takes the possession late into the clock. We wanted to be disciplined, handle their ball screens and then just keep everything in front of us and make them have to take tough shots. For the most part, we were able to do that all night. The first half we fouled them a little bit and they got some offensive boards, which was where they were able to score. I just thought in the second half we were tremendous."
 
As the Sycamore defense became suffocating, the offense began to loosen up. Keister called timeout after the Trees missed their first seven shots of the second half and refocused the team. From there on, Indiana State went on a 15-5 run and kept pushing the lead out of reach of the struggling Crusaders.
 
"We were just a step ahead of them, offensively," Taia said Once they started getting down, they lost momentum. They were frantic, they weren't closing out and we were just blowing right by them. We were better than them tonight. But credit to them, it was tough in the first half. We were just able to take it away in the second half."
 
Taia was a microcosm of that turnaround. Eleven of her 13 points came in the second half after a 1-for-7 performance before halftime out of the senior forward.
 
"Defensively, we were amazing tonight and that kind of gave us momentum on the offensive end. We were pushing the ball, we were moving the ball," Taia commented.
 
The Australian moved the ball in addition to her trio of 3-pointers, leading all players with five assists. Her teammates followed suit as the Sycamores dished out a total of 14 assists to 12 turnovers. Wendi Bibbins was not nearly as kind as she steals, matching a career high.  
 
Indiana State remains in fifth place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, just a half-game behind Southern Illinois. The Salukis are 9-7 in league play after tonight's 79-61 loss to Missouri State and, with a bye on Sunday, will not play again until Indiana State visits on March 1.
 
The Sycamores host Loyola on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Hulman Center with Senior Day festivities taking place following the game as the program will honor the three seniors.
 
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.