CARBONDALE, Ill. – Ashli O'Neal scored in double figures for the 10^th straight game but Indiana State's offense overall could not overcome a sluggish start in a 54-43 loss at Southern Illinois Thursday evening.
 
The Sycamores (11-17, 9-8) solidified themselves as the No. 5 seed in next week's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The game, along with other results around the league, ensured that Indiana State will still have a chance to knock off the Salukis (15-13, 10-7) this year as the teams will get a rematch in the quarterfinal round of the league's tournament.
 
For their part, Indiana State struggled to overcome 28.1 percent shooting from the field, hitting only 16 of 57 attempts. But it seemed like a regular night for O'Neal, who hasn't been limited to single figures since Jan. 21.
 
"She has been our most consistent player on the offensive end, there's no question," Indiana State interim head coach Josh Keister said. "She was good again for us tonight. She just has so much confidence right now. She is just playing really well, she is shooting the ball really well from the 3-point line and is just has been very consistent. She comes to the gym ready to go."
 
But the rest of the Sycamores struggled to finish, despite opportunities to score. Wendi Bibbins scored seven points but was 3-for-13 in her performance. Ashley Taia's pair of 3-pointers placed her ninth all-time in made 3-point field goals (130) at Indiana State, but even layups seemingly refused to go in for the senior in a 2-for-11 performance.
 
The host Salukis weren't immune from the cold shooting, either. Abby Brockmeyer led SIU with 13 points but six of those came from the free throw line. Kylie Giebelhausen added 12 but was just 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.
 
"I thought both teams came out really flat tonight," Keister said. "You could tell both teams were a little tired. It was just one of those games at the end of the season that you just had to keep plugging away and keep grinding to get through."
 
Despite the cold shooting, Indiana State was never out of the game. The Sycamores only trailed by five at halftime and Ty Battle's layup midway through the third quarter cut the Southern Illinois lead to one. But the Salukis would end the quarter on a 6-0 run to pull away again.
 
Even in the fourth quarter, the Sycamores refused to back down. Twice the Trees would cut their deficit to five, including with 4:28 remaining as Taia hit her second 3-point field goal, but SIU would respond again with a momentum swing, this time thanks to a 7-0 run that would push the game out of reach.
 
"I thought we did some good things. When we got it to one, I thought if we could just make a few plays there late and get over the hump then we might be able to get away with an ugly win," Keister said.
 
Indiana State will wrap up the regular season on Saturday at Missouri State. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT. The Bears have clinched the No. 2 seed in the MVC Tournament.
 
"It is going to be a tough challenge playing there," said Keister. "They are really good, obviously, and it is their Senior Day. I look at it from our end as an opportunity to go play one of the best teams in our conference in a good road environment. Those games are always fun to play and we have nothing to lose. But we want to play well on Saturday, coming off of today, because we want to play well heading into next Friday and the conference tournament."
 
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