LAWRENCE, Kan. – The new-look Indiana State women's basketball squad went toe-to-toe with Big 12 foe Kansas in the season-opener, but foul trouble and a late run by the Jayhawks allowed Kansas to pull away for the victory, 84-72.
 
Junior Marie Hunter was in control of the offense on Thursday evening, earning a team-high 18 points while also coming down with five rebounds. LeAndra Echi also contributed heavily on the offensive end, slicing her way through the Kansas defense for most of the game and finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.
 
Overall as a team it was a balanced scoring attack with five players scoring over seven points and every Sycamore who played finished with a bucket. The Trees shot 40% from the field for the game while Kansas ended at 52.5%.
 
ISU forced the issue defensively, finishing with a total of 13 steals compared to the Jayhawks' seven, getting three each from Sommer Pitzer and Del'Janae Williams. Both teams finished with two blocks.
 
The difference in the game came from the free throw line, as Kansas shot a total of 42 free throws while the Sycamores only got to the line 24 times, hitting 17 of them. The blue and white also racked-up 33 fouls to Kansas' 22.
 
The first bucket of the new era for Sycamore women's basketball came from Echi early in the first as she sliced through the Kansas defense for an easy lay-in. Paired with tight defense from McChristine and Pitzer who both recorded steals at the beginning of the frame, the Trees gave Kansas everything they could handle, trailing 19-16 at the end of the first.
 
ISU's offense caught fire during the first half of the second quarter, helped by two three-point jumpers from Hunter and one from Jasmine Elder, as the Sycamores claimed their biggest lead of the half following a lay-up from Alyssa Robben, pushing the score to 29-24 in favor of the blue and white.
 
Kansas responded with a run of their own, using eight straight points to reclaim a 32-29 lead with 3:50 left to go in the half. Back-to-back lay-ins by Echi and Caitlin Anderson put a stop to the run, but ultimately the Jayhawks took a 43-36 lead into the break.
 
Indiana State didn't let the halftime deficit phase them, as they started the third quarter on a 7-0 run to tie the game. Pitzer contributed five of those points, opening with a trey and then knocking down two free throws. Zakiyah Franklin ended the run with a free throw.
 
Later in the period, ISU grabbed the lead, 54-53, following a steal and layup by Elder and then a driving layup by Echi while also holding Kansas scoreless for over three minutes.
 
The blue and white were able to pull within one two separate times in the final frame thanks to a steal and assist from Williams to Hunter with eight minutes to go, and then again with five minutes to go after an Anderson layup. Foul trouble eventually caught up to the Sycamores and Kansas used a late three and free throws to pull away in the closing minute of the game.
 
The Jayhawks were led by Holly Kersgieter with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
 
There is a quick opportunity for ISU to bounce-back, as the blue and white head to Charleston, Ill., for a date with Eastern Illinois on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
 
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.