TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – On a night when Indiana State honored one of its most prolific scorers in school history, defense reigned supreme.
 
Indiana State (10-13, 4-8 Missouri Valley) forced 22 turnovers and blocked three shots in Friday night's Missouri Valley Conference defensive battle at Hulman Center. But back-to-back 3-pointers by Loyola Chicago (11-12, 5-7) swung the momentum into the Ramblers favor one final time in a 44-36 decision.
 
The defensive battle came following a pregame ceremony as Indiana State retired the No. 22 jersey of Melanie Boeglin, whose 46 points against Drake in 2006 stills stands as a school record.
 
Loyola's Abby O'Connor, who led all players with 17 points, hit the first of the two 3s which also marked the first time in the game Loyola would hit a long-range shot. They would finish just 2 of 10 from beyond the arc, a number included in just a 36.8 percent shooting performance.
 
O'Connor's shot fell right after Regan Wentland, who led the Sycamores with 13 points, drained a 3-pointer herself. Wentland, a senior forward, almost sank another in what could have quickly snuffed out the Loyola momentum shift, but the shot fell out and set the stage for Janae Gonzales trey just 24 seconds later.
 
As time ticked away, Loyola sank 4 of its last 6 free throws to prevent any sort of comeback. Free throws by Loyola may have been the lone notable offensive stat as the Sycamores held O'Connor and company to just 36.8 percent shooting from the field, including a 26.3 percent mark in the first half. But just as the shots didn't fall for Loyola, neither did they for Indiana State.
 
"I thought defensively we were okay," Indiana State Head Coach Vicki Hall said. "We did what we needed to do, keeping them to a low percent. But when you are going to shoot 27 percent overall and go 2-for-18 from 3-point range and lose the rebound margin by almost 20, it is difficult to win."
 
Wentland, who led a defensive effort that forced 22 turnovers out of the Ramblers, led ISU with six rebounds alongside Ty Battle as the two combined for nearly half of Indiana State's 28 rebounds.
 
"Regan has done a really good job for us defensively, especially being short-handed in the post. You can never question Regan's will. She plays hard" Hall said of her senior forward.
 
Indiana State returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 17 when the Sycamores host Valparaiso. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
 
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.