CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Indiana State nearly rallied back from a 25-point deficit Friday night, cutting the deficit to as little as six points, but couldn't quite get over the hump in a 71-63 loss at Northern Iowa in Missouri Valley Conference action at the McLeod Center.
 
Tamara Lee led all players with 18 points and Ty Battle recorded a double-double in her second consecutive outing as the short bench Sycamores (11-14, 5-9) refused to quit. Battle would finish the game with 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds while Ashli O'Neal reached double figures for the first time in three games with 10 points.
 
"They fought back," Indiana State Head Coach Vicki Hall said. "Ty Battle had a wonderful game today. She played hard the whole time. She was the true bright spot of this game so I am really proud of her. Ashli O'Neal came and played really hard as well. We have to make sure that everyone comes with that same attitude and intensity for all the quarters. But you have to be proud of their effort to come back and not lay down and die and to make it a game."
 
In the end it came down to possessions and free throws with Northern Iowa (16-9, 9-4) hitting 8 of 11 from the charity stripe down the stretch. The Panthers featured balanced scoring throughout the roster and were led by 11 points out of three different players – Karli Rucker, Bre Gunnels and Taylor Hagen. Gunnels scored eight of her 11 points in the final quarter including going 4-for-5 from the free throw line.
 
The Sycamores would out-score the host Panthers by 11 in the second half and nearly erased a 25-point deficit that was only made possible after going 1 of 13 (7.7 percent) from the field in the second quarter. Indiana State would enter halftime trailing 35-16 looking for answers and a motivating force.
 
"We had a very inspiring talk at halftime and they came back out a little bit more anxious to play and to shoot it. We came back and gave them more of a game. I would just love these to be wins instead of just a game."
 
That talk delivered the needed motivation in the second half as Indiana State slowly began to chip away at UNI's lead. The 25-point deficit slipped into the teens as the Trees went on an 11-2 run midway through the third quarter that featured five of Daijah Smith's eight points in the frame.
 
The third quarter run was sustained, in part, by Ty Battle's five rebounds in the frame, more than a third of her game's total.
 
She sure didn't," Hall said of Battle's play around the rim for the ball. "She played hard the whole time. Ty has had career highs the last three or four games in a row. If it hasn't been points then it has been rebounds. You have to praise her for what she is doing because she is just giving it her all."
 
Another 11-2 run, this time midway into the fourth quarter was sparked by nine consecutive points combined by Ty Battle and Tierra Webb, the latter getting a layup, stealing the in-bounds pass and immediately putting git back in the bucket.
 
That is when the fouls began to take their toll amidst a short bench. Charged with 25 fouls to UNI's 10, Indiana State would see the spark plug O'Neal foul out, followed by Smith, as the Sycamores tried to play the possession game. But Gunnels would score six points – four of which came from free throws – in the final 73 seconds to keep the game just out of reach for Indiana State.
 
ISU now will play at No. 24 Drake on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT) at the Knapp Center in Des Moines. It will mark the first time since 2014 that Indiana State will face a ranked opponent.
 
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.