DES MOINES, Iowa – Tamara Lee led Indiana State with 19 points and the Sycamores made a season-high 11 baskets from 3-point range but couldn't stop No. 24 Drake in a 96-77 decision in front of 2,878 fans at the Knapp Center Sunday afternoon.
 
Indiana State (11-15, 5-10 Missouri Valley) hit a season-high 11 baskets from long range, seven of which came in a hot-shooting first half that saw ISU shoot 50 percent from the field overall. That sent the Sycamores into the locker room with just a five-point deficit while facing its first ranked opponent in five years.
 
But that hot shooting turned suddenly cold after halftime as ISU was just 2 of 14 from the field (14.3 percent) in the third quarter, scoring just eight points in the frame. And while Indiana State went cold, Drake (21-5, 13-1) got hot. The Bulldogs, who shot just 33 percent in the second quarter, regrouped and hit 10 of 15 shots (66.7 percent) in the third quarter and started the second half on an 11-1 run.
 
Lee finished the day with 19 points with 15 of those coming from behind the arc, tying a career-high for 3-pointers made. She was one of four players on the short-bench Sycamores in double figures. Indiana State, plagued with injuries, had only eight players available for the game. Meanwhile Drake, a team that leads the Valley and entered the top 25 polls this week at No. 24, had nine players score with 11 players seeing at least eight minutes or more of playing time.
 
"I think in the first half we came with a lot of energy and played the way that we should play," Indiana State Head Coach Vicki Hall said. "We were making our shots, we were playing hard defensively but we had a hard time stopping them in transition. As the game wore on and we got to the third quarter, we didn't have any legs anymore. Our shots didn't fall like they did (earlier). That makes it hard to play against Drake and play zone for 40 minutes in a game."
 
Drake would lead by as much as 26 in the final minute of the third quarter before Indiana State started to mount a comeback. Ty Battle's free throw at the end of the third quarter started a 10-2 run with all 10 points scored by Battle herself. She would finish the day with 15 points and nine rebounds, one board shy of a double-double.
 
Another run by Indiana State midway through the final quarter cut the Drake lead to 12 as Kierra Isaiah put in a layup before Lee and Ashli O'Neal hit back-to-back 3-pointers. But that mini 8-0 run was suddenly ended by a layup and free throw by Becca Hittner.
 
That would be a familiar sight in the game as Hittner led all players with 33 points, finishing the game 12 of 19 from the field with a 6-for-7 mark from the charity stripe. Sara Rhine posted a double-double for the Bulldogs with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Sunday's contest marked the final road regular season game for the Sycamores. Indiana State will close out the 2018-19 regular season with a three-game home stand beginning on Friday, March 1 by hosting Evansville.
 
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