TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Sycamore women's basketball gave Loyola, a team undefeated on the road this season, all they could handle, but the Ramblers were able to hold off the Sycamore upset bid, 58-51.
 
It was a defensive battle on Sunday afternoon with both teams shooting under 40% from the field. Indiana State ended the day 20-57 (35.1%) while Loyola shot 22-58 (37.9%). From deep, Loyola held the advantage at 5-17 (29.4%) and ISU was just 2-14 (14.3%).
 
For the third time this season, junior Jamyra McChristine led the Trees with a double-double, recording 13 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Fellow junior CeCe Mayo had her best offensive day in a Sycamore uniform, scoring 15 points to go along with eight rebounds.
 
The Sycamores moved the ball well on offense, tallying 13 assists as a team compared to just 10 on Loyola's side. Del'Janae Williams finished with a team-high five assists.
 
Defensively, the Trees were focused-in. ISU managed to hold the Ramblers' All-Missouri Valley Conference honoree, Abby O'Connor, to just nine points. Freshmen Caitlin Anderson and Jasmine Elder each recorded two steals on the afternoon and the team finished with seven total. Both teams turned the ball over 11 times.
 
Indiana State made a statement right from the opening tip, starting the contest on a 6-0 run thanks to three straight layups from Mayo and McChristine. LUC earned their first bucket with 7:50 left in the period and both teams then went scoreless for three minutes. Elder made her presence known as soon as she entered the game, earning an and-one opportunity and the finding Marie Hunter in the paint to give ISU a 10-4 advantage with 3:43 remaining. ISU allowed just six first quarter points as Loyola shot 16% from the floor.
 
The Ramblers would respond and turn up their defensive pressure in the second frame, taking the lead at 8:11 thanks to an O'Connor triple, 14-13. They would hold the Sycamores to just three more second quarter points to take a 23-16 halftime advantage.
 
At the start of the second half, LUC managed to push their lead to 28-20 with 8:00 left, but Del'Janae Williams knocked down her only three of the game to bring ISU back within five. The blue and white managed to put together an offensive flurry with 4:14 remaining, using Williams and Mayo layups to pull to within 32-30. Janae Gonzales answered for the Ramblers with a three, but the Sycamores would not relinquish their offensive attack, only ending the third period trailing by four, 41-37.
 
Mayo's third quarter was a key reason why the Sycamores were able claw away at the Rambler lead as the junior scored nine of her 15 points during those 10 minutes, including a perfect 3-3 from the charity stripe.
 
Starting the final quarter much like how she ended the third, Mayo connected on a three to open the scoring for ISU and knocked down a free throw with 8:35 remaining to make it 43-41 in favor of LUC. The opposition would answer with a 6-0 run of their own, however, capped off by a layup with 6:28 on the clock to push their lead to eight.
 
After the media break, McChristine helped will her team back into the game with four consecutive points, again making it a two-point game with just 4:02 remaining. In the end, Loyola managed connect on four of their last five shots to hold on for the 58-51 victory.
 
Gonzalez led the Ramblers with 12 points on 4-6 shooting from deep.
 
Indiana State is back in action next Friday when they hit the road to take on Valley preseason favorite, Drake, at 7 p.m. ET in the Knapp Center.
 
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.