CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Sycamore women's basketball struggled to handle an intense Northern Iowa defense on Sunday in Cedar Falls, falling to the Panthers 73-43 in the McLeod Center in front of 1,380 fans.
 
Freshman Del'Janae Williams was the offensive leader for Indiana State, tallying eight points to go along with three rebounds. Jamyra McChristine finished her afternoon with seven points while also pulling down a team-high nine rebounds and Adrian Folks added seven boards of her own.
 
UNI managed to hold the Trees to 17-59 (28.8%) from the floor and shot 25-60 (41.7%) on their end. ISU did manage to cool-off the Panthers' three-point shooting, limiting them to 6-24 (25%) from behind the line.
 
Foul trouble plagued ISU, as the blue and white were whistled for 24 fouls compared to 11 on the opposition. Northern Iowa controlled the glass on Sunday, 52-35, but the Sycamores and Panthers battled in the paint with UNI only holding a 32-30 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Cynthia Wolf was the leader on the court for Northern Iowa, ending her afternoon with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
 
The Sycamores expected a physical battle from the Panthers, and that's exactly what they got. McChristine got the scoring underway for the blue and white at the 8:00 mark, pulling down her own offensive board for a put-back layup. The physical play did impact ISU, however, as the Sycamores picked up four fouls by the first media timeout where Northern Iowa led, 7-4. Indiana State managed to hold UNI to just 5-16 from the field in the first quarter, including 0-5 from three-point range, but the opposition held a 12-6 advantage at the end of the period.
 
Northern Iowa clamped-down defensively in the second period, opening the quarter on an 8-0 run, capped off by a pair of free throws by Bre Gunnels with 4:58 remaining. Hunter managed to end the cold spell for the Sycamores, picking up the first point for ISU on a layup with 4:30 remaining in the period. UNI would heat up from behind the arc to end the half, connecting on two triples in the final 3:15 to take a 31-13 lead into halftime.
 
Much like the second period, the Panther opened the third quarter on a 13-2 run to push their lead to 29 at 44-15. A Jasmine Elder three with 5:59 remaining would spark the Sycamore offense, as McChristine earned an and-one on the following possession and Caitlin Anderson poked the ball away from UNI and converted on a pair of free throws to pull within 44-23 at 3:38. UNI would take a 52-27 advantage into the final frame.
 
Despite a tough third quarter, the Trees continued to battle into the fourth. ISU used an 8-2 run to pull back within 19, finished off with Anderson picking Karli Rucker's pocket and turning into a layup on the other end, making the score 56-37. UNI answered with an 8-0 run of their own to stop the Sycamore hot streak, eventually taking the game 73-43.
 
Indiana State returns home next Friday, Jan. 24 when they welcome #19/17 Missouri State to the Hulman 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.