TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Sycamores battled nationally ranked Missouri State on Friday evening in front of 1,570 fans in the Hulman Center, but the Lady Bears proved too much to handle, taking a 76-55 victory.
 
A bright spot for the blue and white, Jamyra McChristine dominated in the post while going up against All-Missouri Valley Conference big Jasmine Franklin. The junior ended her evening with 19 points, tying a career-high, to go along with three rebounds, three steals and a block.
 
Freshman sharpshooter Jasmine Elder caught fire in the second half, finishing with 12 points on 4-8 shooting from deep. Both Pearl Dean and Adrian Folks added eight points for the Trees.
 
The Sycamores managed to hold the Lady Bears well under their season rebounding average, but were still outgained on the boards 39-34. Missouri State shot 49.2% from the field and 50% (10-20) from deep while ISU ended at 37.5% from the floor and 33.3% from range.
 
Defensively Indiana State made the Lady Bears uncomfortable, forcing 22 turnovers to go along with 11 steals, three each by Caitlin Anderson, Del'Janae Williams and McChristine. MSU fought for 10 steals and forced 21 Sycamore turnovers.
 
Alexa Willard led the offensive effort for the Lady Bears, torching the net for 23 points on 9-16 shooting while adding three rebounds. Franklin finished with a team-high nine boards for MSU.
 
Missouri State started the game on fire, finishing the first quarter shooting 5-7 (71.4%) from deep en route to holding a 25-10 advantage at the end of the period. The Sycamores responded in the second period, however, playing Missouri State to an even 14-14 quarter. The Trees forced six turnovers during the period and held Missouri State to just 33.3% from behind the arc.
 
Right at the beginning of the second half, Missouri State managed to push their lead to 20 behind a Sydney Manning triple with 8:51 remaining, making it 44-24. ISU responded with a 9-2 run, started by an Elder triple and ended by Williams free throws with 6:40 to make it 46-33.
 
The Lady Bears, ranked #22 in the nation for a reason, took the punch and answered with a 7-0 run to take a 20-point lead once again. They went on to hold 59-38 advantage heading into the fourth.
 
Indiana State began the final frame with an offensive flurry, getting back-to-back threes from Elder and then a layup from McChristine with 8:30 remaining to pull within 15 at 61-46. That was as close as the Trees would get, however, as the Lady Bears would go on to earn the win, 76-55.
 
The Sycamores continue their three-game homestand on Sunday when they play host to the visiting Southern Illinois Salukis at 2 p.m. ET.
 
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.