TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – On Jan. 19, Northern Iowa dismantled Indiana State by 30 points in Cedar Falls; today the Sycamores got their revenge, downing the Panthers 65-63 in the Hulman Center and ending an 11-game losing streak to UNI.
 
The win over Northern Iowa was the first Sycamore victory over the opposition since March 8, 2014 when ISU earned an 85-72 victory in Cedar Falls.
 
Up 64-63 coming out of a timeout, the Sycamores had the ball with an opportunity to push expand their lead, but the Panther defense managed to force an over-and-back violation with high pressure on the inbound play.
 
UNI struggled to get into any offensive set after inbounding the ball with 18 seconds remaining, which led to Karli Rucker calling for isolation at the top of the key. Freshman Del'Janae Williams locked-in defensively, swiping the ball out of Rucker's hands for the steal which forced Rucker to foul with just eight seconds remaining.
 
Williams would knock down one of her two free throws to give ISU a 65-63 lead with six seconds to go and the Sycamore defense would rise to the occasion, pressuring the Panthers and not allowing UNI to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded, giving Indiana State their upset.
 
Junior leadership was big for the blue and white during the game, as Jamyra McChristine was the leader on the court with a career-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds while also shooting 4-5 from the charity stripe.
 
Fellow junior CeCe Mayo also contributed heavily to the Sycamore success, ending with an efficient 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
 
In addition to forcing the game-winning steal, Williams added 14 points while pulling down six rebounds and dishing out four assists.
 
The game was won in the paint and on defense for the Sycamores, as ISU outscored the Panthers in the paint, 40-26. ISU also forced 21 UNI turnovers while recording nine steals, holding a 21-6 advantage in points off of turnovers.
 
Despite the final score, the Sycamores had to battle from behind to earn the victory. Northern Iowa used an efficient 8-14 shooting performance in the first quarter to pull to an early 17-8 advantage. Indiana State then used a 12-1 run to open the second frame and take the lead, 20-18, capped off by a McChristine layup with 5:30 before half.
 
Both teams continued to exchange punches, as a Williams layup with 3:02 remaining gave the Sycamores a three-point advantage, but UNI would use an 8-2 run to take a three-point lead of their own into halftime, 29-26. McChristine tallied 12 of her 14 first half points in the second quarter.
 
Northern Iowa opened the second half with an offensive flurry, pushing their lead to 10 points behind triples from Rucker and Abby Gerrits with 7:39 on the clock. The lead would peak at 12 for the purple and gold with Gunnels draining a three at 6:16 remaining in the period.
 
Indiana State would use another 8-2 run, with all eight points coming in the paint, to close the gap to just 45-39, but UNI held a 48-42 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
 
With 5:52 left in the game, ISU found themselves trailing by eight, but kept composure and used a 9-1 run capped off by a Sommer Pitzer pull-up to tie the game at 58. Williams then found Jasmine Elder in the lane with 3:03 on the clock to give ISU their first lead of the half, 60-59, and the rest is elementary.
 
The Sycamores have a quick turnaround, welcoming the Drake Bulldogs into the Hulman Center on Saturday for Alumni Day at 2 p.m.
 
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.