CHICAGO, Ill. – Indiana State and Loyola fought a physical game inside Gentile Arena on Thursday in a match that saw the Ramblers edge the Sycamores, 68-58.
 
The Sycamores dropped to 3-19 on the year and 1-9 in the Missouri Valley Conference while the Ramblers improved to 14-7 and 5-5 in the Valley.
 
Juniors CeCe Mayo and Jamyra McChristine led the blue and white, as Mayo recorded a near double-double with 10 points and a career-high nine rebounds while McChristine recorded nine points and pulled down seven boards.
 
Leading the scoring effort for the Trees was Marie Hunter who tallied 12 points. Jasmine Elder and Pearl Dean contributed nine and seven points as well, respectively.
 
ISU had their third-best shooting performance from behind the arc, knocking down 7-17 from distance for 41.2%. The Sycamores also finished 24-49 from the field for 49.0% while the Ramblers shot 40.7% from the floor.
 
Despite the Trees holding their own in the paint with a 34-28 points in the paint advantage, Loyola won the rebounding battle, 35-29.
 
Indiana State made it tough on the Loyola offense, swiping a season-high 16 steals and forcing 21 turnovers, led by Hunter who earned four steals. ISU also posted their second-straight game with 16 assists, getting a contribution of five from Del'Janae Williams.
 
The first quarter on Thursday evening was possibly the best period of basketball that the Trees have played. Hunter and Williams sparked the Sycamore offense immediately, each opening the game with a three, making it 6-4 in favor of ISU. Over the next 3:32, the Sycamores and Ramblers would exchange baskets, leading to a 11-10 LUC advantage with 4:11 remaining.
 
Facing the one-point deficit, the Sycamores put the hammer down on both ends of the floor. Loyola was held scoreless for the remaining 4:11 of the period while the Trees ended the quarter on a 6-0 run, capped off by a Cailtin Anderson layup to make it 16-11.
 
ISU's run continued into the second quarter with back-to-back layups from McChristine and Hunter to push the Sycamores lead to 20-11 with 9:08 remaining. Facing a 22-16 deficit, the Loyola offense began firing once Tiara Wallace knocked down a triple with 6:54 remaining. Loyola would eventually push their run to 15-5 and take a 31-29 lead, but a Hunter three with time winding down gave the Trees the lead with 54 seconds remaining. Wallace would again come through for LUC, converting a lay-in as time expired to give the Ramblers the halftime lead.
 
The Ramblers came out firing on all cylinders to start the second half, starting on a 10-1 run over the first five minutes of the frame, pushing their lead to 43-33 with 4:53 remaining. Providing a necessary spark, Mayo used a jumper and layup over the last 3:43 to help keep ISU within striking distance heading into the fourth, as Loyola was in front 47-40 with one to go.
 
Elder, a freshman, put her stamp on the game during the fourth quarter. The Louisville native immediately found Williams in the corner for a corner three to start the fourth. Elder then put the ball on a string through the lane to find McChristine in the lane and pull the Trees to within five at 7:47.
 
In addition to dishing out assists, Elder put her defender on skates with 7:13 to go, converting on a driving layup to close the gap to just 52-49 with 7:13 remaining. Three is as close as the Sycamores would get, however, and the Ramblers would hold on for a 65-55 victory.
 
Indiana State will make the quick trip across the state border for an in-state matchup with Valparaiso on Saturday with tipoff slated for 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.