TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Del'Janae Williams had 17 points Saturday afternoon, including a game-high 3 3-pointers, but visiting Drake shot over 60 percent from the floor in the second half to defeat Indiana State, 86-71, inside the Hulman Center.
 
Natalia Lalic and Arianna Smith scored 12 points apiece, while Marie Hunter had nine points and a team-high five assists in her final home game.
 
Indiana State got off to a hot start for a second straight game, leading by as many as 18 midway through the second quarter. Despite a strong start to the third quarter, the Sycamores couldn't keep pace with Drake over the final 20 minutes, as the Bulldogs had 56 points in the second half to win their fifth straight.
 
First Half
Drake got out to an early four-point lead, but it was all Indiana State after that. Lalic found Tonysha Curry for a layup down low midway through the quarter to kickstart a 14-0 Sycamore run, putting Indiana State up 23-8. Six of the seven Sycamore baskets during the run were layups, including a pair by Anna McKendree on the fastbreak off two Drake turnovers. Indiana State led 23-10 after the opening period.
 
The Sycamores continued their strong start in the second, as Williams and McKendree hit back-to-back 3-pointers to push the lead out to 18 points, 32-14, early in the quarter. Arianna Smith made a pair of baskets midway through the quarter to keep the lead in double-figures before a Drake run cut into the Sycamore advantage. The Bulldogs hit a pair of late baskets, but the Sycamores took a 38-30 lead into the intermission.
 
Second Half
Indiana State kept its foot on the gas pedal early in the third, with Williams hitting baskets on three straight Sycamore possessions to push the lead back into double-digits, 51-40. The Bulldogs countered with a 14-0 run midway through the quarter, though, and took a lead they would never relinquish. Indiana State kept things tight at the end of the quarter, as the teams headed to the fourth with Drake in front, 59-57.
 
Lalic hit a jumper on Indiana State's first possession of the fourth quarter, but Drake hit a pair of 3-pointers as part of a 10-0 run to push their lead to double-digits for the first time. A Mya Glanton layup followed by a Williams 3-pointer cut the lead to 73-66 midway through the period, and Lalic hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to six, 75-69, just after the final media timeout. Drake continued to find points down low, though, as the Bulldogs used an 8-2 run consisting of layups and free throws to seal their fifth straight win.
 
Inside the Statistics

• Saturday's game was the third time in the last five games that Indiana State knocked down at least seven 3-pointers.
• Arianna Smith closed the regular season with double-figure scoring in three straight games (15 at Missouri State, 10 vs. Northern Iowa, 12 vs. Drake).
• Indiana State forced 20 Drake turnovers Saturday, marking the 11th time this season the Sycamores have forced at least 20 turnovers in a game.

 
News & Notes

• Indiana State finishes the regular season at 10-19 overall and 5-13 in MVC play.
• The Sycamores doubled their overall and conference win total from last season, winning as many total games and conference games as they did in the last two seasons combined.
• Indiana State honored senior Essy Latu and graduate students Marie Hunter and Tonysha Curry for their contributions to the program prior to Saturday's game.

 
Up Next
Indiana State will be seeded eighth at Hoops in the Heartland. The Sycamores will take on the No. 9 seed, which will be either Evansville or Bradley depending on the outcomes of Saturday's games, in the opening round Thursday at 5 p.m.
 
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