TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State was unable to sustain its strong start Wednesday evening, as the Sycamores fell to visiting Evansville 68-66 inside Hulman Center.
 
Bella Finnegan led the Trees with a career-high 17 points, all of which came in the second half. Del'Janae Williams and Anna McKendree finished with 14 points apiece, while Chelsea Cain added eight points and eight rebounds.
 
Similar to the previous meeting this season, Indiana State quickly jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and led 24-10 after the opening 10 minutes. Evansville rallied back to take the lead in the third quarter, though, as Indiana State's strong start fizzled. The Sycamores retook the lead midway through the fourth but a late run for the visitors was enough for them to prevail. Indiana State had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Williams' 3-point attempt was off the mark.
 
First Half
Williams scored Indiana State's first five points, as the Sycamores got off to a torrid start from the field. McKendree kickstarted an 11-0 run for the Blue and White with a 3-pointer, which was followed by a basket from Caitlin Anderson and free throws from Cain and Ella Sawyer. Williams tacked on a pair of late baskets, the last one coming just before the buzzer to give the Sycamores a 24-10 lead heading into the second.
 
Evansville started the second quarter with the hot hand, as the Purple Aces scored the first 10 points of the period before Williams ended the run with a jumper. Baskets by Sawyer and Cain followed, but the quarter proved to be a cold one from the floor for the Trees. Indiana State made just four of its 15 shots from the floor, all of which came from inside the arc, as the Sycamores' double-digit lead was cut to 32-30 at the half.
 
Second Half
Finnegan kept Indiana State ahead early in the third quarter with each of the Blue and White's first nine points of the period. The freshman hit three of her first four shots to begin the second half, but Evansville answered back each time. The visitors went on to take a seven-point lead late in the quarter, but a three-point play by Lily Niebuhr got the Sycamores within 50-46 heading into the fourth.
 
McKendree cut Evansville's lead down to one with a 3-pointer early in the quarter, and back-to-back jumpers by Finnegan midway through the frame tied it a 57-all. Finnegan later gave the Sycamores a 60-59 lead with a pair of free throws, but a 6-0 Evansville run followed and the Purple Aces held the lead for the remainder of the game. 3-pointers by Williams and McKendree late in the game gave Indiana State a chance, but a last-second shot from Williams to win the game was off the mark.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Indiana State had an advantage in points in the paint (32-26), second chance points (12-11) and bench points (13-3).
• Indiana State was plus-five in rebounds (41-36), with 14 of the Sycamores' 41 rebounds coming on the offensive glass.
• Lily Niebuhr finished with a career-high five points along with five rebounds. Niebuhr played 20 minutes, marking the first time in her career she played 20-plus minutes in consecutive games.
• Chelsea Cain tied her season-high of four assists in Wednesday's game, with those four assists also being her most in an MVC game.

 
News & Notes

• Del'Janae Williams currently sits 31 points away from reaching 1,000 for her career. Williams would be the 29th player in program history to hit the milestone.
• Bella Finnegan's career-high 17 points Wednesday marked the first double-figure scoring game for her since the opening weekend of conference play.
• Indiana State outscored Evansville 40-20 in the first quarter across the two games played between the teams this season.
• Ella Sawyer's four points were her most in a game since the non-conference finale against Detroit Mercy.

 
Up Next
Indiana State begins a three-game road trip Sunday afternoon at Northern Iowa, with tipoff slated for 3 p.m.
 
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