NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Del'Janae Williams became the 29th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points Sunday afternoon, but Indiana State was unable to keep pace with Belmont in an 81-69 setback inside Curb Event Center.
 
Williams scored Indiana State's first nine points to reach the milestone, with a layup early in the first quarter being the basket to put her over the mark. Chelsea Cain led the Sycamore with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Williams had 14 points and Bella Finnegan had 13.
 
Both team shot better than 50 percent from the field in the game, but turnovers loomed large for Indiana State. The Sycamores had 21 turnovers, which Belmont turned into 22 points on the other end. After trailing by double-digits in the second quarter, Indiana State got within one on multiple occasions in the third quarter but couldn't find a go-ahead bucket, as the homestanding Bruins won their eighth straight game.  
 
First Half
Williams made sure she was going to reach the 1,000-point plateau early, scoring Indiana State's first nine points of the game while making each of her first four attempts from the field. Her third basket, which gave the Sycamores an early 7-3 lead, pushed her over the 1,000-point mark for her career. Indiana State led for a good portion of the first quarter, but a late basket saw the Sycamores trailing 21-19 heading into the second.
 
Turnovers played a large part early in the second quarter for the Sycamores, and it allowed Belmont to build a double-digit lead. The Bruins led by as many as 13 in the quarter, but baskets by Finnegan and Cain, along with a Sommer Pitzer 3-pointer, whittled down the Indiana State deficit. Mya Glanton added a layup inside the last 30 seconds to get the Blue and White within six at the break, 39-33.  
 
Second Half
Indiana State came out of the locker room strong, as the Sycamores got baskets from Cain and Williams, the latter's being a 3-pointer, to get within a point at 41-40. A layup by Cain, followed by an Anna McKendree 3-pointer, made it a 46-45 Belmont lead, but the Bruins went on a 12-0 run and never looked back. Late baskets from McKendree and Caitlin Anderson got the Trees back within single-digits, as Indiana State entered the fourth trailing 62-53.
 
Belmont quickly upped its lead in the fourth quarter by scoring the first six points of the period. Finnegan got the Sycamores within 14 at 74-60 following a three-point play and a jumper, but Belmont answered with back-to-back baskets. A late Sycamore run, aided by Cain and Glanton, came too late for the Blue and White as Belmont protected its home court with an 81-69 win.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Indiana State shot 52.9 percent from the field, its highest shooting percentage in a losing effort this season. It's also the first time the Sycamores shot better than 50 percent from the floor in consecutive games.
• Indiana State was plus-six in rebound margin (31-25), winning the rebound battle for the fourth straight game. The Sycamores turned their seven offensive rebounds into seven second chance points.
• Indiana State's 30 points in the paint were its most in a road game since scoring 32 in the paint at Bradley on Jan. 22, 2023.
• Indiana State's 16 assists were its second-most in an MVC game this season. The Sycamores had 17 at Illinois State on Jan. 20, 2023 and also had 16 at Bradley on Jan. 22, 2023.

 
News & Notes

• Del'Janae Williams became the 29th player in program history to score 1,000 points at Indiana State, and the first since the 2014-15 season.
• Bella Finnegan scored in double-figures for the third time in the last four games and is averaging 15.3 points per game during that span.
• Chelsea Cain has scored in double-figures in 11 of Indiana State's 14 conference games this season and is averaging 12.9 points per game against MVC foes.
• Sunday's game closed a three-game road trip for the Sycamores.

 
Up Next
Indiana State returns home for the next two games, starting with a Friday evening tilt against Valparaiso at 6 p.m.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Women's Basketball, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.