TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State's regular season came to a close Saturday afternoon, as the Sycamores fell to visiting Illinois State, 82-71, inside Hulman Center.
 
Anna McKendree led the Sycamores with 22 points, while Del'Janae Williams added 16. Caitlin Anderson and Hattie Westerfeld combined for 15 points off the bench for the Sycamores, while each of Indiana State's healthy seniors scored in their final home game of their careers.
 
Indiana State was aggressive in the early stages and it paid dividends in the first 15 minutes. The Sycamores jumped out to a 35-25 lead midway through the second quarter, hitting five 3-pointers in the first 15 minutes to storm in front. Illinois State had an answer, though, and after tying the game just before halftime, led for most of the second half. Indiana State was within five early in the fourth following a Chelsea Cain jumper, but the visitors countered every punch the Sycamores had to earn a share of the MVC regular season crown.
 
First Half
Cain opened the scoring with a jumper from the elbow, and McKendree followed with a 3-pointer from the wing to make it 5-0 just over a minute into the contest. A 3-pointer from Williams made it 10-6 midway through, and McKendree tacked on another trey to make it 15-8 just over five minutes in. The visitors cut their deficit to two late in the quarter, but a McKendree 3-pointer and a Williams layup pushed Indiana State's advantage up to nine, its largest lead of the quarter, at 24-15. The Sycamores took a 24-17 lead to the second.
 
Indiana State's momentum carried into the early stages of the second quarter, as Anderson and Mya Glanton made baskets to keep the Sycamore advantage at seven. A 3-pointer from McKendree, followed by a Cain basket, gave the Trees their largest lead of the contest at 35-25, but the Redbirds came storming back. Illinois State closed the half on a 14-4 run, with McKendree accounting for all of the Sycamores' points during that span from the charity stripe. The Sycamores and Redbirds went to the locker room tied at 39 at the half.
 
Second Half
Illinois State jumped out to a five-point lead early in the third, but a 3-pointer from McKendree and a layup from Bella Finnegan tied it at 46-apiece. The Sycamores went back in front on a Williams 3-pointer, but an 8-0 run from the visitors put the Redbirds ahead 56-49. Williams added another fastbreak layup and baskets down low from Westerfeld and Glanton, the latter's being a buzzer-beating putback, gave Indiana State late life in the quarter, as the Sycamores entered the fourth trailing 62-56
 
Early fourth-quarter baskets from Anderson and Cain got the Sycamores within five at 65-60 with just under eight minutes to go. Illinois State got hot from distance, though, pushing its advantage up to double-digits on a pair of 3-pointers. The Sycamores tried to rally back with baskets from Anderson and Westerfeld, but the 3-point barrage in the second half was too much to overcome. Florence Tshimanga scored the final points at Hulman Center for the Sycamores this season, but it was Illinois State who came out on top.
 
Inside the Numbers

• Indiana State was plus-seven on the glass (34-27), and converted 16 offensive rebounds into 21 second chance points.
• Indiana State outscored Illinois State 17-4 in bench points.
• The 17 bench points for Indiana State were its most in a conference game since scoring 20 off the bench against Valparaiso on Jan. 7, 2023.
• The Sycamores finished with 20 points off turnovers, their 12th game this season with 20-plus points off turnovers. Seven of those 12 games have come against MVC foes.

 
News & Notes

• Indiana State recognized its graduating class, consisting of Sommer Pitzer, Adrian Folks, Natalia Lalic, Florence Tshimanga, Hattie Westerfeld, Anna McKendree, Caitlin Anderson and Del'Janae Williams, prior to the game.
• Anna McKendree's 22 points were her most against an MVC foe in her career.
• Indiana State closed its regular season at 11-18 overall and 6-14 in conference play.
• The Sycamores finished with seven home wins this season, their most since the 2015-16 campaign.

 
Up Next
Indiana State will play its first round game of Hoops in the Heartland Thursday at 7 p.m. The Sycamores will be seeded 10th for the tournament and will play the seventh-seeded team, which is still to be determined, in the opening round.
 
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.