TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Three of Indiana State's five starters scored in double-figures Sunday afternoon, but visiting Northern Iowa spoiled the Sycamores' return to Hulman Center in a 75-65 setback.
 
Keslyn Secrist led the Trees with 17 points, her most in a MVC game in her career, while Chloe Willams and Bella Finnegan each had 11, with Finnegan drawing her first start of the season. Williams added a team-high seven rebounds and three blocks, while Saige Stahl and Savannah White each pulled down six boards.
 
The Sycamores shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the first quarter while playing strong defense to take a four-point lead after one. UNI opened the second with a 10-0 run in what became a back-and-forth game, with the visitors taking a 31-28 advantage at the half. Northern Iowa led by as many as 10 in the third, before a strong close including a Secrist three pulled the Sycamores within 49-44 heading to the fourth. Secrist and Finnegan scored early in the fourth to make it a one-point game, but a 9-0 UNI run followed. The Trees got back within two possessions late but ran out of time to complete their comeback.
  
First Half
Early baskets from Stahl and Finnegan, the latter's being a three, put Indiana State up early, and Queen Ruffin added a layup to extend the lead to 8-5 midway through the first. Secrist went on a personal 5-0 run with a layup and a three-ball, with White also adding a layup to make it 15-11. Mia Simpson hit a jumper late in the quarter, as Indiana State took a 17-13 lead to the second.
 
Northern Iowa opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run to go in front before baskets from White and Simpson cut into the Panther lead. Secrist tacked on a pair of free throws and knocked down another trey, while Davina Smith connected on a jumper inside the final minute, as Indiana State pulled within 31-28 at the intermission.
 
Second Half
Similar to the second quarter, Northern Iowa jumped out to a 6-0 run to begin the third before a layup from Ruffin and a 3-pointer from Secrist curtailed the scoring spree for the Panthers. Williams tacked on five points in the middle stages of the quarter, including a three-point play, but Indiana State still faced a 10-point deficit with two minutes to go in the third. A layup from White and a three-ball from Secrist inside the final minute gave the Trees life, as Indiana State trailed 49-44 entering the fourth.
 
Free throws from Finnegan and Secrist, along with another triple from Secrist, helped the Trees whittle UNI's lead down to 51-50 early in the fourth. That was as close as the Sycamores got, though, as the visitors followed with a 9-0 run. Baskets down low from Williams and Stahl cut into the deficit, with Finnegan and Williams knocking down threes to make it 69-63 with less than two minutes remaining. Deja Jones added a late layup to keep it a two-possession game inside the final minute before the Panthers iced it from the free throw line. Despite a spirited effort, Indiana State dropped its conference opener 75-65.
 
News and Notes

• Keslyn Secrist (17), Chloe Williams (11) and Saige Stahl (seven) all set career-highs for points in a conference game.
• Indiana State shot a season-high 53.6 percent from 3-point range, going 7-for-13 from behind the arc
• Indiana State finished with a better shooting percentage than Northern Iowa, with the Sycamores holding the Panthers to a 35.8 percent clip from the field.
• Bella Finnegan made her first start of the season in Sunday's game, finishing with 11 points and five rebounds.
• Bella Finnegan and Keslyn Secrist combined to go 6-for-10 from 3-point range in Sunday's game.
• Indiana State registered a season-high six blocks, with Chloe Williams matching her season high of three blocks Sunday.
• Sunday's game was Indiana State's first home game since November 15, with the 45-day stretch between home games being the second-longest in all of Division I this season.

 
Up Next
Indiana State kicks off the new year on the road, with the Sycamores traveling to Illinois State Thursday night for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
 
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