MILWAUKEE – Chloe Williams paced Indiana State with 17 points Tuesday night and Keslyn Secrist added 16, but homestanding Marquette's offense clicked on all cylinders in an 83-67 defeat for the Sycamores inside the Al McGuire Center.
 
Williams also led Indiana State with seven rebounds, while Mia Simpson finished with 10 points for her first double-figure scoring game in a Sycamore uniform.
 
Indiana State got off to a slow start, trailing by double-digits within the first four minutes of the game, and never fully recovered. The Sycamores' offense started to turn things around in the middle stages of the game, but Marquette scored 20-plus points in each of the first three quarters, including a 31-point outburst in the third, to take full control of the game. Despite outscoring Marquette 15-7 in the fourth quarter, the Sycamores dug themselves in too big a hole to overcome.
  
First Half
Williams opened the scoring for the Sycamores with a midrange jumper and Savannah White added a three-ball from the wing, but Indiana State fell in an early double-digit hole thanks to a quick 8-0 Marquette run. Baskets from Williams and Simpson midway through the quarter pulled the Trees closer, with Simpson also providing back-to-back buckets late in the frame for the Blue and White. Despite the late offense, the Trees trailed 25-13 after the first quarter.
 
The Sycamores cut into the deficit early in the second with a Williams 3-pointer, and Jones added a layup to get the Sycamores closer before Marquette went on another run to extend its lead to 38-20. Saige Stahl converted a three-point play and Secrist connected on a trey to put the Sycamores on a 6-0 run midway through, with baskets from Williams and Simpson getting the Sycamores' deficit down to 42-30. Simpson knocked down a pair of free throws to cut Marquette's lead to 10, but a late Golden Eagle 3-pointer saw the Sycamores facing a 45-32 deficit at the break.
 
Second Half
Marquette came out of the intermission firing, as the Golden Eagles began the third quarter on a 10-2 run to push their lead to 55-34. Secrist converted on a three-point play and also drained a 3-pointer midway through the quarter, with Semie Brar also knocking down a triple to pull the Sycamores closer. Williams cut the deficit to 59-45 with a pair of free throws, but Marquette followed with a 12-0 run to take their largest lead of the game at 71-45. Layups from Stahl and Secrist, along with another Secrist 3-pointer, cut into the deficit once more, but Marquette beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to take a 76-52 lead into the fourth.
 
Indiana State chipped away at the deficit with free throws from Williams, Secrist and Ruffin as the Trees scored the first six points of the final frame. Baskets from Brar and Williams pulled the Sycamores closer, with the Trees going on a 7-0 run following a basket from Stahl and another three-ball from Brar. Indiana State closed the game strong, outscoring Marquette 15-7 in the fourth quarter, but the early offensive onslaught from the home side was too much to overcome in an 83-67 setback.
 
News and Notes

• Mia Simpson (10) and Semie Brar (eight) both scored their most points in a Sycamore uniform in Tuesday's game.
• Chloe Williams scored in double-figures for the second straight game and fourth time this season.
• Keslyn Secrist's streak of double-figure scoring outings was extended Tuesday, with the sophomore guard hitting double-digit points in all seven games this season.
• Indiana State finished with 19 second chance points, its most in a game this season.
• Indiana State recorded a season-high five blocks, with five different players – Semie Brar, Queen Ruffin, Keslyn Secrist, Savannah White and Chloe Williams – recording a rejection.
• Despite losing the rebound margin for the game, Indiana State was plus-one on the boards in the second half (24-23).
• Indiana State limited Marquette to a 3-for-18 mark from the field (16.7 percent) in the fourth quarter, including an 0-for-6 mark from 3-point range in the final frame.

 
Up Next
Indiana State makes the short trek across state lines Friday to face Eastern Illinois at 6 p.m.
 
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