VALPARAISO, Ind. – Mya Glanton led all players with 17 points Friday night and Kiley Bess added 15 off the bench, as Indiana State withstood a late Valparaiso rally to defeat the Beacons 70-65 inside the Athletics-Recreation Center.
 
Chelsea Cain was also in double-figures for the Trees with 12 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists, while Ella Sawyer had eight points, eight rebounds and six assists.
 
Indiana State took an early five-point lead following 3-pointers from Cain and Keslyn Secrist, and 3-pointers from Bess and Asia Donald kept the Sycamores in front. A back-and-forth second quarter saw the Trees take a one-possession lead into the intermission. Indiana State exploded for 21 points in the third quarter and led by as many as 15 following a three-ball from Donald midway through the fourth quarter, but Valpo put together a comeback attempt late. The Beacons got within two inside the last three minutes, but Indiana State went 6-for-6 from the charity stripe in crunch time and Cain iced the game with a layup in the final minute.
  
First Half
Glanton got things started for the Sycamores with a pair of free throws and a layup, and treys from Cain and Secrist quickly gave the Blue and White a 10-5 lead. Valpo countered with a 10-0 run to take its largest lead of the game midway through the first quarter at 15-10, but the Sycamores responded back. Threes from Donald and Bess capped an 8-0 Indiana State run, and Cain hit a floater as time expired to give the Trees a 20-18 lead after one.
 
Indiana State's first five points of the second quarter came from the free throw line. The Sycamores went without a field goal for the first seven minutes of the period, as Valpo clawed its way back in front by a 26-25 margin. Bess snapped the field goal drought with a layup, and consecutive layups from Glanton inside the last two minutes gave the Sycamores the lead for good. Indiana State maintained a slim 33-31 advantage at the half.
 
Second Half
Layups Bess and Sawyer early in the third saw the Trees remain in front, though the opening four minutes went back-and-forth. Indiana State finally broke through with a 10-0 run midway through the quarter kickstarted by a three-point play from Bess. Back-to-back baskets from Glanton and a 3-pointer from Bella Finnegan saw the Sycamores' lead swell to 50-38 following the run. Layups from Sawyer and Finnegan late in the period saw Indiana State take a 54-43 lead into the fourth.
 
The Sycamores continued to find ways to add to their lead early in the final frame, with Bess hitting a pair of free throws and treys from Cain and Donald making it 62-47. Valpo used a 13-0 run across the middle of the quarter to pull within two, but that was as close as the Beacons got. Glanton, Sawyer and Bess combined to go 6-for-6 from the charity stripe inside the final 2:30 of action, and a second-chance basket from Cain inside the final minute was a dagger. Valpo went 0-for-6 from the field inside the final minute, as Indiana State completed its season sweep of the Beacons.
 
News and Notes

• Chelsea Cain and Ella Sawyer were both on triple-double watch, as Cain had 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Sawyer had eight points, eight rebounds and six assists.
• Asia Donald had eight points in 11 minutes playing in front of her home crowd. Donald was a star at nearby Hobart (Ind.) HS, where she led the IHSAA in scoring last year.
• Indiana State's 23 bench points Friday night was the Sycamores' most in a win this season.
• The Sycamores have continued to find success from behind the arc in conference play, knocking down 43.8 percent (7-for-16) of their 3-point attempts Friday. Conversely, Indiana State's 3-point defense limited Valpo, who led the MVC in 3-pointers entering Friday's game, to a 29.0 percent clip from deep.
• Kiley Bess registered a career-best six steals in Friday's win, the most in a game by a Sycamore this season.
• Keslyn Secrist earned her first career start in Friday's game, finishing with five points, three rebounds and one assist in 13 minutes.
• Indiana State swept the season series with Valpo this season, and has won each of the last three games at Valpo in the all-time series. The Sycamores are 6-1 all-time at Valparaiso.
• Indiana State wore its alternate gray uniforms for just the second time this season, and the Sycamores picked up their first win this season when wearing gray.

 
Up Next
Indiana State closes its two-game road trip Sunday afternoon at UIC, with tipoff set for 1 p.m.
 
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