TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Kiley Bess led Indiana State with 19 points and Ella Sawyer dished out a career-high 12 assists Saturday afternoon, but visiting Southern Illinois scored 50 points in the second half to defeat the Sycamores 80-70 inside Hulman Center.
 
Sawyer was on triple-double watch by the end of the game, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds in addition to her career-best mark in assists. Bess pulled down five rebounds for the Blue and White, while Bella Finnegan also finished in double-figures for the Sycamores with 10 points.
 
Indiana State got off to a slow start, with the visitors jumping out to an early lead in the first quarter. The Sycamores pulled their way back thanks to nine points between Bess and Finnegan in the opening quarter, then used a 3-point barrage from Keslyn Secrist in the second quarter to take a 33-30 lead at the half. SIU opened the second half on a 7-0 run and never trailed from that point on, though. Indiana State was within three early in the fourth quarter, but a 15-2 Saluki run broke the game open.
  
First Half
Southern Illinois scored the first two baskets of the game, but a fastbreak layup from Lily Niebuhr and a 3-pointer from Bess quickly put Indiana State in front. The Salukis' paint presence saw them take a five-point lead before baskets from Bess and Finnegan whittled that down to a point. Indiana State headed into the second quarter facing a 15-12 deficit.
 
The visitors extended their lead out to six points within the first three minutes of the second quarter, but Indiana State had a response of its own. Three 3-pointers from Secrist evened the score at 26, and Bess tacked on a three-point play to put the Trees in front. Savannah White connected on a pair of jumpers late in the quarter, as the Sycamores took a 33-30 lead into the intermission.
 
Second Half
SIU opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run, but a jumper from Bess and a pair of free throws from Chelsea Cain knotted things up at 37. Bess and Niebuhr added baskets for the Blue and White, but another scoring run for the Salukis saw the visitors pull ahead 47-41. Indiana State pulled within two late in the quarter following a pair of free throws from Mya Glanton and a three-ball from Finnegan, but the Trees entered the fourth quarter trailing 54-49.
 
Glanton opened the fourth quarter with a fastbreak layup to get the Trees within three at 54-51, but a 15-2 Southern Illinois run saw the visitors take a double-digit lead. Cain and Deja Jones ended the scoring run with jumpers, and a pair of baskets from Sawyer cut Southern Illinois' advantage to 11. Finnegan tacked on a 3-pointer inside the final minute but it was too little, too late for the Sycamores in a 10-point defeat.
 
News and Notes

• Ella Sawyer's 12 assists were her most in a game in her collegiate career. Sawyer finished one point and three rebounds shy of a triple-double.
• Kiley Bess has averaged 18 points and six rebounds per game across Indiana State's first two games of the current homestand.
• Indiana State's 3-point defense continues to be strong, limiting Southern Illinois to 3-for-12 from behind the arc. The Sycamores were 6-for-18 from distance.
• Indiana State' 19 fastbreak points were its most in a conference game this season and the most for the Sycamores since having 22 against Radford on Nov. 23.
• Indiana State had a 19-4 advantage in bench points and a 16-15 advantage in points off turnovers.
• Southern Illinois' Laniah Randle scored a career-high 36 points Saturday.

 
Up Next
Indiana State's three-game homestand wraps up Thursday evening at 6 p.m. against Evansville.
 
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