TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Mya Glanton led all players with 17 points Sunday afternoon, but visiting Illinois State survived a gritty effort from Indiana State in a 64-59 setback for the Sycamores inside Hulman Center.
 
Chelsea Cain added 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Sycamores, who also got 11 points from Kiley Bess and eight from Ella Sawyer. Sawyer dished out four assists for the Trees without a turnover.
 
Indiana State jumped out to an early 9-2 lead thanks to six quick points from Glanton, but Illinois State responded to lead 13-11 after a quarter. The Redbirds led by as many as eight and took a 33-27 lead into halftime, but early third-quarter baskets from Bella Finnegan and Cain got the Sycamores within a point. Five straight points from Sawyer kept it a one-possession game into the fourth quarter. The Sycamores took a lead early in the final frame following a basket from Glanton and pair of free throws from Bess, but a 7-0 run for the Redbirds followed and Illinois State never trailed from there. Indiana State was within two possessions for the majority of the quarter thanks in part to a late scoring surge from Cain, but the Sycamores' comeback fell just short.
  
First Half
Glanton quickly went to work with three baskets in the first four minutes of the game, as Indiana State built a 9-2 lead early on. An 8-0 run from the visitors saw Illinois State go in front, but Keslyn Secrist hit a floater inside the last two minutes to give the Sycamores an 11-10 lead. Three free throws for the Redbirds inside the final minute gave Illinois State a 13-11 lead heading into the second.
 
A 3-pointer from Cain gave the Sycamores a 14-13 advantage less than a minute into the second quarter, but Illinois State responded with an 11-2 run to go in front 24-16 midway through the period. Sawyer knocked down a 3-pointer and Indiana State added layups from Bess and Glanton to cut it to a one-possession game late in the second. Jumpers from Cain and Glanton added on to the Sycamore total, but Illinois State took a 33-27 lead into the intermission.
 
Second Half
Layups from Bess and Finnegan helped start an early Sycamore run in the third quarter, and Cain added a layup to cut Indiana State's deficit to 37-35 midway through. Illinois State responded with a 6-0 run, but Sawyer reignited the Sycamores with a 3-point play to make it 43-38. Sawyer added another layup late in the quarter, as Indiana State got within 43-40 heading into the fourth.
 
Indiana State took a 44-43 lead early in the fourth following a basket from Glanton and a pair of free throws from Bess, but the visitors had a response of their own. Illinois State countered with a 7-0 run to take back the lead and never trailed from that point on. A 3-pointer from Finnegan got the Sycamores within 53-47, but the Redbirds tacked on to their lead from the charity stripe. Despite seven points in the last two minutes of the game from Cain, Illinois State squeaked out a 64-59 win over the Sycamores.
 
News and Notes

• Indiana State retired the No. 20 of Barbara Graves (1979-83) in a halftime ceremony Sunday. Graves ranks among the top five in program history in points (1,498), rebounds (898) and steals (315).
• Indiana State went 9-for-10 from the free throw line Sunday. The Sycamores have missed just one free throw over the course of the last two games.
• All four quarters in Sunday's game were decided by four points or fewer.
• Turnovers and free throws proved costly for Indiana State, as Illinois State finished with 20 points off turnovers and went 25-for-27 from the charity stripe.
• Indiana State was plus-3 (29-26) in rebound margin, while holding Illinois State to its fewest rebounds in a game this season.
• Indiana State's defense kept the Sycamores in the game throughout the afternoon, as Illinois State finished 13 points below its season average of 77.7 points per game.

 
Postgame Press Conference Presented by Team Green Law: Ella Sawyer and Mya Glanton


Postgame Press Conference Presented by Team Green Law: Deidra Johnson


Up Next
Indiana State heads on the road for its next two games, starting with an in-state battle Friday night at Valparaiso at 7 p.m.
 
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