MOLINE, Ill. – Three Indiana State players scored in double-figures Friday afternoon, but it wasn't enough to extend the Sycamores' season another day in a 75-57 loss to Drake in the quarterfinals of Hoops in the Heartland.
 
Chelsea Cain led the Sycamores with 15 points, and was joined in double-figures by Kiley Bess and Mya Glanton with 12 and 10, respectively. Glanton also pulled down a team-leading seven rebounds, while Bess led the Trees with five steals. Ella Sawyer dished out four assists.
 
Indiana State kept pace early on with 3-pointers from Cain and Bess, but the Sycamores faced an early deficit after Drake scored 24 in the opening quarter. Baskets from Glanton and Sawyer, along with a three-point play from Bess, kept the Sycamores within reach in the second quarter, but the Bulldogs' fast-paced offense saw the Trees down 42-26 at the half. The Sycamores remained within 16 following consecutive makes from Asia Donald and Glanton, but a 19-5 Drake run spanning the third and fourth quarters put the game out of reach.
  
First Half
Cain and Bess connected on early first quarter 3-pointers for the Sycamores, while Glanton added an early basket down low as the Trees kept pace with Drake's offense in the opening stages. Another basket from Cain had Indiana State down 15-10 just past the midway point of the quarter, but Drake closed the opening period strong and took a 24-13 lead over the Sycamores into the second.
 
Indiana State continued to attack the paint in the second quarter, as Cain and Glanton scored the Sycamores' first two baskets. Sawyer added a layup and Bess converted a three-point play midway through, as the Sycamores remained within striking distance of the league leaders. Savannah White and Donald pulled the Trees within 35-24 following baskets, but another Drake run to close the half saw the Sycamores trail 42-26 at the intermission.
 
Second Half
Similar to the first half, Cain got the scoring started for Indiana State with a jumper. Drake followed with an 8-0 run to extend its lead, but Cain, Glanton and Donald all made baskets to help Indiana State chip away at its deficit. Glanton and Cain added late baskets for the Sycamores, but another Drake scoring run near the end of the period gave the Bulldogs a 62-41 advantage heading into the fourth.
 
Drake's run continued into the fourth quarter, as the Bulldogs opened the frame on a 9-0 run before Keslyn Secrist knocked down a 3-pointer. Cain added another jumper and Bess knocked down a trio of free throws to cut into the deficit, but time was not on the Sycamores' side to make a comeback. White and Glanton both added baskets in the middle stages of the frame, and Lily Niebuhr made a layup inside the last two minutes, but regular season champion Drake advanced to the semifinals with a 79-57 win.
 
News and Notes

• Indiana State finishes the season at 11-21 overall and 6-14 in conference play.
• Indiana State forced 20-plus turnovers for the second straight game, as Drake finished Friday's game with 20 giveaways.
• Kiley Bess' five steals were her most in a game since her career-high six-steal game at Valparaiso on Feb. 9.
• Indiana State was plus-seven in Lily Niebuhr's seven minutes on the court.
• Three of the four quarters in Friday's game were decided by five points or less.
• Indiana State had 16 bench points Friday, with five different Sycamore reserves finding their way onto the scoresheet.
• Mya Glanton averaged 20 points and 6.5 rebounds per game across Indiana State's two conference tournament games.

 
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