EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Indiana State faced an early double-digit deficit Wednesday morning and never fully recovered, as the Sycamores fell 81-71 to SIU Edwardsville inside First Community Arena.
 
Tierney Kelsey tied her career high of 22 points to lead the way for the Blue and White, while Kennedy Claybrooks added season highs of 15 points and eight rebounds. Clemisha Prackett tacked on 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
 
The home side scored the first six points and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire. Indiana State went into the half down 35-21, but the Trees show resiliency in battling back. The Sycamores went on a 13-2 run, sparked by Prackett and Samiyah Briggs, to cut SIUE's lead down to two possessions by the end of the third quarter. Prackett and Claybrooks kept the momentum going early in the fourth for the Sycamores, but the Blue and White couldn't find the late run it needed in a defeat to close their three-game road trip.
 
First Half
SIU Edwardsville took an early 6-0 lead before baskets from Amerie Flowers and Claybrooks opened the scoring for the Sycamores. The Trees remained within a pair following a jumper from Allen, but a late run from the home side saw Indiana State trailing 19-13 after the first quarter.
 
Prackett connected on an early second quarter layup to pull the Sycamores within four, but things went downhill from there to close the half. A 10-0 Cougar run pushed SIU Edwardsville's lead to 29-15 before Kelsey momentarily stopped the bleeding with a basket. Claybrooks connected on a pair of late layups, but the Sycamores faced a 35-21 deficit heading into the break.
 
Second Half
After a back-and-forth start to the third, Indiana State finally started to take control. Briggs hit a layup, with Kayla Smith knocking down a three-ball from the wing as the Sycamores went on a 13-2 run to get themselves back in the game. Two more layups from Prackett, along with a putback from Briggs, pulled Indiana State within 42-38 with less than four minutes to play in the period. Claybrooks tacked on a late three-point play, as the Trees cut their deficit down to 48-43 heading into the fourth.
 
Prackett and Claybrooks scored early in the fourth to get Indiana State within one possession, but the Trees couldn't generate the run they needed to break through. A run for the home side saw the Sycamores down by double-digits once again, but the Blue and White didn't go away without a fight. Kelsey scored 13 in the final period to give the Sycamores a spark, but the Trees ran out of time in an 81-71 setback.
 
News and Notes

• Indiana State outscored SIU Edwardsville 50-46 in the second half, marking the first time the Sycamores scored 50 in a half since Nov. 28, 2017 against Missouri S&T.
• Tierney Kelsey matched her career high of 22 points in Wednesday's game, while scoring in double-figures for the fifth straight game to start the season.
• Indiana State outscored its opponent in the second half for the fourth time in the first five games. The lone game where the Sycamores didn't outscore their opponent in the final 20 minutes was at Austin Peay (tied).
• Indiana State continued its trend of strong bench production, as the Sycamores had two in double-figures off the bench and tallied 38 bench points.
• Kennedy Claybrooks tallied season highs of 15 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's game.
• Clemisha Prackett scored in double-figures off the bench for the third time in the last four games and has shot 80 percent or better from the field in three games this season.
• Indiana State shot 50 percent from 3-point range in the second half (4-for-8) after not hitting a trey in the first half.
• After struggling to rebound in the first half, the Sycamores were plus-eight in rebound margin in the second half (23-15).
• Wednesday's game was the definition of whistle-friendly, as 55 fouls were called and 64 free throws were attempted between the two teams.
• Wednesday's game concluded the longest road trip Indiana State has this season (three games). The Trees don't leave the state of Indiana again until the Cherokee Invitational Dec. 21-22.

 
Up Next
Indiana State begins a three-game homestand Monday morning when it welcomes fellow Terre Haute institution Saint Mary-of-the-Woods to Hulman Center for Education Day Presented by RJL Solutions, with more than 1,000 middle school students from Vigo and Clay County expected in attendance. Tipoff between the Sycamores and Pomeroys is set for 11 a.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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