TERRE HAUTE, Ind. –Indiana State started strong Wednesday night in its Missouri Valley Conference opener, but things quickly unraveled for the Sycamores in the middle quarters in a 97-77 defeat at the hands of Drake inside Hulman Center.
 
Tierney Kelsey led the Sycamores with 18 points, followed by Kayla Smith with 11 and Samiyah Briggs with 10. Kennedy Claybrooks paced the offense with a team-high four assists, while Clemisha Pracket anchored the defense with seven rebounds. Camariyana Tavares added six rebounds and three blocks off the bench. 
 
Indiana State led 21-18 after one quarter, with Briggs leading the charge with eight points in the opening 10 minutes. The Sycamores answered a Bulldog run in the second quarter and stayed within six at halftime behind Kelsey's 15 first-half points, but Drake took control with a decisive third-period surge. The Bulldogs outscored the Trees 34-12 in the third, but Indiana State continued to fight in the fourth. A 13-4 run sparked by Tavares helped the Sycamores outscore Drake 23-15, but the damage was already done in a conference-opening setback.
 
First Half
Drake opened the scoring with a layup, but Briggs had a quick answer in the form of a pullup jumper. After a run from the visitors, the Trees strung together a 14-2 run sparked by a driving layup from Claybrooks and a three-pointer by Jayci Allen to take an 18-13 advantage. Drake closed the quarter by trimming the deficit, but Indiana State took a 21-18 lead after the opening 10 minutes. 
 
Drake began the second period with momentum, opening on a 5-0 run before Da'Naria Washington knocked down a three to halt the surge. The Bulldogs continued to build their lead with a 12-0 run, which was stopped by a two-point basket from Kelsey, keeping the Sycamores within 10 with six minutes left before halftime. Indiana State battled back the rest of the period, trading baskets with Drake and outscoring the Bulldogs by three over the remainder of the half, with most of the damage for the Trees coming from the charity stripe and around the rim. Despite the late push, the Bulldogs took a 48-42 lead into the break.
 
Second Half 
Claybrooks knocked down an early third quarter three-ball to pull the Trees within five, but it was all Drake in the period. A 20-2 Bulldog run followed to essentially put the game out of reach, as Indiana State struggled on both ends of the court throughout the quarter. Late baskets from Briggs and Prackett helped to momentarily stop the bleeding, but the damage was done as Indiana State trailed 82-54 entering the fourth quarter. 
 
Indiana State showed signs of life in the fourth quarter, with Tavares hitting a pair of free throws and a jumper from the elbow, with Washington also adding a fastbreak layup. Two layups from Claybrooks, along with a Kayla Smith trey, helped the Trees go on a 13-4 run to cut into the deficit. Smith added a four-point play and a layup in the last 90 seconds but it was too little, too late for the Blue and White in a 97-77 loss. 
 
News and Notes

• For the second straight game, a Sycamore opponent scored more than 95 points and shot over 50 percent from the field.
• Indiana State finished with 42 rebounds and despite losing the rebound margin, pulled down 40-plus boards for the second straight game.
• The Sycamores recorded fewer than 10 turnovers for the first time since its November 24 game against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, committing just nine in Wednesday's game.
• Wednesday's game was the first time the Sycamores recorded five or more blocks since the Eastern Illinois game on November 11.
• The Sycamores scored 15 or more fastbreak points for the second straight home game, totaling 20 in the game.
• The Sycamore bench scored 20 or more points for the first time since November 14 at Western Kentucky, contributing 23 points.
• Kayla Smith scored a season high of 11 points, marking her first double-digit scoring game in an Indiana State uniform. All of Smith's scoring came in the fourth quarter, where she was 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from behind the arc in the final frame.
• Camariyana Tavares set career highs with three blocks, six rebounds and 20 minutes played. Tavares was plus-three in the second half, despite that being the worse of the two halves for Indiana State.
• Da'Naria Washington made her first three-pointer as a Sycamore tonight, and also tied her season high of four rebounds 
• Tierney Kelsey scored in double-figures for the ninth straight game to start the season, and surpassed the 250-point mark for her collegiate career. Kelsey's 18 points paced the Sycamore offense, with 15 coming in the first half.
• Indiana State's scoring was a balanced effort, as seven different Sycamores finished with six or more points in Wednesday's game. 

Postgame Press Conference Presented by Team Green Law: Marc Mitchell and Samiyah Briggs
 

Up Next
Indiana State heads to Cherokee, N.C. to play in the Cherokee Invitational Sunday and Monday inside Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort. The Sycamores start off play against No. 24/23 Michigan State Sunday at 5 p.m., and will face either Old Dominion or No. 14/14 Ole Miss Monday at 5 or 7:30 p.m.

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