CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Playing with just nine available players, Indiana State gave homestanding Northern Iowa everything it could handle on the road Thursday night. The Sycamores nearly overcame a 16-point deficit, but ran out of gas late in a 91-79 defeat inside McLeod Center.
 
Tierney Kelsey led the Trees with a career-high 27 points and six rebounds, while Jayci Allen and Clemisha Prackett came off the bench to score in double-figures with 13 and 12, respectively. Samiyah Briggs added 10 points, with Allen also leading the Blue and White with eight rebounds.
 
After a rough first quarter which saw the Sycamores give up seven threes, the Blue and White found their stride in the middle frames. Indiana State got 11 points between Allen and Kelsey in the second to pull within five at the break, with the Trees briefly taking a lead in the third quarter after trailing by as many as 16. UNI took the lead back midway through the third, but the Sycamores kept pace thanks to 10 points in the period from Kelsey. Indiana State was within two possessions with less than four minutes remaining, but the Trees were unable to complete the comeback as Northern Iowa held off a resilient Sycamore effort.
 
First Half
Indiana State got off to one of its worst starts to a game this season, as the Sycamores trailed 16-2 just over three minutes into the contest. Allen knocked down a triple to break the early shooting slump, with Kelsey and Prackett finishing through contact to pull the Sycamores closer. Kelsey added a four-point play, hitting a three while being fouled, and Allen connected on another three-ball late in the frame, as Indiana State pulled within 11 inside the final minute. The Sycamores allowed UNI to go 7-for-10 from deep in the frame, including one right before the horn to give the Panthers a 32-18 lead after one.
 
Allen continued her hot start with a trey to open the second, with Kayla Smith adding a three of her own to being the Blue and White within eight at 34-26. Amerie Flowers went to work down low with a pair of baskets to keep the deficit at single-digits, while Allen continued her strong start with a layup to reach double-figures. Two baskets from Prackett, along with a trey from Kelsey, pulled the Trees within three with just under two minutes left in the half before the home side generated momentum of its own. Indiana State had the last punch in the half, though, as Kelsey beat the horn with another three-ball to cut the Trees' deficit to 51-46 after the first 20 minutes.
 
Second Half
Indiana State's momentum carried into the early stages of the third, as Da'Naria Washington opened the frame with a layup in transition and Kelsey added another three as the Trees pulled within three. Prackett converted on a second chance opportunity down low, with Kelsey adding a trey on the Sycamores' next possession to give Indiana State a 58-57 lead midway through the period. Northern Iowa retook the lead with a 7-0 run, but Briggs cut into that advantage with a three-ball of her own. Flowers tacked on another basket inside, while free throws from Kelsey and Prackett pulled the Blue and White within four points, 71-67, heading to the fourth quarter.
 
Following a slow start to the fourth, Prackett continued her strong second half with a layup to bring the Blue and White within five. Kelsey added a floater to tack on to her career-best outing, while Briggs converted on a pair of free throws to keep the deficit at five, 80-75, with less than four minutes remaining. Northern Iowa put the game out of reach with a 9-0 run, though, building its lead back up to double-digits for the first time since the opening half. Despite a pair of late baskets from Kelsey and Briggs, the Sycamores' gutsy effort fell short in a 91-79 defeat.
 
News and Notes

• Tierney Kelsey's 27 points were tied for the most by a Sycamore in a game this season (Amerie Flowers – 27 vs. Murray State), while her five threes and six rebounds were also career-high marks.
  • Kelsey's five threes were the most by a Sycamore in a game this season, with the sophomore guard becoming the first Sycamore to hit five treys in a game since Keslyn Secrist did so at Drake on Feb. 27, 2025.
• Jayci Allen's three 3-pointers matched her season high and marked the fifth time this season that she knocked down three treys in a game.
  • Allen scored in double-figures for the fourth straight game, while leading the Blue and White in rebounding for the second time in that span.
• Clemisha Prackett made the most of her minutes with 12 points and six rebounds in just 15 minutes of action. Prackett was a team-high plus-six on the evening.
• Indiana State's 28-point second quarter was its highest-scoring quarter since scoring 32 in the third quarter against Valparaiso on New Year's Day.
• Indiana State struggled from behind the arc in recent weeks, but the Sycamores knocked down 10 treys at a 37 percent clip in Thursday's game.
  • The 10 threes were the most for the Sycamores in a conference game this season, and the most for the Blue and White against a Valley foe since hitting 11 against Drake on Feb. 27, 2025.
• The Sycamores took full advantage of their extra opportunities, converting 14 offensive rebounds into a season-high 20 second chance points.
• Indiana State committed just 11 turnovers in Thursday's game, despite not having starting point guard Kennedy Claybrooks available.
• Indiana State outscored Northern Iowa 61-59 across the last three quarters, including a 49-39 advantage for the Blue and White in the middle two frames (28-19 in the second, 21-20 in the third).

 
Up Next
Indiana State closes its two-game Iowa road swing Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. contest at Drake.
 
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