Illinois State handed the visiting Indiana State Sycamores their fifth straight loss by a decisive 105-64 margin Monday night in the Redbirds’ CEFCU Arena.
Three Sycamores scored in double-figures, but Illinois State led the Missouri Valley Conference women’s college basketball matchup wire-to-wire.
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Indiana State fell to 4-8 overall and 0-2 in the MVC, while Illinois State improved to 7-6 and 1-1.
Da’Naria Washington led the Blue and White with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Amerie Flowers added 10 points and eight boards. Tierney Kelsey was also in double-figures with 11, with Samiyah Briggs adding nine points and five rebounds.
Indiana State next plays a 2 p.m. New Year’s Day matinee game on Thursday against MVC rival Valparaiso in Hulman Center.
Indiana State stayed within two possessions for the first quarter of the game, but things quickly went downhill from there, Indiana State sports information reported.
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Illinois State outscored the Sycamores 32-10 in the second quarter to lead 56-28 at the break. Washington scored seven of her 12 points in the third quarter, but the result was well out of reach by that point.
In the first half, Briggs started the Sycamores’ scoring with a layup, and Flowers added a basket down low as the Trees kept pace early on. Kelsey tacked on a jumper midway through and later knocked down a trey as the Sycamores stayed within two possessions of the home side. Briggs and Camariyana Tavares made late layups for the Blue and White, with the latter adding another basket before the buzzer to pull Indiana State within 24-18 after one quarter.
The second quarter is where things unraveled for the Blue and White, as Illinois State opened on a 10-0 run before a Flowers layup made it 34-20. Flowers later added a pair of free throws, but a 15-3 Redbird run followed. Kelsey converted a three-point play late, but the Sycamores went into the intermission facing a 56-28 deficit.
In the second half, Flowers hit an early third quarter layup, and Washington gave the Sycamores life with a corner three and a running floater. A layup from Tavares followed just past the midway point, with Kayla Smith and Jayci Allen adding treys for the Trees. Indiana State gave up a 5-0 run to end the frame, though, as the Sycamores’ deficit increased to 77-47 heading to the fourth quarter.
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Allen and Kelsey hit layups early in the fourth, and Smith added one in transition for the Sycamores. Washington added a pair of baskets in the paint, and Blake and Nala Abraham went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe over the closing moments of the game, but it came in a 105-64 defeat for the Sycamores.
Notes — Amaya Blake made her Indiana State debut in Monday’s game, finishing with three points and one assist in four minutes of action. … Ruth Sodipe made her first start in an Indiana State uniform and played a season-high 14 minutes. … Illinois State guard Bella Finnegan, who was a three-year letterwinner at Indiana State (2022-25), finished with three points and three rebounds in her first game against her former school.
