Box Score NORMAL, Ill. – Junior forward Rhagen Smith posted a career night but Indiana State Women's Basketball couldn't overcome early miscues as it fell to Illinois State on the road, 73-62, on Friday night at Redbird Arena.
Smith had a new career-high 14 points and added four rebounds an assist and a block. Redshirt senior Cierra Ceazer also contributed 14 points along with seven rebounds, two steals and two assists. Redshirt junior Joyea Marshall was the third Sycamore in double figures with 10 points and a team-leading eight rebounds.
The Sycamores did manage to shoot 40 percent on the night but couldn't connect from long range as it hit a season-low two 3-pointers in the loss. Indiana State outrebounded the Redbirds (39-33) while grabbing its second-best effort on the offensive glass with 18. Freshman guard Jennifer Mackowiak distributed a game-high four assists and freshman guard Tierra Webb tied a career-high with four steals.
Indiana State led by as many as five in the first quarter but Illinois State went on a 10-0 run to end the first 10 minutes of play as Indiana State trailed 18-13. The Sycamores were hampered with turnovers in the opening frame, committing 10 of its 20 on the night in the first quarter.
The Redbirds run extended into the second quarter before a Marshall bunny ended the run with 8:40 to play. The Sycamores chipped away with back-to-back buckets from Taia and a nice finish by freshman forward Regan Wentland cut the deficit down to four at 5:44.
A Smith 3-pointer made it a one point game before Illinois State answered with one of its own. Smith would eventually tie it up (29-29) with 2:10 to play before the break and a take by Ceazer gave Indiana State a 31-29 lead. But MVC Newcomer of the Week Shakeela Fowler drained a 3-pointer from NBA range to give the Redbirds a 37-33 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Illinois State went on a 13-2 run on three 3-pointers as Indiana State faced its largest deficit of the game, 50-39, at the media timeout. Indiana State got back-to-back buckets including a Mackowiak assisted transition layup from Ceazer that forced a Redbird timeout with 3:32 to play. Marshall scored consecutively for the Sycamores to close out the third as neither team scored in the final 1:23.
Marshall scored consecutively for the Sycamores to close out the third as neither team scored in the final 1:23. Ceazer and Taia combined for back-to-back buckets and made it a three-point game (56-53) with 7:06 to play in the fourth quarter. Indiana State wouldn't get any closer than that as Illinois State eventually stretched out its lead to 10 with 2:20 to play. The Sycamores were held without a field goal in the final 3:19 of play as it splits its first completed conference series of the season.
WHAT COACH SAID…
Coach Wells postgame:
GAME CHANGER
Indiana State committed 20 turnovers, 10 of which came in the first quarter alone. The Sycamores couldn't write the ship despite cutting the deficit down to three points in the third quarter and went just 2-for-11 from 3-point range.
SYCAMORE LEADERS
Points – R. Smith/C. Ceazer (14)
Rebounds – J. Marshall (8)
Assists – J. Mackowiak (4)
Steals – T. Webb (4)
Blocks – K. Dirks (2)
ABOUT THE SQUAD
Field Goal % - 40.0
3-Point FG % - 18.2
Free Throw % - 70.6
Rebounds - 39
Assists – 14
Steals – 11
RECORDS
Indiana State: 9-12, 5-5 MVC
Illinois State: 6-15, 4-6 MVC
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
14 – Junior forward Rhagen Smith recorded a new career-high 14 points in Friday night's loss
17 – Cierra Ceazer had her 17th game this season in double figures with 14 points
39 – Kelsey Dirks took over sole possession of sixth in a single season with two blocks on the night to push her season total up to 39
UP NEXT
#ISUWBB returns to Hulman Center for a weekend series with Northern Iowa (Friday, 7:05 p.m. ET) and Drake (Sunday, 2:05 p.m. ET). Sunday's game vs. the Bulldogs will serve as the annual “Pink Out” game for breast cancer awareness.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Women's Basketball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
