CHICAGO – Redshirt senior guard Cierra Ceazer posted a new career-high 28 points as she helped lead Indiana State Women's Basketball to its third-straight win, 74-71, over Loyola on Sunday afternoon in Gentile Area. The Sycamores pick up their first league win in Chicago since the Ramblers joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 2013-14. 

Ceazer went 11-for-15 from the field (73.3 percent) for the new career mark while junior forward Rhagen Smith also poured in 13 points on a 4-for-9 performance from the field. Redshirt junior forward Joyea Marshall posted 10 rebounds and scored five points which all came in the fourth quarter to help ISU to the series sweep.

The Sycamores were a convincing winner on the glass (42-29) behind Marshall's performance and six from Ceazer. Redshirt sophomore forward Ashley Taia dished out eight assists – also a new career-high. Redshirt junior forward Kelsey Dirks tied her career mark with four blocks, pushing herself into sole possession of fifth place in single season blocks with 45.

Freshman guard Jennifer Mackowiak, playing in front of a hometown crowd, and Dirks each added eight points in the win. Second year head coach Joey Wells picks up this eighth Missouri Valley Conference win, besting last year's mark of seven with four games left in regular season play.

Indiana State opened up the game to an 8-0 deficit but reacted with a 9-2 run of their own to trail by just three (12-9) at the first media timeout. Ceazer drained her first 3-pointer of the day with 3:39 to play to counteract back-to-back Rambler buckets. Freshman guard Jennifer Mackowiak gave the Sycamores a boost at the end of the quarter, hitting a 3-pointer to close it out as her team trailed 22-18.

In the second quarter, the two teams exchanged five lead changes as an offensive board by Ceazer led to a basket in transition cut the lead down to three with 8:57 left. Ceazer got one of two at the free throw line at the 7:31 mark and she got ISU within one nearing the media break (30-29). 

ISU took its first lead of the day on a Dirks bucket (31-30) before Loyola took the lead back. Ceazer with the move in the paint at the 4:12 regained a Sycamore lead but the Ramblers went into the bonus with a little over three minutes to play in the half.

Back-to-back buckets from Dirks and Ceazer flipped the lead back to the Sycamores while Mackowiak's bank shot made it a three point lead with a minute and a half to play. The Sycamores ended the half ahead 40-38, marking the second-highest scoring first half of the season.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair, featuring five ties and eight lead changes throughout the final 20 minutes. Loyola would take over with a 3-point lead in the early goings of the third quarter, but Smith countered with her lone 3-pointer of the day with 7:37 left. The Ramblers went ahead by three at the media timeout (48-45) but Ceazer answered with five straight points to get the lead back for ISU. LU's Nieka Wheeler scored five straight for her team to take over the lead nearing the end of the half as the Ramblers led 55-52 after three.

In the fourth quarter, a Ceazer offensive board and putback tied the game up at 57-57 a minute and a half in. Loyola led by four after a Taylor Johnson steal and would lead by two possessions for the next minute and a half before senior guard Kalliste Haskins drained a 3-pointer at the top of the key with 5:42 to play to cut it down to one (65-64). Ceazer got the Sycamores even with a 3-pointer on the good feed from Taia but Loyola wouldn't score another field goal in the final 3:10 of play as Indiana State completed the win on a 5-0 run.

WHAT WELLS SAID

GAME CHANGER

In a true back-and-forth battle that featured a total of eight ties and 11 lead changes, the Sycamores held Loyola without a field goal in the final 3:10 of play. A career day by redshirt senior guard Cierra Ceazer boosted the Sycamores' confidence as she poured in 28 points

SYCAMORE LEADERS

Points – C. Ceazer (28)

Rebounds – J. Marshall (10)

Assists – A. Taia (8)

Steals – 4 players (1)

Blocks – K. Dirks (4)

ABOUT THE SQUAD

Field Goal % - 44.8

3-Point FG % - 36.4

Free Throw % - 70.0

Rebounds - 42

Assists – 17

Steals – 4

RECORDS
Indiana State: 12-13, 8-6 MVC

Loyola: 13-13, 9-6 MVC

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

1 – Indiana State picks up its first win in Chicago over the Ramblers with both teams members of the Missouri Valley Conference. The only other Sycamore win over Loyola in Chicago came in a non-conference series on November 28, 2006.

2 – ISU completed its second sweep of a conference opponent with the win Sunday over Loyola. They have swept the yearly series with Bradley and Loyola so far this season.

8 – Eight conference wins for the Sycamores – the most for second year head coach Joey Wells who pick up seven in 2014-15

11 – There were 11 lead changes in the Sycamores' win over Loyola on Sunday afternoon

28 – Redshirt senior guard Cierra Ceazer went 11-for-15 from the field for a new career-high 28 points – the most in a game since Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir also scored 28 points versus UNI (March 8, 2014)

40 – Indiana State scored 40 points in the first half, its second-highest first half total this season and just the fifth time with 40-plus points in a half this season

45 – Redshirt junior forward Kelsey Dirks tied a career-high four blocks which increased her total to 45 for the season and takes over sole possession of the fifth-best single season performance in school history

UP NEXT

Indiana State returns to Hulman Center for the final time this season when it welcomes Evansville for Alumnae Day on Friday (7 p.m. ET) and Senior Day on Sunday versus Southern Illinois (2 p.m. ET). Both games will be live on The Valley on ESPN3.

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.