Box Score CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Despite a six-point halftime lead, another sluggish second half doomed Indiana State women's basketball on the road to Northern Iowa on Sunday afternoon, 53-42.
Redshirt senior guard Cierra Ceazer led all scorers with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Redshirt junior forward Joyea Marshall posted her fifth double-digit rebounding effort on the season with a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with nine points.
Junior forward Rhagen Smith came off the bench to chip in seven points while redshirt junior forward Kelsey Dirks tied a career-high four blocks. Her four blocks pushed her season total to 30 which ties her for 10th all-time in a single season.
It was just another struggle on the offensive side for the Sycamores, who shot just 32 percent on the day, including 26 percent in the second half. Indiana State scored just two field goals in the fourth quarter as it lost for the third time in four tries at McLeod Center.
Despite not scoring for the first three and half minutes of the contest, ISU held an 8-6 advantage as it took advantage of Panther scoring drought to close the first 10 minutes of play.
Ceazer knocked in her second 3-pointer of the day while Marshall worked on the inside for the score to take a 16-9 lead with 6:29 to play. UNI scored back-to-back buckets but Marshall again helped extend the lead back to nine with 2:41 left before the break.
Indiana State held a 26-20 halftime advantage backed by Ceazer led with 11 first half points on 3-for-3 shooting from long range as the Sycamores recorded a 40 percent clip from 3-point range in the half.
A sluggish third quarter featured the Sycamores shooting just 25 percent from the floor as UNI went ahead by as many as six late in the quarter. Ceazer worked her magic inside for the layin to close the third quarter and cut the lead down to 39-35.
But again a scoring drought kept the Sycamores at bay, hitting its first field goal with 1:42 to play in the game. They gave themselves a chance when senior guard Alexis Newbolt picked the pocket for UNI forward Amber Sorensen and went coast-to-coast with 1:09 to play.
But Indiana State wouldn't score for the remainder of the half and sank four straight free throws to seal the win.
COACH'S CORNER
GAME CHANGER
Indiana State played another forgettable second half, scoring a combined 16 points as it made just two field goals in the fourth quarter.
SYCAMORE LEADERS
Points – Cierra Ceazer (17)
Rebounds – J. Marshall (10)
Assists – C. Ceazer (2)
Steals – A. Newbolt/C. Ceazer (2)
Blocks – K. Dirks (4)
ABOUT THE SQUAD
Field Goal % - 32.0
3-Point FG % - 35.3
Free Throw % -50.0
Rebounds - 37
Assists – 6
Steals – 4
RECORDS
Indiana State: 6-10, 2-3 MVC
Northern Iowa: 10-7, 5-1 MVC
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
4 - Kelsey Dirks swatted four blocks and now moves into a tie for 10th in a single season (Kiwana Battle, 30)
16 – Indiana State scored just 16 points in the second half, as the team's second half woes continue
17 – Points from Cierra Ceazer who posted her 13th game of the season in double-figures including the last three straight
UP NEXT
Indiana State returns to the friendly confines of Hulman Center when it welcomes Loyola (Friday, 7 p.m. ET) and Bradley (Sunday, 12 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.
