Bonnie Ryan
GoSycamores.com

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Indiana State women's basketball team posted a 65-48 win over Southern Indiana to notch its second exhibition victory of the 2009-10 season on Sunday in front of 2,837 fans at Hulman Center.

Despite shooting 38 percent from the field, ISU forced 20 turnovers, resulting in 22 points in a strong team defensive effort.

Four Sycamores reached doub­le figures, as senior Kelsey Luna finished with 14 points, six rebounds and a game-high four steals. Sophomore Deja Mattox chipped in 12 points and shot a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. In addition, sophomore Shannon Thomas notched 11 points while also grabbing seven rebounds to lead Indiana State defensively, while junior Kelsey Cooley finished the day with six points and six boards.

In the first half, the Sycamores took an early 10-0 lead, but USI fought back with 10 unanswered points of its own to tie the score at 10-10. Junior Kelsey Cooley immediately dished out a layup to put ISU back on top, followed by a layup from Thomas and a trey from Luna to regain control within three minutes.

Luna totaled nine points and added four steals and four rebounds to lead the Sycamores in the first half. Thomas also had eight points, which gave ISU one-third of its points in the paint. At halftime, Indiana State took a 10-point lead into the locker room at 33-23.

After the half, Luna came out firing with a 3-pointer and a jumper in the first three minutes. Mattox then added a steal and eight points of her own - six of which came off foul shots. On her pair of shots from the charity stripe at 7:54, Mattox gave the Sycamores their biggest lead of the day at 58-37. Freshman Taylor Whitley also went on a tear in the second stanza, totaling nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field.

Rinesha Soaper and Ashton Mertens led USI with nine points apiece. Mertens, along with teammate Ellen Young, also took seven rebounds on the day, while Soaper's perfect 4-for-4 effort at the free throw line helped the Screaming Eagles to 76 percent free throw shooting as a team.

"I was really pleased with the way we came out and played, especially for not shooting the ball well," Head Coach Jim Wiedie said. "I think we got some really good production from our posts. To hold a team like Southern under 50 points says a lot because that's a team that averages 70 points a game year in and year out."

Indiana State opens regular-season play when it meets 2009 NCAA Tournament qualifier Kansas State on Saturday, Nov. 14. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (ET) in Manhattan, Kan.