The Indiana State women’s basketball team returned home for another Missouri Valley Conference contest Thursday night looking for a second straight victory, but the Sycamores lost to Illinois State 85-77 at Hulman Center.
Bella Finnegan led Indiana State with 27 points, including 21 in the second half, while Deja Jones posted 14 points and 11 assists for a double-double, Keslyn Secrist had 13 points and Mia Simpson added 12 points.
Finnegan said to be able to get some wins going forward, they have to be able to put together a whole game.
“The end, we picked up the pressure, but having that pressure the whole game will help us beat them,” Finnegan said.
She said she felt like they were in every game but need to make those shots more often. Finnegan emphasized the need to put it together for 40 minutes and how they have only a handful of games left.
Indiana State coach Marc Mitchell said it’s mindset and how Finnegan comes out with the right mindset.
After one quarter of play, the Redbirds had a 17-16 lead.
The Sycamores were particularly strong in points in the paint as they held the advantage in that category. In the second quarter, Jones continued to show her dominance after a strong performance Sunday where she picked up the first triple-double in 30 years.
Jones said her shooting has been hot and she’ll sometimes get passes up the lane where she can score.
She touched on how the team is constantly getting in the gym and building with each other. Jones noted how that work is showing as they’ve been playing better and just staying together when things get rough.
Mitchell said Jones that early in the season he and Jones had some conversations and bumped heads a few times knowing she’s a senior point guard and how that means a lot to him.
“You have responsibilities and duties as a senior point guard … but she gets it now,” Mitchell said.
She knows her college career is about to end and she’s laser-focused.
The Sycamores showed hot shooting as they knocked down key shots to keep pace with the Redbirds and at times held a slight lead in a tight game. Secrist, specifically, knocked down some big 3-pointers.
It seemed to be the Jones and Secrist show for the most part Thursday. While the Redbirds knocked down a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, the Sycamores held a 37-35 lead. The key stat in the first half was Indiana State leading in field-goal percentage at 51.7% to 45.2%.
On their homecourt, the Sycamores played well in the third quarter as they kept pace with a Redbirds team that blew them out by 27 in Normal, Ill., last month.
The Sycamores showed a lot of hustle as they sprinted down the court with the ball after hauling in rebounds. But the Redbirds would find a little power to take a four-point lead as they looked for a little cushion. At the end of the third quarter, the visitors led 55-50.In the final frame, the Redbirds built their lead up to 60-52 with 8:35 to go. As the teams traded buckets, the Sycamores wouldn’t give up as Finnegan drained a 3-pointer with 5:31 to go to make it 68-63.
“I think getting back in the rhythm, especially being able to do it at home, I feel like I’ve kind of been in a rut at home, I’ve been putting up extra shots, Deja is good at getting me the ball, so it’s just nice to get back in the rhythm a bit,” said Finnegan, who tallied a career-high 30 points in a triumph Sunday at Southern Illinois.
With 3:02 to go, the Redbirds found themselves with a lead of 76-67. The Redbirds simply struggled to miss and with 1:20 to go, the Redbirds had pulled away as they led by as many as 15.
Mitchell loved his team’s energy and fight Thursday. He said he talked to the players about being tough before the game started and he thought they came out and played tough.
“We have to do a better job at the end of the half, end of the quarters,” Mitchell said.
He said they took a shot at the end of the second quarter a little bit too early, which allowed for that buzzer beating transition 3-pointer by Illinois State. Mitchell said he thought they started the third quarter OK, but then Illinois State went on a run, and they have to be able to stop those runs and execute their offense.
”We have to close out quarters and close out halves much better,” Mitchell said.
Shannon Dowell was Illinois State’s leading scorer Thursday with 19 points.
The Sycamores (4-20 overall, 2-11 MVC) will host Bradley at 2 p.m. Sunday inside Hulman Center. Illinois State improved to 15-9 and 9-4 respectively.
