ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis rallied from a 13-point deficit and took the lead midway through the second half, but Indiana State recovered down the stretch to post a 68-58 victory over the Billikens Sunday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena.
Desirae Ball scored a season-high 11 points and tied Jenny Vliet (3-of-3 from 3-point range) for team-high honors. Denisha Womack and Sadie Stipanovich tossed in 10 points apiece, and Jackie Kemph added eight.
Womack led Saint Louis (4-5) with seven rebounds, followed by Vliet and Olivia Jakubicek with six apiece. Kemph and Stipanovich registered game highs of five assists and a career-high-tying three blocks, respectively.
Indiana State (8-1) got 16 points from Stephanie Wittman, 15 from Racheal Mahan and 14 from Chelsea Small. Small tied for game-high honors with seven rebounds, while Wittman collected five steals.
The Sycamores scored the game's first eight points and led 17-7 at the 8:27 mark before the Billikens' offense got on track. Ball sank two free throws, Jakubicek made a fast-break layup and Womack hit a layup to narrow the gap to 17-13 with 6:04 left in the first half.
That was as close as SLU would get in the opening 20 minutes. Wittman scored eight points in a 15-7 run that put Indiana State on top 32-20 at intermission.
However, Saint Louis began to chip away early in the second half. Trailing 39-28, the Billikens embarked on an 11-0 outburst that tied the game.
Vliet ignited the run with a 3-pointer, and Kemph connected on four free throws. Ball's jumper cut the deficit to two, and Stipanovich canned two free throws to make it 39 apiece at the 13:45 mark.
After the Sycamores used a free throw and a bucket to grab a 42-39 edge, Ball buried a 3-pointer to knot the score again. Womack's fast-break layup gave the Billikens their first lead, 44-42, with 12:07 to play.
SLU led 46-44 after Jasmine Grier and Vliet traded baskets. Indiana State appeared to be on its way to regaining command with a 7-0 run that gave the Sycamores a 51-46 lead, but the Billikens answered with an 8-3 run to forge a 54-all deadlock with 4:26 remaining.
Indiana State caught fire, however, scoring on its next six possessions to build a 10-point cushion with just over a minute to play.
The Billikens travel to Missoula, Mont., for the University of Montana's Lady Griz Holiday Classic Friday and Saturday, Dec. 19-20. SLU will face Austin Peay in the tournament opener Friday at 6:30 p.m. (CT). Montana and Utah Valley square off in the second game.
