Freshman Marisha Brown’s career-high 26-point wasn’t enough for the Missouri State Lady Bears, as the Indiana State Sycamores used strong performances from Angela Phillips and Laura Rudolphi down the stretch to pull out an 86-77 overtime victory in Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball action Thursday (Feb. 21) evening in Terre Haute, Ind. Rudolphi totaled a game-high 27 points and Phillips forced overtime by hitting a pair of free throws with 6.5 seconds left in regulation, then scored eight points in the extra period to key the Sycamores’ victory.
Phillips and Rudolphi combined for 14 points in the overtime period, as ISU went 4-of-5 from the field and 9-of-10 from the foul line while limiting MSU to just 25 percent shooting. Rudolphi finished the night 12-of-18 from the floor to lead five Sycamores in double figures.
Missouri State, which began the day with a nine hour bus ride from Springfield to Terre Haute after its chartered flight was scrapped due to inclement weather, shook off the long haul with a strong start to the contest. The Lady Bears outscored ISU 18-5 to build an early double-digit advantage, hitting eight of their first 12 field goal attempts to take a 17-9 lead on a Brown three-pointer with 12:53 left in the first half. MSU then grabbed its largest lead of the night at 24-11 on another Brown basket with 10:21 to go in the period.
But the Sycamores responded with a 19-3 burst over a three and-a-half minute span to claim its first lead of the contest. Kelsey Luna knocked down two of her three first-half treys during the run, the last of which gave ISU a 30-27 advantage at the 6:30 mark. Rudolphi also came up big for the home team in the first half, converting 7-of-10 field goal attempts to finish with 16 points at the break to help the Sycamores take a 41-35 lead into the lockerroom. Indiana State outscored MSU 30-11 to close the half and shot 47 percent overall from the floor in the opening period, while the Lady Bears cooled to 41 percent (14-of-34) for the half after starting 12-of-19 (.632).
After MSU scored 10 of the first 12 points of the second half to reclaim a two-point lead, Indiana State reeled off six straight points to vault back in front. Kelsie Cooley buried two free throws, then Maria Olsthoorn scored on back-to-back possessions to put ISU back on top, 49-45.
Brown came up with the next five points, giving the Lady Bears a one-point lead with her third three-pointer of the game with 12:25 left in regulation. After a Kara Schilli layup put the Sycamores back up 51-50, it was Coppage’s turn to take the reins. The junior guard buried her fourth triple of the game with 11:17 to go, then scored on a putback on MSU’s next possession to stretch the Lady Bear advantage to four points.
Indiana State swung the momentum with an 11-0 run to turn that deficit into a 62-55 lead with just under six minutes left in the ballgame. MSU came right back, pulling even at 66-66 on Tiff Terwelp’s 15-footer with 0:40 left on the clock. A pair of free throws by Brown gave the Lady Bears a two-point lead with 12.5 seconds to play, but Phillips drive to the basket netted a foul and the senior guard sank both throws to pull ISU even. Missouri State had one last shot for the win, but Tahnee Balerio’s 24-foot jumper from the top of the key was off the mark at the buzzer.
The Sycamores improved to 11-12 overall and 5-8 in the Valley, while MSU fell to 9-15 on the season and 7-7 in conference play.
Missouri State will play its final road game of the season Sunday (Feb. 25) when it squares off against the MVC-leading Illinois State Redbirds in a 1:05 p.m. contest at Redbird Arena in Normal, Ill.
