WICHITA, Kan. – It took a career-best effort from junior point guard Melanie Boeglin, but Indiana State held on for a tight overtime victory over host Wichita State, 81-74. ISU won its seventh consecutive conference contest to move to 15-6, 8-4 MVC while the Shockers dropped to 5-16, 2-10 MVC. Those seven straight MVC wins tie a school record which was set in 2003 – a campaign in which ISU won a share of the league title.

Boeglin scored a career-best 32 points in the victory by hitting 11-of-21 shots from the field, including a 3-pointer, and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Those 32 pushed her to 1,002 career points, becoming just the fourth player in school history to reach the 1,000 point plateau in her junior season. She is the 17^th member of the 1,000 point club.

Her scoring effort marked the most by a Sycamore since Livia Hester posted 32 against Southern Illinois on January 28, 1996.

Junior Ashley Clark posted her fifth double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Clark finished with an 8-of-15 effort from the field, despite scoring just four points in the first half.

ISU would need every point against a spirited effort from the Shockers. Wichita State had four players reach double-figures, including a team-best 15 from Nichole Switzer and Antionette Wells.

WSU got a lay up from Wells with four seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime, tied at 68-68, but the Sycamores outscored the Shockers 13-6 in the extra frame. The teams began the game by trading baskets with neither team able to build an advantage until the Shockers built a six-point lead on an Aubrey Cameron basket that gave WSU a 22-16 advantage with 7:30 left in the first half.

The two squads again traded buckets until the Sycamores battled back to tie the game on a pair of free throws by Boeglin that made the score 24-24 with 5:24 left in the first frame. The Sycamores then went on a run of their own to build a four point lead capped by a Boeglin jumper that gave Indiana State a 30-26 lead with 3:00 left in the first half of action.

The Shockers answered with a quick run capped by a Kinder three-pointer that gave them a 31-30 lead with 1:30 left in the first half.

Indiana State quickly responded with a Boeglin three-pointer to take a 33-31, lead before a Switzer basket tied the game with under a minute left in the first half.

Neither team could produce a basket in the final seconds of the first half and went to the locker room tied at 33-33.

Indiana State came out of the locker room with a smothering defense and went on a 10-4 run to open the second half thanks in part to Shocker turnovers that led to five-consecutive Sycamore lay ups.

Nikki Hall scored consecutive baskets to give Indiana State a 43-37 lead with 16:10 left in the game.

The teams again traded baskets until the Shockers closed the lead to just one point on a Wells lay up with 12:55 remaining that trimmed the Sycamore lead to 49-48 with just under 13 minutes remaining in regulation.

The Shockers tied the game at 51-51 on a Cameron three-pointer with 11:10 remaining and took their first lead of the second half on a Busenitz free throw that gave the Shockers a 52-51 lead with 9:18 left in the second frame.

Busenitz's second free throw missed, but Stephens grabbed the rebound and put it back to give WSU a 54-51 lead with 9:15 left in the game.

Indiana State chipped away at the Shocker lead and took a one point lead thanks to a pair of Anne Thatcher free throws that gave Indiana State a 59-58 lead with 5:43 left in regulation.

WSU regained the lead on a jumper from Cameron, but another Thatcher free throw tied the score at 60-60 with 4:21 to play in regulation.

The Shockers jumped back in front, but Indiana State managed to tie the score twice over the next 1:23, before taking a 66-64 lead on a pair of Clark free throws with 1:46 remaining.

Wells answered for the Shockers, hitting a lay up with: 37 seconds to play to tie the game at 66-66. Boeglin responded for Indiana State with a lay up with: 11 seconds to play, setting up Wells’ last second shot to send the game to overtime.

ISU now faces league-leading SMS on Sunday evening at 8:05 p.m. ISU has not won at Hammons Student Center since the 1988 season when the Sycamores won a four overtime affair. The Sycamores trail Creighton and SMS by two games in the conference race. ISU stands along in fourth place with Evansville’s loss at Bradley on Thursday evening. 

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