EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Game one of a three-game season that the Indiana State Sycamores need to sweep is in the books as a victory, thanks in large part to the sharp shooting of sophomore Anne Thatcher and the driving force of junior point guard Melanie Boeglin in the second half against a scrappy Evansville team. ISU used all of its offensive firepower to eclipse the 70-point plateau for the 18^th consecutive game and take a key 82-69 win over UE at Roberts Stadium. ISU improves to 18-7 overall and 11-5 in the MVC, while the Purple Aces drop to 15-9 overall and 8-7 in the MVC.

ISU headed into its final three contests of the regular season needing to sweep in order to catch Northern Iowa and Creighton for second place in the conference standings. The Sycamores got the first of three with Wednesday evening’s victory over Evansville. With two games left on the schedule, Indiana State stands just one half game behind the Bluejays and Panthers for second place, with those two teams slated to play each other this weekend.

The Indiana State University Sycamores hit six-straight shots during a late 18-3 run to rally from a five-point deficit and post the key conference victory. With Evansville holding a 63-58 lead with 7:02 to play, the Sycamores connected on six-straight field goals and two free throws over the next four minutes to grab a 74-66 lead. Thatcher keyed the run by tossing in eight of her career-best 19 points on a pair of 3-pointers and free throws.

Indiana State would then ice the victory by hitting eight-straight free throws in the final 1:39 to secure the 13-point victory.

Indiana State led at the half, 35-33, in a very fiercely contested first 20 minutes of play. Evansville jumped out of the gates early to grab a 14-7 lead, as the Purple Aces hit three of their first five shots from the floor. ISU would storm back though with a 9-0 run to take a two-point lead, 16-14, midway through the half.

Thatcher would help Indiana State build a six-point first-half lead with five minutes to play, as she went a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range in the first 20 minutes of play en route to 11 first-half points. UE sophomore center Laura Gaybrick and junior guard Sarah Hyslop would help Evansville trim the lead back to two at the break though, as they combined for 19 of UE’s 33 first-half points.

Gaybrick would finally give Evansville back the lead four minutes into the second half, as she buried a three-pointer from the top of the key to give Evansville a 45-44 lead. The lead would expand to five points, 63-58, later in the half on a Gaybrick lay-up with 7:02 to play, however the Purple Aces would hit only two more field goals the rest of the way.

Boeglin hit a jumper in the lane 22 seconds later to trim the lead to 63-60, and Ashley Clark would follow with a transition lay-up at the 6:08 mark which cut the UE lead to 63-62. Thatcher would begin her assault down the stretch with a pair of free throws with 5:33 to play which gave Indiana State a 64-63 lead. The Sycamores would never trail again.

Boeglin paced all scorers with 20 points, including 15 in the second half. Thatcher added 19 points, while junior guard Lisa Verhoff (13) and Clark (12) also reached double-figures for ISU.

The second game of the season-ending three game stretch is Friday evening, when the Sycamores travel to Southern Illinois for an 8:05 p.m. (EST) tip-off in Carbondale, Ill. ISU has won each of the last ten meetings with the Salukis.

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